The 473mL cans that house Rainhard Brewing’s Occult Classic Coffee Doppelbock are almost laughably dark, such as they are nearly impossible to read. However, I was able to squint enough to tell you that the beer contains 6.7%—the same as the original version of Occult Classic (without the coffee). No idea where the coffee comes from or when it was added to the brew, but there you are.
The beer is dark and looks like root beer, with amber highlights and a sudsy tan head. It has a substantial aroma of roasted malt, backed with toasted bread and just a soupçon of brewed coffee. The flavour leans a bit harder into the coffee notes, though not so much as to be indelicate. As well, there are sweet, malt-forward elements, as well as toast vibes and a modestly java-bitter back end.
Compared to the original Occult Classic, the coffee version didn’t strike me as a notable improvement (although it has admittedly been a while since I last slurped a can of the original). The coffee flavour is nicely integrated, but I’d really rather just get down on a classic doppelbock—Ontario versions are already rare enough.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10.
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