Bock Bier
von Trapp Brewing

Bock BierBock Bier
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
von Trapp Brewing
 
Vermont, United States
Style:
Bock
ABV:
6.5%
Score:
89
Avg:
4 | pDev: 7.25%
Reviews:
33
Ratings:
81
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 16, 2020
Added:
Mar 23, 2017
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  11
Brewed traditionally during Lent, Bock, which is “goat” in German, is a dark, strong lager. A blend of Munich and Carafa Special Type 2 malts give this lager its truly deep hues, and light hopping with Hallertau evens out the flavors. The recipe stays true to its cultural roots.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by JamieDuncan:
Photo of JamieDuncan
Rated by JamieDuncan from Maryland

4.18/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

May 12, 2018
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Sep 16, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by Velivolus1 from Vermont

Aug 09, 2020
Photo of Bouleboubier
Reviewed by Bouleboubier from New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
(16 oz can, best by 08/05/19; purchased 4-pk last week off shelf at Mr. Liquor... chilled 3-4 days; decanted into 14 oz mug)

L: clear, chestnut-brown liquid; tall, semi-tight, off-white foam, sets a nice dome crest above the glass, but deflates rather quick, leaving thin collar, speckles and thin bands of lace... decanting was important for this - last 2 oz was rather cloudy

S: couch leather, chocolate cake melanoidins, bread crusty as hell, with hints of baked fruit and bruised flower petals... nutty, bready malt cuts through the most

T: beautiful malt sludge, with a mildly herbal-spicy finish; nutty, caramel, chocolate notes dancing around, vaguely candy-bar like, but the aftertaste shows little residual sweetness; soft peppery alcohol accented by toasty roast lingers... full-flavored maltiness, brown ale like, but with obvious style-specific lager/hop character, apparent spice

F: maintained an active spritzy bite up front; bit of padding to its body, bit of residual drag in the finish; almost doppelbock-like roundness and alcohol warmth (shows more of the latter)

O: quick-chilled one the day I brought them home; could taste the age immediately... doesn't taste too dissimilar from any other past-due, imported dark bock I've snagged... I'll knock off the last two cans, but won't pick up another 4-pack (was probably 2 cases worth left on shelf) (1663)
May 11, 2020
Photo of BEERMILER12
Rated by BEERMILER12 from Maine

3.75/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
On tap at the brewery
Sep 03, 2019
 
Rated: 3.76 by jbertsch from Massachusetts

Aug 11, 2019
Photo of CTHomer
Reviewed by CTHomer from Connecticut

3.89/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75
A: crystal clear; deep amber in color; 1 finger finely pored tan head that receded to a wispy cap; OK lacing;

S: nicely complex - a little sweet, a little spicy, a little smoke, a little caramel;

T: follows the nose - the smoke is up front and the finish is sweet;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; dry finish;

O; really nice;
Aug 11, 2019
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

3.97/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Best by 8/05/19
Pours a giant foamy creamy 3 finger off white head that fades quickly at first, then slows for good retention, soapy lacing, very dark but clear auburn mahogany color

Nose sweet biscuity toffee, caramel, brown sugar and toasted malts, a little chocolate coffee like roast, more chocolate as it warms, light fruity ester notes

Taste rich creamy toasty malts, toasted biscuity toffee caramel and brown sugar with fair sweetness, light fruity esters, dark fruit, light herbal hop, soft lager notes, some chocolate as a hint of roasty coffee like malt, light bitterness, med dry sticky finish, light bitterness

Mouth is med to fuller bod, sweet but not quite syrupy, heavy like dark malt, just a touch of alcohol, medium carb

Overall this seemed very "American" like with the big sweet candy like malt, lack of bitterness, borderline syrupy, tons of toffee and caramel like characters, less of the real German or even Austrian like bocks, which is surprising as von Trapp is usually on point for style. But still a pretty good beer
Jul 19, 2019
 
Rated: 3.97 by generallee from Virginia

Jul 15, 2019
 
Rated: 4.03 by clake from Vermont

Jun 20, 2019
 
Rated: 4.32 by RBorsato from Virginia

May 21, 2019
 
Rated: 5 by foghornleghorn22 from Virginia

May 14, 2019
Photo of Proteus93
Reviewed by Proteus93 from Virginia

3.98/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Deep mahogany, topped with about a finger-high pale sandy head. Notable clarity.

S + T: A soft caramel scent, paired with a little dark fruit--prune first came to mind. There's a little bit of breadiness noted, as well. The flavour sweetens it up a bit, though also brings out a roasted quality that was not detected the same way in the aroma. It offers almost a coffee-like taste that is not unwelcome, though a little unexpected. The hop balance is quite nice.

M + O: The medium body is on the heavier side. A little zing of carbonation is just right for the style. It finishes with just a little slickness over the roof of the mouth and back of the tongue. Quite a nice example of the style.
May 12, 2019
Photo of cjgiant
Reviewed by cjgiant from District of Columbia

4.32/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Can BB 8/2019:
A medium brown body comes with clarity of substance if not color (at the thickest parts of the glass), a nice light beige head tops it and provides nice lacing.

Nose has a fresh pumpernickel bread note where the bread is still soft and giving off ever so light yeast notes. Lighter notes and accents include a bit of chocolate and a hint of sweetness that has an apple cider lean to it.

A smooth on a beer that flirts with a medium heft and thickness. Medium dry ending to this one after the pumpernickel bread beer that has a nice balance that keeps the malt flavors in the forefront without bringing too much sweetness. I get a little bit of chocolate in the middle on this sitting that I didn't get in a previous one. This also seems to counter the light coffee note I got more of before but still get a little of in the back of the taste.

A nice, balanced toasty brown lager with a smoothness that was nice, but I found the beer overall a little less refreshing than their Dunkel.
May 05, 2019
Photo of dacrza1
Reviewed by dacrza1 from New Jersey

3.69/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
DATE: April 24, 2019... OCCASION: in the midst of a refreshing, productive spring break--time to do a review! GLASSWARE: Celebrator pokal...pours a dark mahogany brown body hiding large, sporadic bubbles... they create a cluster of off-white smears of froth that rescind their height to a thin ring... as expected, a flat-looking bock... rich chocolate comes first--tootsie roll and toffee, with earthy loam, thick dough, and the light spice of dull rye... its first sip is livelier than expected, especially at the throat, while its IBUs don't really suggest much at the point of entry... smooth, slightly flat and easily drinkable, with enough bulk to qualify for liquid bread... toffee, caramel, bagel, tootsie roll, candied sugars, mellow hops that suggest potted plants and window boxes.... sweet like tea, but not thin--this rewards more than the sum of its parts, with a rich finish and a balanced feel... this works better than the vaunted von Trapp lager...
Apr 25, 2019
Photo of CanConPhilly
Reviewed by CanConPhilly from Pennsylvania

4.44/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
L - 1-finger stubborn offwhite head atop a translucent brown body.

S - caramel, orange trees.

T - sweet caramel, tangy orange, lemon, sourdough bread. A lot going on here. Low bitterness. Moderate sweetness. No booziness.

F - medium body and carb.

O - for the style, this is killer.
Apr 07, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by Velivolus from Vermont

Apr 06, 2019
Photo of Dragginballs76
Reviewed by Dragginballs76 from South Carolina

4.02/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance - Pours deep ruby chestnut color with thick tan colored head that settles to a thin cap. sheets of lacing around the glass.

Aroma - Nice spicy hops, rich malts, light grain, slight nuttiness lingers a bit.

Taste - Smooth chocolate malts dominate, light spiciness, nutty rich flavors.

Feel - medium bodied, well carbonated dry finish smooth.

Overall - Well done bock, flavors are great smooth rich and dry finish. Well done.
Apr 04, 2019
 
Rated: 4.08 by wafers from New York

Mar 25, 2019
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
This will be my fifth entry of/in Happy Loads of New (Mainly) Lager Beers Sunday (Week 718). I purchased several bottles from von Trapp Brewing at Hunger-n-Thirst, but this was a lucky CAN find for The CANQuest (tm) at The Beer & Beverage Shoppe. Unfortunately, this is my last von Trapp so I will have to scour for some more Lagers after this one!

From the CAN: "'A little of Austria[,] a lot of Vermont'"; "Brewed traditionally during Lent, Bock, which is “goat” in German, is a dark, strong lager. A blend of Munich and Carafa Special Type 2 malts give this lager its truly deep hues, and light hopping with Hallertau evens out the flavors. The recipe stays true to its cultural roots."; "By the family that inspired 'The Sound of Music'"; "Brewed on the grounds of Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont, this lager is crafted with the finest traditional ingredients and our pure Vermont spring water."; "IBU: 20".

It had been a while since my last Crack & Glug, but The CANQuest (tm) is much like riding a bicycle - once you get the hang of it, you never forget how to do it. Mine came off without a hitch, quickly forming two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, light-tan head with excellent retention, leaving a lot of lacing in its wake. I should also add that the head formed following a pseudo-cascade. Color was a beautiful Coppery-Brown (SRM = > 17, < 22) with NE-quality clarity. Nose had a pronounced maltiness, but not necessarily a sweet one. Instead, it had a treacle quality, not precisely sharp, but definitely not sweet. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not quite creamy, but close & certainly big for a Lager. The taste closely followed the nose - it was not sweet, but nor was it sharp or bitter, falling somewhere in between with a pleasant treacle-like quality along with a maple syrup flavor. It was a real testament to the yeast's action that it was not much sweeter! If anything, it made it even more drinkable, IMHO. Finish was semi-sweet, bordering on semi-dry, but if you wanted to argue for one or the other, I would fold pretty quickly. There is an irony in that I have been exhorting this brewery all afternoon to CAN more of their beers. Here, I had a CAN from them & one was plenty! 8=( It wasn't bad, but it was just a bit sweeter than I like.
Nov 25, 2018
Bock Bier from von Trapp Brewing
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 81 ratings