It’s Time For The Perkulator
November 17, 2008
“It’s time for the perkulator!” That used to mean it is time to get out on the dance floor. Okay, I never got out on the dance floor, so it means something completely different to me. It means it is time to drink one of Michigan’s finest beers, Dark Horse’s Perkulator Coffee Doppelbock. This seems like an odd combination, but after one sip you will fall in love with this beer.
Beer: Perkulator Coffee Doppelbock 
Brewery: Dark Horse - Marshall, MI
Style:Doppelbock
Availablitity: Comes out in the fall and I am happy to say it is currently on the shelves at Food Town in Monroe
Beer Advocate Rating: B+
Serving Temperature: 40 to 45 degrees
Food pairing: What automatically comes to mind is chocolate cake. But just not any chocolate cake. Yellow Springs, OH Gypsy Cafe’s chocolate cake. What is the difference? It is sprinkled with red pepper flakes. It gives you a sweet beginning and a slight hot feeling toward the end in every bite. Really, any chocolate desert would do. Also a slice of smoked gouda with another slice of venison sausage would go great with this beer.
Appearance: It is a dark brown yet translucent. Mahogany highlights become evident as I hold it up to the light. An off-white head develops around the rim of the beer with little head retention.
Aroma: The first smell that I take in is coffee but more like an espresso. I also catch a hint raisin and some caramel and toffee. Like Christmas in the mall.
Taste & mouth-feel: This beer is one of my favorites but it is really hard getting a hold of taste-wise because of its complexity. The bitterness comes from the coffee and not from hops. The coffee flavor is strong but doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the flavors. The below the surface taste is from the sweet malt. Here I am tasting fruitiness and some hints of toffee. It has a light mouthfeel but the flavor stays in your mouth. Feels very similar to drinking a coffee.
Overall Impression: I love this beer. It has a unique taste and is easy to drink. Many coffee beers are typically brewed in the heavier styles so to see someone put coffee in a doppelbock and have it work is inspiring. It personifies why I love craft beer. Dark Horse pushed the boundary of what beer is and came away with a favorfullable beer that I eagerly await coming out every fall.
Posted in Beer Review, Michgan products
November 17th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
I read a bunch of reviews on this beer, and I don’t think they posted the ABV on Beer Advocate.. some were speculating it to be somewhere around a 7%.
I too enjoyed one of these on Saturday, and let me tell you it was awesome. It’s dark, which people immediately think that makes a beer heavy and filling- the Perkulateor is on the lighter side and very drinkable. The flavor is outstanding too.
I picked up my 4 pk. for $5.99 at Foodtown in Monroe, MI – on Telegraph Rd. Great price for such an awesome beer.