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Steinbock
Fonta Flora Brewery
Beer Geek Stats
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- From:
- Fonta Flora Brewery
- North Carolina, United States
- Style:
- Doppelbock
Ranked #50 - ABV:
- 8.1%
- Score:
- 89
Ranked #12,812 - Avg:
- 4.02 | pDev: 6.72%
- Reviews:
- 5
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- May 22, 2023
- Added:
- Feb 09, 2019
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 1
SCORE
89
Very Good
89
Very Good
Notes:
Collaboration with Zillicoah Beer Company
This is steinbier: a very old way of brewing beer. Back before metal vessels, wooden vats were used in the brewing process. As you can’t apply direct heat to wood, hot rocks were used to heat the wort. We gathered granite rocks from a local quarry & used local oak & cherry wood for fuel, using a technique learned from our forever friends at Scratch.
Composed of a grist build of 100% local grains from our friends at Riverbend Malt House of Asheville, we journeyed far into lager land. Utilizing the hot rocks to boil the wort, we achieved a mind-bending amount of caramelization and color.
Inspired by the gloriously malty dopplebock, this steinbock will ferment cool and condition cold for a long time. Precisely the way lagers are intended!
This is steinbier: a very old way of brewing beer. Back before metal vessels, wooden vats were used in the brewing process. As you can’t apply direct heat to wood, hot rocks were used to heat the wort. We gathered granite rocks from a local quarry & used local oak & cherry wood for fuel, using a technique learned from our forever friends at Scratch.
Composed of a grist build of 100% local grains from our friends at Riverbend Malt House of Asheville, we journeyed far into lager land. Utilizing the hot rocks to boil the wort, we achieved a mind-bending amount of caramelization and color.
Inspired by the gloriously malty dopplebock, this steinbock will ferment cool and condition cold for a long time. Precisely the way lagers are intended!
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by vurt from Oregon
3.71/5 rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.71/5 rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
12-ounce can purchased at Uptown Beer Co. in Beaverton, OR. No date stamp. Poured into a nonic half-pint glass. Label indicates the ABV is 8%, while BeerAdvocate and the Fonta Flora website both put it at 8.1%.
Look:
This beer is a gorgeous deep amber-brown color with orange-amber highlights. A careful pour raises a finger of rich eggnog-colored foam which dissipates rather quickly and leaves only spotty lacing behind.
Smell:
Starts with rich, sweet malt, followed up with a rather aggressive punch of alcohol. It has an undercurrent of caramel and dense brown bread, along with notes of cherry cola and black tea. A little floral hop character breaks through as the beer warms.
Taste:
It's even sweeter than the nose promised. Starts off densely malty with prominent flavors of caramel and toasted brown bread. Cherry notes are more prominent than in the nose, and are complimented by a bit of orange peel. Remains sweet into the finish, which is dominated by malt, Grape Nuts cereal, and some dark brown sugar. Floral hops attempt to curtail the sweetness with a little earthy bitterness but don't make much headway.
Feel:
Medium-heavy body with smooth texture that's broken up by low-to-moderate carbonation. Slight alcohol warmth at the end, but nothing I wouldn't expect from an 8% beer.
Overall:
Steinbiers are pretty rare. It takes a particular kind of dedication to use hot stones to bring wort to a boil, and I'm happy to support that brand of craziness. Especially when the results are this tasty. Fonta Flora Steinbock is sweeter than I prefer, but has good malt depth, richness, and tasty caramel notes.
May 22, 2023Look:
This beer is a gorgeous deep amber-brown color with orange-amber highlights. A careful pour raises a finger of rich eggnog-colored foam which dissipates rather quickly and leaves only spotty lacing behind.
Smell:
Starts with rich, sweet malt, followed up with a rather aggressive punch of alcohol. It has an undercurrent of caramel and dense brown bread, along with notes of cherry cola and black tea. A little floral hop character breaks through as the beer warms.
Taste:
It's even sweeter than the nose promised. Starts off densely malty with prominent flavors of caramel and toasted brown bread. Cherry notes are more prominent than in the nose, and are complimented by a bit of orange peel. Remains sweet into the finish, which is dominated by malt, Grape Nuts cereal, and some dark brown sugar. Floral hops attempt to curtail the sweetness with a little earthy bitterness but don't make much headway.
Feel:
Medium-heavy body with smooth texture that's broken up by low-to-moderate carbonation. Slight alcohol warmth at the end, but nothing I wouldn't expect from an 8% beer.
Overall:
Steinbiers are pretty rare. It takes a particular kind of dedication to use hot stones to bring wort to a boil, and I'm happy to support that brand of craziness. Especially when the results are this tasty. Fonta Flora Steinbock is sweeter than I prefer, but has good malt depth, richness, and tasty caramel notes.
Reviewed by doomXsaloon from New York
4.59/5 rDev +14.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.59/5 rDev +14.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Purchased at The Bruin in New Bern, NC.
Love the literary reference and the hot granite rocks.
Lighter in taste, color, feel, flavor than expected, but a delicious and bodacious brew.
Subtle and masterfully crafted.
May 07, 2023Love the literary reference and the hot granite rocks.
Lighter in taste, color, feel, flavor than expected, but a delicious and bodacious brew.
Subtle and masterfully crafted.
Reviewed by Rub_This_BBQ from Massachusetts
3.47/5 rDev -13.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.47/5 rDev -13.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Pours a clear like a shinny penny smell is faint. Taste is sweet rasin fruit cake like and little cloying and little earth like funk.
Over all missed the mark I was looking for malt and bread toasty notes
Jun 03, 2019Over all missed the mark I was looking for malt and bread toasty notes
Reviewed by oberon from North Carolina
4.12/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.12/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours into a half liter stein a deep copper/bronze with a full one finger off white creamy head,love the rich color and creamy head.Caramel malts and cherry wood aromas along with a bit of fruit cake.Caramel and dark fruits on the palate although there is a drying almost spicy note into the finish.I get a slight star anise flavor in the finish as I drink more but it never gets overly sweet and stays quite drinkable.A well made NC Doppelbock here.
Apr 05, 2019
Reviewed by hman43 from North Carolina
4.24/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.24/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Look: It pours cooper in color with a slightly off white head. Head retention is good.
Smell: There are strong malt aromas of toast. There is a low plum note in the background.
Taste: There are strong toast flavors with plenty of maillard like elements. There are some very low plum notes in the background. There is also a very low herbal flavor with some alcohol notes.
Feel: It has a medium full body with a bit of a dry finish.
Overall, a strong malty rich beer with plenty of toasty elements and maillard elements.
Mar 30, 2019Smell: There are strong malt aromas of toast. There is a low plum note in the background.
Taste: There are strong toast flavors with plenty of maillard like elements. There are some very low plum notes in the background. There is also a very low herbal flavor with some alcohol notes.
Feel: It has a medium full body with a bit of a dry finish.
Overall, a strong malty rich beer with plenty of toasty elements and maillard elements.
Steinbock from Fonta Flora Brewery
Beer rating:
89 out of
100 with
13 ratings
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