HB&B Blog — Doppelbock

Fundamentals #115 — Utopian Doppelbock Strong Lager

Dark Lager Devon Doppelbock Fundamentals Lager Matthew Curtis Utopian

Fundamentals #115 — Utopian Doppelbock Strong Lager

For the last few years, beer folks like myself – assorted writers, bloggers, podcasters and influencers, not to mention retailers like HB&B – have been trying to make lager happen. When craft beer came along (and by “craft beer”, I mean the most recent, post-2000s wave), some breweries were adamant that drinking lager meant you were a bad person. I won’t repeat some of the blurb churned out by these breweries during these times, but over the years I’ve come to realise that actually, this was inappropriate, and downright classist. Lager is great, all lagers are valid and, as a genre,...

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The Beer Lover's Table: Middle Eastern Macaroni and Cheese and Gipsy Hill x Berliner Berg Oscillator Doppelbock

Beer Lover's Table Claire Bullen Doppelbock gipsy hill SE London

The Beer Lover's Table: Middle Eastern Macaroni and Cheese and Gipsy Hill x Berliner Berg Oscillator Doppelbock

Until now, I was a macaroni and cheese purist. By which I mean: saucepan, stovetop. No breadcrumbs, not baked; certainly no broccoli. Just pasta and the gooiest, thickest, creamiest sauce it’s possible to make – the kind that makes filthy sucking noises when you stir it. But then I met this recipe, from Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love, the new cookbook from Yotam Ottolenghi and Noor Murad. It makes several ingenious twists to the mac and cheese format, beginning with the fact that the pasta is not cooked separately but simmers directly in the milky sauce base; its starches aren’t...

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Fundamentals #65 — North Brewing Co x Thornbridge Doppelbock

Dark Lager Doppelbock Fundamentals Lager Matthew Curtis North Brewing Co Thornbridge

Fundamentals #65 — North Brewing Co x Thornbridge Doppelbock

Doppelbock is back. There, I’ve said it. Now if enough of us band together and repeat this enough on our Twitter and Instagram accounts (although not Facebook, as we know, nothing on that site is actually true any longer), then it will become a thing again. That’s how social media works, right? In all seriousness, this deep, complex and comforting German beer style never really went away. This style is to malt lovers what the double IPA is to hop fans, taking the bock strong lager archetype and penning an indulgent, overlong poem to the sumptuousness of malt. Hops play...

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Fundamentals #64 - Ettaler Curator Dunkler Doppelbock

Dark Lager Doppelbock Fundamentals Germany Lager Matthew Curtis

Fundamentals #64 - Ettaler Curator Dunkler Doppelbock

One of the most joyous aspects of reviewing beer for Hop Burns & Black is when something completely new and utterly surprising lands on my doorstep. That was the case with this beer, from Ettaler Klosterbrauerei, based in the village of Ettal towards the far south of Bavaria. I’d never heard of this brewery before I was sent this, and after only a few sips I was desperate to know more. But more on the beer itself in a moment. First, I want to quickly dig into the idea of seeking out something new, the joy of exploration. With thousands...

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The Beer Lover's Table: Roast Grouse and Potimarron Squash with French Lentils and Ayinger Celebrator

Ayinger Beer Lover's Table Claire Bullen Doppelbock

The Beer Lover's Table: Roast Grouse and Potimarron Squash with French Lentils and Ayinger Celebrator

It’s hard to believe that, a few short weeks ago, we were eating peaches and tomatoes by the bushel. But now that it’s October, there’s a whole new seasonal bounty to be had. If you ever find yourself playing a game of autumnal bingo, this dish might well give you the winning edge. It's got chestnuts, and mace—a highly aromatic spice that's reminiscent of nutmeg and allspice. It's got the tangerine-hued potimarron squash—also known as hokkaido or red kuri squash—which resembles a pumpkin but is less sweet, more nuttyand earthy. It's got grouse, pink of breast and deeply meaty, only...

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