Mardi Gras Bock
Old Capitol Brew Works and Public House

Pours a light amber.
Smells of light caramel malts. Nothing serious.
Tastes really smooth though, has a really nice taste with a bit of a buttery taste. Nothing impressive but seriously one of the more balanced bocks I have had in a while. Compared to Shiner and Abita's amber this beer is a bit more reasonable.

Enjoyable!

Dark brown in hue with reddish/coppery highlights, this beer is fairly dark for a bock. Interesting. It was served with one finger of beige head, the head retention was fair and it faded to a thin collar in a few moments, naked in the middle. The subsequent lacing was webby and quite widespread. This is a good-looking beer. The nose is clean with a roasted caramel twang. It doesn’t really say much. Too soft… it was served a little too cold. Not inviting but I’m curious though (factor in the color), I want to take a sip. It should be noted once this beer had warmed up the nose was more talkative but it kept saying the same thing, “Sweet… sweet… sweet…” I get the point! The palate is very interesting; there is big sweetness for a bock. I liked it… for a while. It is sweet with hints of coco and some caramel. Earthy. Hops are German in nature, as it should be. This beer is quite flavorful. I found some zippy roasted acidity at the finish. On the whole the palate is clean, I’d like it to be a bit dirtier. The sweetness is big and I’m not sure I’d drink more than one of these a night. In fact I only order one when I was at the brewpub. I have to think this beer would be very good with vanilla cake. This is a dessert beer. Medium-full in body, moderately low carbonation, the mouthfeel is filling enough. Sweet aftertaste. Overall, this beer is tasty and very flavorful. Rich in taste, considering the abv restriction laws, well done. It is drinkable but too sweet; it needs more hops and more caramel from the malt. Still, I am impressed with this beer. It’s worth a try if at the brewpub.

Appears dark copper (mahogany) with a light tan one-finger head that hangs around. Lacing was incredible from that tiny head. When cold, it smells mildly of 'chalky' bock and this becomes more enticing as it warms. There is a stoney kind of smell, which may be the hops. When warm, it has a clean woodsy freshness, like walking through a forest as the morning dew is starting to wake. Warm, the grainy and noble hop goodness mixes well for a nice combination. Cold, the taste is sweet with caramel and toffee. Some munich bock character, but subdued compared to the bocks I had in Germany this past summer. As it warms, a gentle sour appears to compliment the mild carbonation on the flat of my tongue. There is a nice aftertaste that hangs on the tongue, the result of the medium/thick body holding some of the sugars around. Needs more caramel bock character and less overall sweetness, IMO. Still a fantastic treat, nice job guys!