Why We Picked It: Troegs has a long history in 24 Days of Beer, and it goes beyond Mad Elf. I had one not long ago on Dan's deck and it reminded me that this is an excellent brew that should be included. Plus, its a sweet label. Somehow, this seems to the 24DOB debut for doublebock.
What Troegs Says About It: MONKS HAD FASTING FIGURED OUT.No food? No problem. Just drink a Double Bock. Thick and chewy with intense notes of caramel, chocolate and dried stone fruit, ‘Nator (as we call him) serves as a tribute to this liquid bread style.
Style: Bock - Doublebock
ABV: 8.2%
IBU: 25
Website: https://troegs.com/
To Better Know A Brewery: Good beer brings out the good in people. Whether we’re working on a new beer recipe, building a seasonal menu, or deciding how to serve our community, the first question we ask is: Why? When it comes to ‘aletruism,’ asking why helps us focus our priorities and the ways in which we serve the people, places and resources who’ve helped us along the way.
I'm usually a big fan of Troegs but knew going in that this is not one my favorites. We'll get to my long history with Mad Elf in a week's time, but this one does take me way back to 2018. It was a different time. Scott, Jeremy, and I bought our 24 days of beer at Total Wine. We decided we'd get a beer at the closest Laurel watering hole because going to a bar and drinking a beer was something you could do back in 2018. We headed into the Bank Shot. Yes, the Bank Shot is about what you'd expect. The record clearly stopped as we walked in. We saddled up to the bar and asked what they had on tap. The bartender went through the list and told us they had a Troh-eggs. I asked which one. She said she didn't know and seemed offended that I asked. I pressed her on it to ask what type of beer. She again seemed angry and confused that I cared and finally said it was an "amber". I figured it was the Hopback Amber which I'm a big fan of so I ordered it. She asked if we wanted smalls or larges. Since we are who we are, we all said large. She brought over these massive glass pitchers of beer for each of us. I took one sip and was hit by the booze and suddenly got very concerned. It was all I could do to convince myself it was not Mad Elf but I knew it was something strong. We finally used deductive reasoning to conclude it was the Troegenator. Finished our beers and headed out. I admit, I was a little fuzzy on that drive home. I had to drop something off at my in-laws in Silver Spring so I was heading down Dale Drive and it was the first time they had put all those "traffic calming" measures in so a series of unnecessary medians, plastic cones, and lots of lines. I am quite confident that day was the drunkest I've ever been on one beer.
ReplyDeleteSo in summary, this beer is just too boozy and strong for me. It doesn't hide it at all. Sure it's nice and malty. That's not my thing. Ro took one sip and even though she loves malty beers, she rejected it because of the sweet, boozy aftertaste. I've definitely made the mistake of buying this in the past because it seems like the best option at the time, but it really never is. I give this 3 out of 6.66 demonic vikings.
I remember the Bank Shot very well. I like dive bars, but that was a step below. I was oddly disappointed there was not a bar fight over a pool game.
DeleteI also remember you having to rush out to go to the in-laws.... And we laughe and laughed.
Also just found out Untappd check in! Good times.
DeleteSame-O, Same-O but not the same.
ReplyDeleteWe've had a lot of these heave meal.style beers this year and did I mention I'm not a huge fan?
Still not, but of all the ones in this category, this is the best executed one.
All the same flavors are there, it's just in this one they're balanced. No one dominates and they are in harmony producing a flavor supervisor to the ones with dominant notes.
It also isn't boozy.
3.7/5 "I'll be back"'s
Classic winter warmer. Strong malt flavors. 3/4
ReplyDeleteI think I’m starting to hit a wall of the strong beers. They are starting to blend together. 2.5/5 ð€·♂️
ReplyDeleteI have had this one several times and generally a fan, bit this particular one didn't do much for me. I know that they are different styles, but I actually think it paled to last night's Belgian. This was strong and boozy, but didn't ha e the flavor or character of the Van Dammit. Maybe not fair to compare, but that's life for a beer in 24DOB. Still love the label. 3.25 out of 5 satanic vikings
ReplyDeleteHmmm. Malty. I am behind on my postings (and I just made of fun of people who do not post) so I just had this back to back with the VanDammit and I think I like this one better. I like the warm and toasty vibe, and happy that the fruity-raisin-y taste us gone. I was thinking this reminded me of a Shiner Holiday Cheer from a year or two ago that I really liked, although it's not quite that good. 3 out of 5, I don't know, what could it be out of ...could it be ....Satans!?
ReplyDeleteI love the label as well.
Not bad for the style - though malty and sweet aren't usually my first choices. While I preferred it to the VanDammit taste wise - and a satanic viking logo does have a certain appeal - it clearly doesn't lend it self to commentary as well.
ReplyDeleteGreg -- I liked this. It is strong. It is malty. It was tasty, and I particularly liked it on a snowy day amidst crazy kids wanting to throw snowballs. I think the fact that I had it at like 2 pm during a late lunch only leveraged its appreciation for me :-)
ReplyDeleteI remember this being better in 2016. Have I become a beer snob? No way, I’d still shotgun a Natty
ReplyDelete