Zipfer Stefani Bock
Brauerei Zipf (Brau Union)

After such a review like the one below it is absolutely unnecessary to try to come up with one myself. All I can say is that I agree, it drinks very easily, nothing to warn you of the 7.1% ABV. Slightly hoppy and perhaps a little bit more malt that what you would get from your average marzen but in general it is very marzen-y. Sometimes I feel bocks can beslightly overwhelming, well this is far from that. Not sure what is a “Stefani” Bock but it is a darn good one for sure.

 

 

Zipfer's contribution to Herbstbockzeit in Austria, I found it in a supermarket. Standard brown half liter bottle with the familiar white and gold label featuring a crown above the name. The slogan "Ein Glas heller Freude" is on the upper label. Literally translated as "A glass of pure joy," it is a play on words, as "hell" also means pale, i.e. as opposed to their dark Bock in the Spring. Anywho... They carefully avoid listing ingredients or commenting on the purity law. Best before 4/2007, I opened it on 8/27/06.

Pours a clear, slightly orange gold under a two ginger white head that fades quite quickly, leaving no lace and just a trace of collar. The nose is full of barley and very sweet fruit, with a hint of floral hops. The mouth is medium-carbonated and slightly heavy on the tongue, presumably from the alcohol. The taste is amazingly smooth for a brew with this punch. It is on the sweet side, with some berry tones to go with the sweetbread. Hops are also here, subdued at first but growing stronger and more bitter through the finish. The sweet syrup never fully disappears, but the bitter wins out even as it fades away. This is a very good rendition of the style, deceptively easy (and therefore dangerous) to drink. I think I need to get some more...