Blitz Kriek Bock
Bullfrog Brewery

Beer Geek Stats
From:
Bullfrog Brewery
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
Rauchbier
ABV:
5%
Score:
Needs more ratings
Avg:
3.89 | pDev: 9.25%
Reviews:
3
Ratings:
3
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 29, 2011
Added:
Oct 18, 2011
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of Knapp85
Reviewed by Knapp85 from Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
This brew sounded like it was going to be awesome. I had my cousin grab me a growler when he was at the brew pub. I didn't expect the beer to be a Rauch so that kinda caught me off guard a little bit. I expected this to be a cherry doppelbock of somekind not a smoked brew. The beer poured out fairly nice, had a red color with a tan colored head on top. The smell is loaded with smoked malts and not too much else... I couldn't even get much cherry out of it. The taste again was mostly smoked, not much a tart or sweet cherry flavor at all. The mouthfeel was decent but nothing too exciting, it was pretty normal for the style. Overall it's not a bad brew, it's just not really my style. Personally I think it's a little unbalanced also. It's a shame because I typically love Bullfrog. This one was a little bit of a bummer for me.
Oct 29, 2011
Photo of pmsawyer
Reviewed by pmsawyer from Pennsylvania

4.32/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Aroma - Bland of smoke, malt and cherry with pronounced Applewood aromas that was medium intensity recalling a good applewood smoked bacon.

Appearance - Dark reddish brown with about an inch of head that diminished but did not disappear completely.

Flavor - Smoke dominates taste with malt and cherry sweetness flavors in the background. Clean lager character of a Rauchbier was missing, lost to cherries which competed for prominence with the smokiness. The cherry flavors perhaps seemed sweeter as a result of the smoke flavors. In all a lot of disparate flavors made for a complex hybrid brew.

Texture - medium body with average carbonation.

Glad to have been able to enjoy this brew at the bar prior to a meal. I am thinking a mug of this would pair nicely with pork given cherries are prepared with ham and chops.
Oct 18, 2011
Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
"A smoked cherry bock brewed with a variety of specialty malts including 220 pounds of malt smoked with applewood at Acme BBQ by pitmaster Jon King. The beer was then finished with 80 pounds of tart cherry purree. 5% abv."

Big thanks to pmsawyer for securing me a growler of this to enjoy. Shared with some friends and poured into several pint glasses. The brew appears a hazed color caught between copper and amber. More of a lighter golden coloring around the edges and a deep burnt copper towards the middle. Nearly 2 fingers worth of creamy off-white head forms across the top and retains well. As the cap slowly fades, it leaves patches and strings of lacework all over the glass. A light swirl revives the cap that slowly fades to a lace across the top that holds throughout the entire duration.

The smell of this brew is pleasantly smoked with almost a campfire quality about it. More smells bring forth thoughts of smoked meats which makes me start to salivate before a sip is even taken. There is a mild fruity quality to the nose of this brew that seems to be hinting towards some fruity hops and alcohol more than the indicated cherry puree ingredient. As the brew warms up, the smoked quality of the brew gives way to some sweet toasty grain notes minorly like toffee. Overall a pleasant aroma that is balanced. Once warm, there is a sulfur aspect that comes forward in this brew mixed with a yeasty quality.

Where the aroma of this brew is dominated by smoke and has a very minimal touch of fruit, I find the opposite to be true in the flavor. The taste has more of the cherry fruit quality with the smoke playing a secondary role. Flavoring of tangy alcohol that has a light mineral feel about it runs throughout the profile. A light touch of herbal hops keep the smoked flavor of the grain and fruity alcohol notes in check. The fruited quality of the brew doesn't come right out and scream cherry to me. However, the flavor is present with more of a pitted, natural and earthy quality that mixes with the smoked to formulate what I find to be a perfect combination and balance. When the brew gets warm, more of a sweetness of toasty to caramel grain comes forward with a mild sulfur touch.

This is a medium bodied brew with a modest level of carbonation. This is one of those beers that blends several styles of beer together into a unique concoction that doesn't really commit to any one style. I hesitate calling this a bock even though it is in the name because of the fruit addition and the intense smoked quality. It carries with it a somewhat crisp finish that gets drawn out with a lingering fruited and smoked flavor. The 5% abv is well integrated in this brew and collectively forms a unique experience that is certainly worth a try if you get the chance.
Oct 18, 2011
Blitz Kriek Bock from Bullfrog Brewery
Beer rating: 3.89 out of 5 with 3 ratings