My first Paulaner Salvator didn't go down so well. I had just started to enjoy Doppelbocks as a style and I was pretty excited to try the original, from a brewery I used to love. After splashing out on a bottle in a bar, I was rather disappointed by the harshness of the beer. Clearly this style isn't the best suited to impulse buying. As such, I figured a more measured and prepared evaluation was in order.
The most important factor in home beer-ing for me is the control of serving temperature. For a Doppelbock, I tend to prefer it at room temperature. Just as I'd thought, the experience was far more positive from the beginning,
Pouring a lighter shade of red than I might have expected, there's no mistaking the depth of the toffee malt notes on the aroma. Other than the expected malt bomb, there's a surprising hint of green apple and even a touch of booziness. The lack of complexity on the aroma is reversed by the relative layering of the taste. It opens like a Dubbel, with red berries and pockets of dark fruit turning swiftly into chewy and sticky chocolate malts with, once again, a dose of alcohol heat to the finish.
It may not be clever, but it's certainly big. An interesting experience, but one you could probably replicate with my go-to, affordable doppel.
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