Will-Bräu Mai-Bock
Hochstiftliches Brauhaus

Purchase price $2.59 at Hollingshead Deli for a 500ml bottle. The freshness indicators at the bottle of the label were untouched. Glassware used was a 22oz mug.
Appearance: foggy rusty coloration with modest carbonation and a frothy one-finger head that dissolved in seconds and left no lace. Looked like apple cider.
Smell: soggy grains and fruity esters reminescent of Golden Delicious apples. Mild hops notes that couldn't compete with the fruity aroma.
Taste: light alcohol tang imediately nips the tongue. Quite sweet with the flavors bringing to mind apples and oatmeal. Hops simply an afterthought and the alcohol was even more pronounced in the finish.
Feel: light, slick, moderately carbonated.
Drinkability: barely average. My guess is that, while still palatable, this particular bottle had entered its twilight time. Compared to the Rogue Dead Guy I had afterward, this brew still had similar traits except for a fall-off in the hops character.

05/20/05- Purchased at Whole Foods in San Mateo, CA

Presentation- 16.9oz bottle with a freshness date tracker at the bottom of the label, but not notched anywhere. Poured into my Aventinus glass.

Appearance- Golden pour with a fairly decent sized tight head and moderate lacing.

Smell- Not as dark color or dark smelling as I would picture a bock to be. Pretty sweet smelling malt, maybe a touch of some fruit and grain.

Taste- Certainly does not taste like a bock either. Kinda tastes like a really sweet version of a decent pils. Sweet malts, and pretty hoppy in the finish.

Mouthfeel- About the norm carbonation for a pils.

Drinkability- Not bad for a pils...oh, wait, that's right, this is a bock :) As I said, not bad for a pils. Cool, crisp and refreshing. A tip bit sweet, but that's ok.

This beer pours a yellow yellow. Weak white head and limps off stage. More floral nobel hop aroma than the usual german lager, which I found very nice. On the tongue, there is some sweet caramel preceding a long and warming mild maltiness. mild hops. Tries to be clean and round but is still a little cluttered. Finishes slightly sweet but definitely not cloying. Medium to full bodied. Alcohol subtle

overall: After seeing the previous 2 reviews, I'm a little afraid to say I actually enjoyed this beer. I don't have many examples of mai-bock to compare this to.

Poured into a straight sided German half liter glass. Very little white crispy head

Beer is pale gold and clear with virtually no haze and a continous soft stream of carbonation.

Beer smells of a crispy popcorn grain and a large metallic aroma with a light tropical fruit.

Flavor is definately forfront with a german malt character, but the body is sorely lacking leading to a hop crisp finish instead of a more expected malt driven finish

Presentation: 0,5litre brown glass bottle. A green & gold neck label states “Will-Bräu Mai-Bock” & “Seit 1791”. The main label, which is the same lime green & gold color, has the picture of a goat’s heads in gold, with the words ‘Mai-Bock’ above it. Quite fancy looking, enough to make me grab it off of the shelf.

Appearance: Pours with a decent white expansive head, frothy looking, it laces well. Extremely clear golden body that has Pilsner traits. Looks OK.

Nose: Light, and a bit of a let down after a good start. Sweet malts with some light biscuit grain.

Taste: Now the real let-down, the sweetish, light roast malt tastes are very much those of an average Pilsner, or worse still, a Euro-Lager. Don’t get me wrong, they are not offensive – but neither are they memorable. So much so, I have forgotten what they were already.

Mouthfeel: Average, at times, some fruitiness, mixed with the sweet malt, almost materializes.

Drinkability: Easily downed, this aspect is aided by the thin-to-average body.

Overall: Probably a decent thirst quencher in the summer, but I can think of many other better value beers that I would have before this one on a warm day. Is this really a Mai-Bock? – It looks & tastes just like a cheap Pilsner to me. Forgetful.