Christmas Bock
Mainstay Independent

Drawn off a tap, the brew arrived in a nearly full clear pint glass. A pretty tan head, about half an inch thick soon reduced to less than half that, before it became sustaining. The color of the liquid beneath is mahogany-amber, bright and relatively translucent considering its rich hue. Sweet malt is smelled as soon as the vessel approaches the nose. But, it's not as abundantly flavorful. The malt taste is sweet, but it's not particularly complex. What it misses most is that little bit of earthiness good bocks bring along with their rich malty taste. As it warmed, a little smokey aspect to the malt taste did get noticed. There could be some other flavors, perhaps holiday spices added, but they aren't very well defined. The 7% ABV is nicely hidden despite the lack of distraction from robust flavors. A little glass lacing completes the visual. The mouthfeel is no better than average for the style. Overall, this is not a bad beer, but neither is it an outstanding bock. It's pleasant, without being remarkable, with just enough flavor to make a rather potent version of the style go down easily.