Leinenkugel Big Butt Dopplebock

At one time in the life of Ill-Gotten Booty, Leinenkugel was my favorite beer. I had graduated from Budweiser, but had not yet discovered the vast universe of craft beers. Leinie's Red was my regular at O'Rourke's and I usually had some Honey Weiss and Creamy Dark in the fridge. Since I liked to try the darker brews I picked up some Big Butt Doppelbock. Bocks are Spring seasonals, a style of lager that in my opinion you don't see enough of these days. Originally brewed as the first beer at the end of Winter/beginning of Spring. It's typically dark and malty, lower in hops than average. The "butt" in "big butt" comes from the association of mountain rams head butting each other with bock. Who knows why there is such an association?  Doppel  or Double bock tends to be stronger and a bit darker. Leinie's version pours a nutty brown with a two-finger tan head. Big Butt has a sweet, malty character with overtones of apple and pear. There's a hint of chocolate, but just a hint. The body is lighter than I remembered from days past. Fairly decent bock, but not the best out there. Nonetheless, I'm glad that they brought it back. A little Leinie's trivia: Leinenkugel pulled this beer from their seasonal rotation because  of low sales, not anticipating the fad for darker craft beers that was to come.