As a killer arctic wind chill enveloped the land on the coldest day so far of this new year, I cracked open a roasty, toasty Double Vision Doppelbock from the Grand Teton Brewing Co. of Victor, Idaho.

It was pulled from my ever-shrinking cellar (the bottom of my fridge). I hate to keep digging in there, but it was too damn cold to go out for beer. And I was happy to pull out this plum. It felt like kismet. Nothing like an 8 percent doppelbock to put a glow on a bone cold night.

It’s a smooth and deceptively mild 8 percent doppelbock, as a good doppelbock should be (think Salvator). A deep-roasted smoky grain/dark chocolate/espresso finish swaggers around the palate and lingers like it owns the place.

Double Vision was one of the brewery’s quartet of 2013 Cellar Reserve releases. They combined northwestern grain and hops with traditional German grains and a yeast strain from a monastery near Munich, then cold fermented and lagered the brew for 10 weeks before being sending it out to grateful consumers.
Catch it if you can.

A week before the cold spell hit, we had an unusually warm day that sent me to the store with a craving for a tasty lager. But I didn’t want my old standbys and was having a hard time deciding. I was just standing there in front of a wall of beer when I saw it – the two Xs…or Dos Equis. Why not, I thought. Usually when I have a Dos Equis, I order the amber in the brown bottle because it’s a very tasty beer. Sure, I thought. I’ll try the green.

Love it. It’s an excellent lager – crisp and refreshing – and it really hit the spot. I just wish “The Most Interesting Man in the World” wasn’t associated with it. Had I recalled that particular marketing scheme as I stood in front of the wall of beer, I probably would have passed on the two Xs.

Stay thirsty, my friends. Indeed!