Christmas Bock
Enegren Brewing Company

Excellent full flavored and bodied example of brewing prowess. Pours to an ample head which leaves nice spots of lace here and there. Generous caramel scents waft upward leading to a caramel base during the drinking experience. Also, strong notes of toffee, walnuts, pumpernickel bread with hints of fruit cake can be found. Sweetness is available, but not over the top. A finish including an earthy hop presence comes forth riding atop a bit more fruit cake. I really like what Enegren did here, this really does present as a bock and a Christmas style beer all in one. Lager fans should not pass this up

Type: 16-oz. can
Reviewed as: Bock
Glass: Pure Project 14-oz. snifter elemental (earth) glass
Price: $13.99 for a 4-pack
From: Windmill Farms in San Diego (Del Cerro), Calif.
Purchased: Dec. 2, 2022
Consumed: Dec. 3, 2022
Misc.: Canned on Nov. 14, 2022

Went to Windmill Farms to pick up some Aurora Hoppyalis and saw this down to its last few 4-packs. Bine & Vine’s website calls this beer a “German-style Weihnachtsenbock. This medium bodied amber bock bier has rich caramelly flavors paired with mild, Christmassy spice characteristics from the German Hallertau and Herkules hops. A perfect combination with its higher ABV to celebrate Christmas all month long! Frohe Weihnachten!”

Poured a dark reddish brown semi-clear color with 4-to-5 fingers of khaki-white frothy head. Could see just a few bubble streams coming up along the sides of the glass. Excellent uneven foamy lacing. World-class foamy retention. (Sight - 4.50)

Smelled caramel, toffee, brown sugar, dark fruit, raisin, date, fig and hints of cocoa. Just as good from the can. (Smell - 4.25)

Tasted about as good as the nose. Nice and smooth for 7.2 pct. ABV. In order got dark fruit, raisin, date, fig, plum, caramel, toffee, brown sugar and hints of maple. (Taste - 4.25)

Medium body. Creamy texture. Average carbonation. Smooth finish. (Feel - 4.50)

Just another good Enegren lager. Surprise, surprise. (Overall - 4.25)

4.29 | 95 | A

This brewery never fails. Tasty and malty. Lovely.

This is a really nice bock beer. Probably my favorite offering from Enegren that I have tried thus far.

Pours a dark reddish brown color, perfectly clear with no visible sediment. A nice finger of tan colored head, fairly short lived for the style.

Aromas of dried dark fruits and whole wheat bread crusts up front, backed up by hints of clove and allspice, maybe a touch of ginger and nutmeg. Chocolate covered raisins and molasses on the tail end.

The aroma is lovely, but it all comes together beautifully on the palate. A a buttermilk pancake breakfast begins the adventure, which leads to a river of hot cocoa that flows into a pool flecked with cereal marshmallows that the gingerbread man is taking a dip in.

Medium full bodied in texture, but surprisingly easy drinking despite that.

Would also go great with Thanksgiving dinner.

90 A-

Clear, amber brown color; dense, fat carbonation; thick, off-white head. Very pleasant spicy aroma; ginger and cardamom; Christmas cookie-like. The taste builds on the nose; toasted malt base with a sublimely delicate holiday spiciness; cloves and earthy bitterness; a very faint hint of alcohol. Medium-heavy, soft and velvety mouthfeel; semi-dry aspect balances out the holiday-like sweetness and spiciness.

This is a beautiful holiday beer creation. Well-balanced and flavorful. I chanced upon a lone 4-pack of this at my local beverage emporium and am so glad to have taken it home with me. I hope to experience this again next year.

ABV: 7.1%; pouring temperature: 51.8 °F; canning info: 11/13/2024
Source: local purchase (Coaltrain Fine Wine, Craft Beer & Spirits)

 

Beautiful amber to walnut hue, sandy fluff retains well and leaves light lacing.
Nose is rich toasty brown bread with a tad of molasses sweetness. Hint of spice.
Flavors of brown bread, molasses, muted caramel, and a light almost phenolic hint to the spice.
Mouthfeel is medium with moderate carbonation.

Pours caramel/chestnut color with a sliver of tan head. Minimal head retention and lacing

S: Brown bread, brown sugar

T: Brown bread, brown sugar, leafy hops & a touch of dryness up front. No head retention or lacing. Brown bread, leafy hops & brown sugar. Finishes dry with leafy hops & brown bread

MF: Medium body, slight carbonation

Solid bock, wish the body was a bit more.

Packaged on 11/21/23 - consumed on 12/23/23 - poured from a pint can into my Ayinger Celebrator pokal.

Brilliantly clear mahogany body with faint sandy brown highlights and a creamy bone cap; fine sandy lacing; fast running legs; recedes to a popped collar but retention is decent from there.

Lovely malt-forward aromatics, toasty/bready with faint caramel. Restrained and inviting.

Wave after wave of malt hints at caramel and brown bread with an earthy, woody, medium finish. Light noble hop quality contributes just enough bitterness for balance, though vanishingly little flavor. Cleanly lagered and free from burnt elements, with complexity likely coming from a long boil and perhaps a decoction (or at least a multiple step) mash?

Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Soft yet sufficiently crisp to draw you back in after each sip. Gently warming.

Brewed impeccably to style, and rated as such. Perfect for the season.

Picked up a tall can at a Total Wine in San Diego canned on 11/22/2023. Pretty excited to try this holiday seasonal when I saw how highly it ranked within the Bock category. Hard to find proper Bocks, even in Germany. A rich, complex treat of a beer. Caramelized malt with lots of brown sugar, earth, a bit of char, and a warm boozy finish. Super smooth with a tasty hint of hops in the finish. Really a wonderful holiday beer, wish I had the time to buy a 4-pack to enjoy more of this.

2023 version - 7.0% - purchased at Bottlecraft Liberty Station in San Diego.
Pours a clear mahogany - deep reddish amber with a half finger of short lived khaki head.
Aroma is of spicy bready malt - caramel, toffee, a honey note, some dark fruit and even a hint of pine.
Tastes of sweet bready malt, caramel, a bit of honey and a touch of nuttiness. Again some dark fruit, plum and touch of spice, leaving with some soft earthy piney bitterness.
Smooth moderately full mouthfeel with medium carbonation and a slightly sweet finish.

This beer pours a translucent Mahagony brown with a rich off-white head that quickly recedes to a ring around the top of the glass, some lacing is evident along the sides of the glass. The smell is bready malts that promise tons of malty goodness.
The taste doesn't disappoint. lots of rich malt and freshly baked bread flavor, I was shocked to see the 7.2% ABV on this beer, because it is not evident. The feel is just right and properly spreads the great taste throughout the palate. Overall, this is a great beer that I would gladly drink year round

Handsome clear coppery brown brew with abundant foam in the tall IPA glass. Lovely aroma of roasted grain. Warm and roasted tasting but not overly sweet. Malty and rich, a touch of dark caramel, but ends with a pleasant hoppy finish. Some bitterness in the aftertaste that is quite welcome after the moderate dose of sugar. This is one of the best Bock-style brews I've had in a long time. Such complex and balanced flavors with high drinkability. From the 16 oz can purchased at Trader Joes. Dated 11/16/2022.

Pours a beautiful amber red color with nice short-lived head. Mostly a malt aroma with a hint of roasting. The taste is sweet, lightly roasted malt. Excellent balance. Tiny bit of bitterness lingers on the tongue. Yummy beer. Almost reminds me of a 'like' double Shiner Bock I loved to drink but gave me enough gas to blowup a Hindenburg. Canned 11/15/2022
Thanks to.....

@Beersnake1 sent this my direction as part of his return fire during NBS BIF #16

Rich ruddy brown colour. Crisp and clear, with a massive pile of soft foam.

Nose is apparent immediately upon cracking the can. Sweet malts up front, toasty and somewhat nutty. Like a nice warm piece of toast made from good brown seed bread.

Flavour presents with much the same profile. Toasty brown bread, some nuttiness, some sweet toffee/caramel, a bit of sweet spruce like character, and the finish comes back to the nutty brown bread malts with a touch of earthy hops.

I'm really enjoying this one, thanks for sending it along, Tim!!

 

I like it although I am not really sure what qualifies it to have “Christmas” in the name. At a pour temperature of about 50F I am not picking up spices associated with the holidays although it is a nice, flavorful bock. Pours a deep amber tinged with ruby, with 1-1/2 finger tan head in a tall tulip (very little head in a mug). The head almost completely disappears in a short time. Flavor and nose are caramel, malt, a tinge of molasses (with some sweetness). I get no dried fruits or anything else, unless I really use my imagination, then a faint bit of dates, but it is still a nice bock.

 

 

Ok, well, I picture Snoopy in a Santa hat drinking this thing, and he is buzzing! He’s having a hell of a time doing snow angels and chasing that yellow bird. Then he tried to kick a field goal with Linus or something, and from 45 yards, “It’s good!”

Awooooooo!