Günther Bräu Bockbier
Günther Bräu

 

500ml bottle from at least a couple years ago, poured into a medium-sized Duvel tulip. Thanks to Ernie for sharing this obscure German brew.

A: Slightly hazy orange body with a thin off-white head. Mediocre.

S: A little spicy a little fruity, and a lot malty. Ok.

T: Malty, musty, fruity, caramelized, and lightly bitter on the finish. Complex, balanced, and enjoyable. Who knew that an old Bock would be good?

M: Moderate, creamy carbonation in a medium body. Nice.

O: I didn't expect much from this one, but it was clearly a very well-made beer. A bit of musty oxidation showed its age, but the complex maltiness really won out in terms of flavor. I'd really like to try it fresh someday.

Cheers!

 

500ml brown bottle.

It pours a nice amber color with a foamy white head. The head dissipated pretty quickly with a bit of lace.

The smell is like dough and caramel with a hint of alcohol. It is simple, but effective.

The flavor is dough, caramel, and a nice bit of fruitiness with pear and apple being the main flavors. There is a smidge of bitterness over this with mild alcoholic burn.

Overall this is a solid bockbier, not the best, but not the worst.

Orange, with a thin, bubbly white head that fades a little, becoming patchy.
Smell is roasty malts with ample notes of caramel. Little bit of hops can be detected. Caramel notes carry, along with some notes of molasses, brown sugar, and toffee. Faint notes of vanilla and cocoa as well.
Taste is more roasty malts with heavy caramel notes. Vanilla, toffee, brown sugar, and light cocoa notes follow, all carrying on to some degree. Surprisingly, there's some hops that come in early and carry, poking up near the finish. Nice creamy, malty finish.
Mouthfeel is crisp up front, and smooth at the finish. Finish is slightly sticky. Medium-light body. Good level of carbonation.
Drinkability is very good. This strikes me as an excellent fall beer, but still quite good in the summer.

Poured from a .5 liter bottle.

This beer pours a nice soft mahogany color with a thin head. Lacing on the glass is minimal and dicipates quickly. It smells malty with a bit of biscuit. Very nice soft bitterness, with a bit of an alcohol bite at the end. Not too overpowering and a pretty drinkable beer.

a special franconian cask, at deep ellum, in allston, ma, on april 23, 2009. served in a tall stein.

very nice, clear gemstone amber. big frothy head gradually fades to thin layer, then just wisps and ring. good, consistent rings of lace.

aroma: apple fruit and caramel. hint of figs. grassy noble hop. simple but rich.

taste: big on the caramel and malt! some fruitiness underneath. moderately grassy, noble hop bitterness. some kind of fusel/phenol note, but not offensive. finish is malty again, with more of that grassy hop bitterness lingering.

body is lighter than expected, but smooth, with some resins in the finish. surprisingly lively, crisp carbonation for a cask beer. refreshing.