Maibock
Sockeye Grill & Brewery

a really nice lager, i think this is the kind of thing these guys really excel at, and i was stoked on this pint. it is a little darker than i am used to in the style, these are usually bronze in hue, this one is decidedly brown, looking more like a doppelbock, and without a lot of head from the tap, but neither of those things make this any less enjoyable. the beer has a distinct german maltiness to it, but is much less sweet than we normally get in the style, nice and dry, with a cool deep toasted but not quite roasted grain complexion, not overly complex but with notes of dry cocoa and wood to it, red apple, and raisin. the yeast is classic in nature but pretty toned down here, it dries the beer out super well, better than expected based on color for sure, but its not overly robust in the flavor mix or anything. there is a dry earthiness to this that i really like, and i dont miss a lighter golden malt profile at all. this actually drinks pretty light for a bock, not a ton of body and not as stout on the alcohol as some can be, smooth and mellow on the palate, and the feel is just right i think, definitely can appreciate the yeast and patience here in cold conditioning. a really good beer overall, a little dark, but really very well one, one of my favorites from sockeye so far!

 

Clear amber brown with two fingers of tan head. Some splotches of lace.
Smells spicy nut like malt with a mild floral hop.
Taste is nuts spice bready malt with a light but tasty hop bitterness in the back.
Mouthfeel is light to medium with good carbonation. Finish is lightly dry.
Good beer and not too heavy for this warm August weather. Can date was 020216. A little old but still tasty.

 

 

 

12oz. Can

Poured into a pint glass a nice clean/clear dark copper color, very nice carbonation, with a very nice thick/creamy one-finger plus light tan head, which leaves some nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is very malty, very slight spice note. The taste is sweet, malty, some what spicy. Medium body, nice slightly dry finish. Overall a pretty tasty brew, especially on a hot day.

Dark amber colored ale with a small tan colored head.

Smells fruity with a slight smoky scent. Mildly nutty with caramel and raisin scents. I detect faint vanilla.

Starts out neutral and mildly smoky. Mildly sweet and nutty with noticeable hop presence.

Mouthfeel is good.

Overall an OK Bock.

 

 

 

Aroma and flavor of nuts, roast grains. Thin head fading to nothing on dark brown body. Taste a bit more bitter than 17 IBUs, was expecting this to be a heller bock, so pleasantly surprised to find it dark.

 

 

 

Poured from a 16oz tallboy into an Ithaca Beer Pint glass. Thanks to mrmarmot for bringing this back from Idaho.

A: Clear deep copper color. Aggressive pour leads to a half-finger head that fades quickly. Spotty lacing but it is present. Beautiful color.

S: Caramel, toasted malts, bready yeast highlight this brew. Hops bring enough to be noticed but not much else.

T: Bready notes first, crisp caramel malts next followed by a sharp hop bitter finish. Not overly complex but very tasty.

M: Crisp, medium finish. Feels light but leaves a good coating leaving me grab for more. If anything it's a touch undercarbonated but I'm picking nits.

O: A really good Maibock. Good on a warm day, easy to drink.

 

Pint can awesomeness poured into a Sam Smith pint nonic...

A: Clear, dark amber-brown body; very dark actually. Light yellow head fades quickly away.

S: Big malty breadiness with toast, nuts, moderate sweetness, dusting of cocoa, suggestions of caramel. Malty, bready, toasty, moderately sweet.

T: Follows the nose, and I'm digging it; toasted bread, toasted nuts, bready malt, very clean body and flavors, faint cocoa sweetness. Quite a bit of toasted malt, darker than most maibocks that I've had. No hop presence at all really. Pretty nice.

MF: Medium mouthfeel, pretty nice for a 6.5% beer. Medium carbonation, decent creamy tones, clean lager finish.

O: Dug through the fridge for a long time before settling on this one - bocks and maibocks aren't really my thing. Thats part of the reason why this one surprised me so much. Really pleasant, one of the best bocks I've had, maybe one of the best (non-hoppy) lagers I've tried, too.