Pandora's Bock
Elysian Brewing Company

Pandora's BockPandora's Bock
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From:
Elysian Brewing Company
 
Washington, United States
Style:
Bock
ABV:
6.4%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.83 | pDev: 15.4%
Reviews:
9
Ratings:
16
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 18, 2014
Added:
Oct 22, 2002
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.5 by sharpski from Canada (BC)

Jul 18, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by jaydoc from Kansas

Nov 16, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by mpalestino from Pennsylvania

Aug 09, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by Ingjald from Washington

Jul 07, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by t0rin0 from California

Sep 26, 2012
Photo of corby112
Reviewed by corby112 from Pennsylvania

2.73/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Draft at the brewpub in Seattle.

Pours a dark amber color with golden orange edges and a one finger off white head that slowly settles into a lasting ring.  Sporadic streaks and spots of lacing left behind.

Sweet malt aroma with subtle grassy hops.  Hints of caramel, light chocolate, toffee, rye and hazelnut balanced by spicy, grassy hop notes.

Medium bodied with a stronger earthy, herbal hop presence than expected.  Very herbal/medicinal with dry, earthy pine that overpowers the sweet malt notes a bit too much for my liking.  Hints of rye, caramel and toffee provide balance but I wish that it was tilted in the other direction.
Aug 07, 2012
Photo of lacqueredmouse
Reviewed by lacqueredmouse from Australia

3.68/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Had on-tap at the brewery in Seattle.

Pours a deep brown hue with a clear, firm body. Head is off-white, forming a solid ring on the beer, and leaving, intricate, delicate lace. Small-bubbled carbonation rounds out a very pleasant picture.

Nose is deep and roasty, with sharper notes of copper and a hint of acid coming through. Mostly, it's rounded by a smooth malt character, though. It's decent, overall.

Mild smooth entry, with a hint of caramel, before the deeper, grainier notes of roastedness come through. Back palate is somewhat metallic with a hint of phenols, but even this is rather mild. Very smooth finish with almost no aftertaste.

Feel is clean and smooth and good.

Overall, it's very smooth and drinkable, but it could stand to ramp up some of those more interesting but submissive characters and make the beer more aggressive as a whole.
Jul 25, 2012
Photo of mdfb79
Reviewed by mdfb79 from New York

4.1/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Had on tap today at The Pony Bar on the UES in New York at their Elysian event. 14 oz. pour in a pint glass.

a - Pours a somewhat clear amber-brown color with one finger of off white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of sweet dark fruits, toasted malts, roasted malts, bready malts, fruity malts. Very malty but the sweet dark fruits are nice.

t - Tastes of sweet dark fruits, roasted malts, toasted malts, cola, bready malts, grains, fruity malts. Taste is lightly sweeter than the nose and a bit better in my opinion.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Body is super easy to drink.

o - Overall I thought this was a very good maibock, and it is super easy to drink. Lots of malts and some nice sweet dark fruits, would definitely like to have it again.
Jul 17, 2012
 
Rated: 3.25 by grittybrews from Washington

Jun 26, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by cletetron from Canada (BC)

Jun 06, 2012
Photo of srandycarter
Reviewed by srandycarter from California

3.18/5  rDev -17%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A - Reddish cola, off white nice head, reduces to ring. Soapy lacing.

S - Barn and medicinal, with some malt mixed in.

T - Emulates smell, and a little cloying on finish.

M - Kinda phlemy, no offense.

D - Not for me.

Mediocre at best. I don't know if it is an old bottle, or if I don't really care for the style, but I like other similar beers...
Feb 27, 2009
Photo of IgotsHops
Reviewed by IgotsHops from Washington

3.9/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Came deep mahogany, just let a little light through. A decently pretty beer.
Smelled roasted, almost porter like, with cola and coffee notes.

Tasted very cola, roasted barley, dried dark fruit.
A hop bitterness built up on the palate rather quickly.

Very carbonated, in the bock style, but the bitterness took away from the drinkability of this beer.
A good sipper, but don't try and drink a pint of this stuff in under a half hour. Pretty beefy for a bock.
Feb 12, 2008
Photo of orbitalr0x
Reviewed by orbitalr0x from Illinois

4.07/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pours from the bomber a deep garnet color that fades into a ruby red when held up to the light. A nice bone white head forms on top and leaves some nice strings of lacing in its wake. Aromas of caramel infused sourdough bread, dark fruits, raisins, powdered cocoa, licorice and a slightly smoky backing. There's a piney hoppiness that also works its way in. Nicely layered.

First sip brings a caramelly, bready maltiness upfront. The sourdough comes through in the taste as well. Hidden inside are hints of cherries, raisins and cocoa. A nice piney hop bitterness follows on the way down. A bit astringent on the finish with lingering hints of smokiness.

Mouthfeel fell a bit short of my expectations. Medium bodied, but thinner than I expected. Good carbonation. An interesting example of the style and worth a shot. Thanks to skyhand for the opportunity to sample this one.
Jul 16, 2005
Photo of canucklehead
Reviewed by canucklehead from Canada (BC)

4.7/5  rDev +22.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Can't believe I got bottle of this in some small wine shop in LaConner. This is a truly great beer that shows the chops that Dick Cantrell can muster. Complex, smooth and original this beer had me contemplating each sip. I detected old leather, fruit, malt and other rich notes. I didn't like the IPA but this shows why people consider Elysian to be one of the PNW best brewers.
Apr 12, 2005
Photo of RoyalT
Reviewed by RoyalT from Michigan

4.53/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance – Very dark brown in the body with a gigantic head that filled over half the glass. It was tan/white in color and went down extremely slow, lacing the glass heavily.

Smell – The very smoky, heavily-toasted malt scents were all over the place. This one is very complex and complimented with some light caramel and a touch of alcohol.

Taste – Man, this is big. It takes me back. The toasted smoky malt flavors are huge. The light caramel sweetness is absolutely mandatory to offset the gigantic malts. This is a powerhouse. Hops need not apply.

Mouthfeel – Of course, this is modestly-carbonated with a light alcohol sting. It’s medium-bodied or maybe just above.

Drinkability – My buddies look at me like I’m nuts when I chug this type of beer. They say, “How can you stand it,” and cringe at the sight. I love bock beer. The freezing cold German winters open up with spring warmness, beautiful flora, the return of local fauna, and big, giant, bock beers. This went down smooth as silk.

Comments – Asked yesterday, I would have said quite adamantly that there is NO WAY IN HELL that an American brewery was going to produce an excellent bock beer, especially one from the hoppy Northwest. Elysian though blew my socks off with the Bete Blanche Tripel, and they did it here again. Amazing!

Update – I originally rated this back in September 2003 shortly after joining the site, so I thought it would be fun to re-review it with an ’04 vintage. It’s everything I remember it to be. It’s an authentic Bock that’s dead-on for the style. I could take this to Germany and it could hold it’s own.
Sep 26, 2003
Photo of cokes
Reviewed by cokes from Wisconsin

4.92/5  rDev +28.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Deep Ruby amber in color. Crystalline, with just a slight bit of haze. Frothy tan head doesn't fade away.
Big fruity aromas. Raisins, citrus, apricot, somewhat exotic. Enthralling and mouthwatering.
Taste is part and parcel what a Bock should contain. Lots of dark fruit sweetness. Plum and raisins are the major contributors. Slight hints of grape sweetness, and maybe a jab of pineapple. Rich, caramel, toffee backdrop provides a canvas for the fruitiness to strike against. However, this caramel/toffee flavor is a standout in it's own right. Hearty and chewy. Chocolate completes the trifecta, with subtle baker's notes and hints of roastedness. Some exotic fruitiness squirts out once again towards the finish (think mangos). Woody hints are intergrated as well. German hoppiness is crushed under the huge malt load, but provides enough spicy zest to balance. Anything more would intrude on the malty splendor.
Medium-full bodied, just shy of "doppel full" Very little carbonation makes this literally glide around the mouth.
This might be as close as a "regular" bock gets to perfection. Actually, I can't think of many doppelbocks that surpass this.

This is Americanized but not bastardized, rather it is perfected. I doubt there is a bock out there that beats this one.

Wonderful, jreitman. Thanks a ton! Send a case next time.
Oct 22, 2002
Pandora's Bock from Elysian Brewing Company
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 16 ratings