Niner Bock
Roosters Brewing Co. - Ogden

 

Can at SLC airport location. Dark amber pour, thin tan head. Malty aroma with mild sweetness. Taste is more sweet malts, light toffee. Simple, but average.

neat to see this one in cans, a cool take on the style here too, solid and sturdy but with well hidden alcohol strength, the kind of thing i like to drink this time of year, and a worthy if unexpected companion to good mexican food. its deep amber in color, holds well over an inch of frothy tannish head, and leaves some patchy lace behind as i drink it down (a bit too quickly for what it is i might add). it smells like maple and smoke, more depth than anticipated, nutty without being as sweet as a lot of these are, some perhaps noble hops late, and not a lot from the lager yeast. the flavor is similar, a kilned malt richness, earthy and toasted but not sugary, toffee and brittle notes though, and grassy hops on the back end, smooth as silk, no warmth at all even when this comes up to temperature, and some cool minerals from the water chemistry that play well in here. i like the malt depth a lot, the light smoke i get here is a fun twist whatever its origin, and there is some neat fruitiness too, apple fruit leather, raisin, and date. good body, lots of bubbles, finishing dryness for the style, very well made beer here, unassuming in this little can but punching up. round of applause!

 

 

Tasted from 500 ml bottle bought in Utah. BA calls this a German Bock, but it clearly seems like a Doppelbock to me based on alcohol level and color.

L - A beautiful beer. Mahogany with a hint of red in the glass, crystal clear around the edges. Huge piles of thick, tan head.

S - Strong malt aroma comes across as primarily strongly toasted grains, verging on too roasted for the style. No dark fruit or caramel aromas, which I would normally expect. Lacking the strong breadiness I'd expect. Medium earthy hop aroma.

T - Flavors more true to style than the aromas were. Strong malt character. Bread, caramel, light dried fruit, maybe a tiny hint of chocolate. Again there is a toasted flavor verging on roasted grains, perhaps just over the edge of too roasted for the style. No hops flavors, which is consistent for the style.

F - Medium to heavy body with a silky feel. Low carbonation is only a small tickle on the tongue. Medium hops bitterness that offsets the malt sweetness but doesn't stand out on its own. Moderate alcohol heat. All these factors seem appropriate for the style.

O - I wouldn't call this a Bock, but, rather, it is clearly a Doppelbock. The brewer has nailed some of the characteristics, such as its appearance, emphasis on malt and mouthfeel. Others are a bit off the mark, such as the overly roasty aroma and flavor. Overall it's enjoyable but not a classic example.

 

 

 

Really nice burnt caramel color with a colossal head of 4 fingers, and gradually recedes to a 1/2 finger.

Very basic malt aromas, but it's clean and crisp. Lightly baked caramel and nut aromas, with a slight grassiness.

Flavor starts out with a caramel malt base, followed by a mix of cinnamon disc and butterscotch disc, and then a rush of burning alcohol. Sour dark and bright fruits fight for center stage. Some plum and chalk on the finish. Kind of a strange profile.

Feel begins watery, then develops body as the alcohol creeps in, and then finishes watery with a hot, boozy finish.

Overall, it's a legitimate bock but nothing I'd feel strongly about returning to. Just too many flavors that aren't confident of where they stand and an impression of expiration.

Pours really dark opaque reddish brown, almost a crimson , nice long lasting head of foam. The smell is of dark fruits, caramel malt, bit of butterscotch. Really nice aromas. The taste is dark fruits (somewhat muted) caramel malt, toffee, butterscotch, and big booze. Taste vs smell...smell wins big time. Mouthfeel is okay; to me, very thin finish. Nah, one and done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

500ml Bottle

Poured into a Rooster's true pint glass a nice clean/clear dark golden amber color, nice carbonation, with a nice one-finger creamy off-white head, with some minimal sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, with a nice touch of hops, caramel and some toffee. The taste is mostly malty, some hops in there, and toffee. The taste is a bit soury, with some sweetness. Medium body. Overall a nice brew, but the soury is throwing me off a bit. This is the third higher ABV brew from Roosters, they do have another one coming out, hopefully soon.