Springbock
Phillips Brewing & Malting Co.

 

 

This was left-over from a Canada Day beer swap. I'm thinking I probably should have indulged earlier, because based on the typical Maibock, the hop presence should've been more pronounced.

A - Pours a slightly hazy pale golden colour, very thin layer of head which dissiaptes quickly leaving no real lacing.

S - Scent is very sweet with a slight scent of honey. Bready, grains and grass dominate the remaining scent. A very mild presence of some grassy hops, but I was expecting something a little stronger.

T - Again, very sweet. This flavour is rather unique and slightly reminiscent of malt liquor (but in a good way). Not sure if the sweetness is attributable to the alcohol, but it definitely has a honey sweetness to it. The flavours that linger are the bready grains, but it is a bit on the metallic side. The finish is a little bitter as well, which must be attributable to the hops, as I was able to detect some very mild pine and cedar notes.

M - This one has nicely balanced carbonation, but the finish is a tad too dry for my liking. Still goes down quite smooth though.

D - My first experience with this particular beer, and though I was impressed, I was not blown away. Had some unique flavours and they weren't offensive, just not what I was looking for. Would I recommend this to someone? Probably not. I've had better offerings from Phillips and would likely refer them into one of the ones I found more memorable.

I think it is great that Phillips made a Maibock as it is a not often seen style ( I still miss Big Rock's version from years ago). I don't think this among the best seasonals Matt has produced however. The nose is apple juice like and even when it warmed up a little it still had no real hop scent. The beer is fruity and fairly complex for the style but I was hoping for a more luscious mouthfeel with a bigger finish. I will purchase another bottle to try again but this one didn't totally satisfy

Nice orangey-gold colour with a thin white head. Very clean, slightly metallic crisp hops and bready, slightly fruity malts.

Fresh hoppy taste and a nice, sweet subtle malt profile. Definite toffee, bread and even a raisin-y taste to it. Quite smooth and well-balanced, refreshing but not to hoppy.

Nice sipper for the afternoon or with dinner.

650ml bottle.

Appearance: Clear yellow-gold with white head that recedes quickly but leaves some lace.

Aroma: Soft grassy hop, orange, corn, banana. Head receded too quickly to pick up other nuances that may have been there.

Taste: Gentle mandarin and banana, tropical fruit. Wheat/yeast flavour although no wheat in the brew. Bavarian tang (a good achievement), with gentle grassy, spicy, herbal hop in the background. A little alcohol: just enough to remind you this is a bock. Fairly sweet overall but balanced. Everything is subtle but enjoyable in the taste.

Mouthfeel: Fairly full bodied, smooth, almost creamy. Slightly dry.

Drinkability: I'm not familiar with the maibock style, but this is a complex and tasty beer that seems to be a very good effort from Phillips. Worth checking out.

Excellent, another new seasonal from Phillips! It's been a while since I last had a Maibock.

This beer pours a bright, chill-hazed orange gold colour with ajust off-white, 2 finger head that has decent retention and leaves some pretty good lacing on my glass.

A surprising load of hoppy aromas come wafting off the top of this beer with delicate hints of citrus, clove and spice. There's some nice caramel and bread notes in there too. Way deep down in there, I get just the slightest hint of chocolate roastiness too.

As for taste, right away you get hit with a good burst of hops that is matched with a really malty, caramel and bread backbone that displays a really nice array of candied fruit (plum, apricot and apple mostly) mid-sip and on to the finish where bready, nutty flavours join in to linger on with good length and a touch of spice. And even though this one's only 6.5% , as soon as those fruity notes hit your palate, you also get a nice warming sensation from the alcohol that adds just another layer to this beer. Damn tasty.

This brew's mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a good hit of spicy, tingly carbonation mid-sip and an oily finish that coast your whole mouth but does not leave it feeling unclean. A nice spiciness on the linger as well.

As for drinkability, I could see myself having a couple 650ml bottles without too tmuch of a problem. The alcohol is there but it's far from overpowering. This brew is, however, leaning towards the sweeter side of things making it a less of a beer to session and more of one to savour slowly. Perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Again, Mr. Phillips, I commend you.