Don't Mock Mai Bock
Bull & Bush Brewery

A clear gold color with a moderate-sized white head.
Sweet malt aroma, a little bit fruity.
Caramel, sugar, fruit, late grassy hops.
Sweeter than I anticipated, but still a nice beer.

 

 

 

 

i like this bock for a spring seasonal, but ill tell you what i dont like. bull and bush uses the same yeast strain for so many of their beers that its all i can taste when they release a new one with the same yeast. this beer would be delicious as a stand alone, but in the context of all the other beers that use the same yeast, it gets lost in the wash. pours hazy bright golden color with a 2 inch white head with good retention. smells like the yeast from their other beers, tart and fruity. also notes of german and english malts, but not heavy like lots of bocks. flavor is similar, yeasty for a bock, but a really nice crisp full malt complexity and crisp bitter finish. feel works well for this beer, medium to high carbonation, medium body. this is a solid beer that is quite sessionable, i just wish they would do something new with the yeast once in awhile.

I had this one on tap the other night at the brewery. Poured a medium bodied gold color with maybe a finger or so of white head. Aromas of sweet malt, toasted grains and grassy hops. On the palate, this one was medium bodied, with flavors of toasted grains, ginger, sweet malt and grassy hops.

This has been on tap for a little while, but it's still fresh tasting, so it might be a release for all of summer.
Arrives a dark (nearly amber) golden yellow color. The head's minimal, even for the style, but it lingers for the life of the beer.
Smell is sweet (a B&B trademark for stronger brews) and has grain on the back end. There's a faint hops scent blended in with the sweetness that seems pretty authentic.
Taste starts off sweet, the hops arrive quickly behind, and the finish is dry. Not boozy or too dry, but just right. To me lagers tend to have a little bit of a clover honey flavor, which this has in spades with the extra sweetness. Not bad at all!
It's spot on for texture. Not too thick for a summer lager, but not thin or watery either.
There are no real flaws with the brew, but it didn't strike me as something I'd have more than two of. I'm not sure why, but it doesn't really have anything that draws me back either. I'm a big fan of some of their bigger items for winter and spring, and this one is kind of a "tweener."
Still, it's a style I like and it's an excellent take on it.

EDIT: I had the version for 2008 and I don't think it was as good. Everything tasted a little to "buttery" for my tastes. Reminds me a little of the profile for a Pilsner Urquell, but taken a little further. I'm not sure if it's because they're using different hops or what, but it's not as good as last year's.

A friend bought a growler of this from Bull and Bush and I had about a half a pint since I have never had a Maibock before. It was orange in color with some haze. The smell was faint and earthy. The taste reminded me of an Oktoberfest beer very much. It had the "lager taste" as I call it which means I detect the same flavor in many lagers. I am just not experienced enough to associate that taste with another flavor. lagers seem to have a really clean flavor This beer was really drinkable and one that I would probably purchase if B&B's IPA's weren't so damned good. It is really hard for me to pick something at Bull and Bush that is new when I see Man beer and Justice on the wall.