Brothers’ Reserve Cherry Oak Doppelbock is a very highly recommended doppel, whose oak and cherry essences are so well integrated into the beer that I wonder why all doppels aren’t this flavorful.

With this beer, Widmer Brothers Brewing Company of Portland, Oregon, has achieved a wonderful balance of malt, oak and cherry. No one flavor overshadows the other and all contribute to a smooth, satisfying beer.

Cherry Oak Doppelbock pours a dark honey-brown with a quick-to-fall tan head. The beer’s aroma is of toffee malt with undertones of cherry and minor notes of oak.

This doppel’s initial flavor is of sweet caramel and toffee malts that show an incredible depth of malt flavor that gains in intensity and richness at mid-tongue.

At mid-tongue, some small but very complimentary notes of oak flavor join in. The oak is so well integrated that you really have to search your taste buds for it, for this is no oak bomb.

However, the star at mid-tongue is the beer’s cherry flavors. However, as with the oak, these flavors are subtle but oh-so-important to the complexity of the beer.

Some dark chocolate malt flavors appear at the back of the throat as well as some piney hop flavors that serve to help balance the beer’s malt.

At 9% alcohol by volume, this doppel has a pleasant alcohol warmth that shows in the beer’s finish. That finish is long and is dominated by deep, flavorful malt accentuated by oak and some light cherry notes.

Summing up this beer’s flavor profile is pretty easy. Sweet-ish malt throughout, cherry forward at mid-tongue and oak forward at the back of the throat. However, be reminded that all flavors integrate wonderfully.

My only criticism of the beer is a very slight metallic note that shows deep in the back of throat.

Brothers’ Reserve Cherry Oak Doppelbock is very highly recommended and was purchased at Miller Liquor in North Sioux City, SD.

-Tim Hynds

COPENHAGEN (AP) – Danish brewer Carlsberg A/S posted Wednesday a 25 percent hike in third-quarter profit, citing successful cost-cutting strategies and strong returns in Eastern European and Asian markets.

The beer producer said net profit rose to 1.5 billion kroner ($297 million) in the July through September period from 1.2 billion kroner in 2008.

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DENVER (AP) – MillerCoors, a U.S. joint venture between Molson Coors Brewing Co. and SABMiller PLC, said Wednesday that its third-quarter profit climbed on cost-control efforts as well as the strength of beer brands like MGD 64.

The maker of Blue Moon and Miller Genuine Draft said its earnings rose 37 percent to $229.7 million compared with a pro-forma profit of $168.2 million a year ago.

Excluding pension related charges and other items, profit increased to $244.4 million from $190.8 million.

Revenue grew 3 percent to $2.01 billion from $1.95 billion, partly on MGD 64’s strength, while sales of mainstay Miller Lite continued to soften.

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An occasional column of often-times mindless ramblings.

• The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported online yesterday that Pabst is for sale for a reported $300 million. As faithful Sioux Brew readers know, Pabst is only a marketing company. It owns no physical breweries. Its beer is brewed under contract by MillerCoors.

Pabst is comprised of a portfolio of “old-school” brands. Most notable being Schlitz and, well, Pabst. And this is what matters to Sioux Cityians. Pabst bought the brands of the G. Heileman Brewing Co., which bought the brands of the Kingsbury Brewing Co., which bought the brands of the Sioux City Brewing Co.

So, Pabst probably owns the Heidel Brau name and trademark. There is no mention of Heidel Brau on the Pabst website, but when I did a trademark search about 10 years ago, Pabst showed as Heidel Brau’s owner (as I recall it was a debtor in possession type of deal).

Upshot is that maybe any new Pabst owners would like to part with the Heidel Brau brand. Or maybe some local benefactor with a spare $300 mil. would like to bring the whole company to Siouxland.

Or, if someone could get the brand cheap enough, wouldn’t it be cool for a brewpub to open in Sioux City and start brewing Heidel Brau? I know the recipe is floating around there somewhere……..

-Tim Hynds

Warrior IPA enters the Siouxland marketplace with a fresh hop beer brewed with 100% Colorado-grown hops. My only fault with the beer is that I think the hop profile gets a little too jiggy in the finish.

Brewed by Left Hand Brewing Co. in Longmont, Colo., Warrior pours a deep golden orange with a tall, light tan head that left lots of lacing in the glass.

Its aroma is of  citrus and floral hops with an almost equal amount of caramel malt notes.

Warrior’s initial flavor is a short blast of sweet caramel malt at the tip of the tongue. The malt flavors are then overrun by strong floral and piney hop flavors at mid-tongue. However, as much as the hops overtake the malt, apparent malt flavors remain to provide a pleasant backbone for the bitterness.

Hop flavors start to get a little jiggy, turning slightly vegetal at the sides of the tongue. Those rather strong flavors increase and continue into the back of the throat.

Finish is medium in length and keys on floral and astringent hop flavors, supported by caramel malt sweetness. At the very end of Warrior’s finish, the hop flavors turn slightly soapy.

Warrior is listed at 6.6% alcohol by volume and 60 IBUs. Thankfully, the beer’s caramel malt flavors are able to support its hop profile. Because without the level of malt it has, Warrior’s finish would be akin to an astringent hop bomb.

I consider the beer to be full flavored and medium bodied.

Warrior IPA was purchased at the HyVee Wine and Spirits in South Sioux City, Nebr.

-Tim Hynds

Some interesting new beers have landed at Miller Liquor in North Sioux City, SD:

Treblehook, a limited-release barley wine from Redhook Ale Brewery in Woodinville, Washington is now in stock.

Also in is Widmer Brothers Brewing Co.’s Cherry Oak Doppelbock, This beer is the the Portland, Ore., brewery’s “limited release #1.”

As always, Sioux Brew encourages you to support all local retailers who are making an effort to stock quality beers.

-Tim Hynds

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) – Call it a culture clash, trans-Atlantic style.

The Brits think the Americans are puritanical and somewhat batty. The Americans find the Brits morally lax and too willing to bend the rules.

It all started at a high school in Maine when a student consumed half a bottle of Fentimans Victorian Lemonade, then looked at the label and discovered it contained small amounts of alcohol, listed as less than 0.5 percent. By contrast, a typical American beer usually contains about 5 percent alcohol.

Not wanting to get in trouble, he showed it to school administrators, who called police. Police referred the matter to state officials to determine whether the zesty beverage could be sold to minors. Anti-alcohol groups got involved, sending out warnings about the potential perils of the highbrow brew.

On Thursday, the Maine attorney general’s office said it has determined that, in Maine, at least, people have to be 21 to buy the product.

“Fentimans Lemonade cannot be sold to minors,” said spokeswoman Kate Simmons.

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The 2009 edition of Schell’s Snowstorm continues the trend of the New Ulm, Minn., brewery kicking out a top notch winter seasonal.

This year’s version of the beer – the style and recipe changes each year – is a Baltic porter. And, Schell’s take on the style is at once flavorful and delicate. I consider it a very accessible version of the style, but one that devotees of big malt beers can still enjoy.

However, if you are looking for a malt powerhouse, you will be disappointed.

Snowstorm pours a deep, opaque mahogany with a tall tan head that leaves lots of lacing on the glass. The beer’s initial aroma is of roast malt with some sourdough notes. Those aromas are combined with some  light cherry cola and gravelly hop scents.

Snowstorm’s initial flavor is moderate roasty malt with a modest bit of toffee sweetness.

Roasty malt flavors ramp up at mid-tongue, but is balanced with floral hop flavors that show at the sides of the tongue. Some moderate cherry cola (but not the cloying cola sweetness) flavors and anise make an appearance here.

Mouthfeel at mid-tongue is rather spritely, making the beer feel less heavy in the mouth than its flavors would otherwise lead you. It’s a feature that makes this brew go down rather easily and keeps Snowstorm from becoming a 40-weight version of the Baltic porter style.

Hop bitterness picks up slightly at the back of the throat and the malt takes on a dark fruit flavor (think light raisin and black cherry) with moderate to heavy malt roastiness.

The moderately long finish on this Baltic porter is rather dry and keys on roasty malt supported by floral hops.

I consider the 2009 edition of Snowstorm to be on the the lighter end of full flavored and medium bodied. It is highly recommended as a flavorful, but not heavy take on the Baltic porter style.

I’d love to let you know the beer’s alcohol by volume content and other stats, but Schell’s website still lists the 2008 Snowstorm (a fine Weihnachtsbier). In fact, Internet information says this beer isn’t scheduled to be released until Sunday (Nov. 1, 2009). My guess is that this beer will hover around 6% ABV. I’ll update with a comment when the information becomes available.

Schell’s Snowstorm was purchased at Miller Liquor in North Sioux City, SD.

-Tim Hynds

See related story:

A look at new lower-calorie beers from big brewers Anheuser-Busch InBev and MillerCoors and how they compare with others:

MILLERCOORS:

Miller Genuine Draft 64: 64 calories, 2.8 percent alcohol

Miller Lite: 96 calories, 4.2 percent

Miller Genuine Draft: 143 calories, 4.7 percent

ANHEUSER-BUSCH:

Select 55: 55 calories, 2.4 percent alcohol

Budweiser Select: 99 calories, 4.3 percent

Bud Light: 110 calories, 4.2 percent

Budweiser: 145 calories, 5 percent

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.