Tag: Doppelbock

Tröegs Troegenator Double Bock

Tröegs Troegenator in a Pilsner Glass
Tröegs Troegenator in a Pilsner

Troegenator is deep ruby red moving towards brown with a thick fluffy toffee colored head.

It smells sweet and malty with hints of cherry, dates, and raisins.  You can tell right away that this is going to be a rich beer.

Up front I’m getting some bready malt flavors which are followed by dark cherry, raisins, and maybe a little beet sugar. It’s sweet but not overly so.

I’d call it medium bodied with medium carbonation. It lingers briefly with a mild sweetness.

Overall Troegenator is very tasty but a bit rich for extended drinking.  This falls into the realm of what I consider a “dessert beer.”  One, maybe two, after dinner and look forward to more tomorrow.

Other Specs

  • ABV: 8.2%
  • IBU: 25
  • A “Freshest By” date is printed on the label.
  • Troegenator is a year-round offering from Tröegs.

Why That Glass?

Doppelbock beers are best served in either a seidel or a pilsner glass. I personally prefer a pilsner because it kind of slows down how quickly I drink them.

With a rich, higher ABV, beer I like to move a bit slowly so I can really get a chance to experience it fully.  I’d end up drinking it took quickly from a seidel and my palate would get overwhelmed.

More about this Double Bock

Among the beers I’ve sampled since launch Tröegs has one of the more informative labels I’ve seen.  It offers up a suitable amount of info for your average beer geek and clearly offers up a “Freshest By” date which is excellent.

This info is easy to find and made grabbing this six-pack go much faster.

The Portion of a Troegenator Label Showing basic Info
Troegenator Info Block

Pop on over to Tröegs’ official page for this beer and you’ll find something really cool.  Towards the bottom of the page there’s a link to a PDF file providing food pairing notes.  Tröegs lists Complimentary, Contrasting, and “Adverse” flavors.

I might have to revisit this beer and try some food pairings!

The Pilsner Glass and European Pilsner

Mama's Little Yella Pils in a Pilsner Glass
A Conical Pilsner Glass

Like the tulip glass, the pilsner glass comes in a variety of different shapes.  A basic pilsner glass typically has a narrow base with sides that flare outward.  Some versions of this glass look like an elongated tulip pint.  Others are more cone shaped.  Some are also very similar to a wheat beer glass.

A stemmed version of the pilsner glass is also known as a European pilsner.  European pilsner glasses typically have a short stubby stem which blends seamlessly with the glasses tapered walls.  They can resemble stretched out versions of tulip pints, willi bechers or fluted glasses.

You may also see taller stemmed pokal glasses referred to as pilsner or lager glasses.  I’ve included several pictures below for comparison.

Pilsner glasses can be 12 to 16 ounces depending on the style.  Bigger glasses exist but tend to overlap into the Wheat Beer Glass category.

Benefits of The Pilsner Glass

With it’s tall narrow body the pilsner glass behaves a lot like the stange.  It’s shape showcases a beer’s clarity while it’s top narrows the surface area helping with head retention.  Because pilsners are crisp and bright beers this helps with delivering some of the beer’s more delicate aromas.

What Beer Goes in a Pilsner Glass?

As the name implies, this glass is ideal for beers of the pilsner style.  This includes most pale lagers.

Because the glass is so similar to the stange and fluted glassware it can also be used for for  kölsch-style beers or even lambics. I also sometimes use my pilsner glasses for 12 ounce bottles of wheat beer.

The basic idea is that you’re looking for beers that share characteristics with the pilsner style.  That includes beers with clear pale colored bodies, medium to sparkling bright carbonation, and a crisp bubbly head.

Where can I get Pilsner Glasses?

Libbey has a four-pack of “Classic Pilsner” glasses for around $14 on Amazon. They’re 15 ounce glasses making them a bit big for your standard bottle of beer but they’re high quality glasses.  The same glass is also available in the Libbey Craft Brew Sampler Glass Set we’ve already reviewed.

Libbey also offers what they call a “Midtown” Pilsner in the same price range. These glasses are more like a narrow version of a wheat beer glass.

The quintessential pilsner is probably Pilsner Urquell.  They offer a couple different types of branded glassware including a stemmed pokal glass and a tulip-flute style pilsner glass.  Both of these also make great additions to your beer glass collection.