Dornbusch Bock
Dornbusch Brewing Company

oooooooh, this is good. very good. ser gut. classic taste and character, a beacon of bock that all others should strive to be.
That Dornbusch guy has done it again! bringin classic German beers to Mass.

The above was written in 2001. I had another last night, in May of 2002 and found an entirely different beer. The newer had stronger roasted malt flavors and diminished nuttiness. Still not bad but less bock-like and more like a conventional brown ale. I hope it was just a bad six pack.

Presentation: 12oz brown bottle. No freshness date.

Appearance: A rich looking amber beer, with red hues. The head is a patchy off-white foam layer with a creamy looking consistency and sticks a bit to the glass. Retains very nicely.

Smell: An aromatic nose of sweet grain, estery fruit and herbal hop aromatics.

Taste: Creamy mouthfeel that almost immediately gives way to a herbal spice-like hop flavour that lightly bites the palate with a salty lemon bitterness and floral background. Malt character is medium-high in its richness and a bit bready. Sweetness is even and rich, balancing the staying hop presence. Definitely robust; toasted malts, raw honey and caramel come to mind. Alcohol notes, fruit esters. Finishes with more herbal residuals, some dry grain and bready flavours.

Notes: This above describes a bottle that was given to me practically straight off the line. I recently had the Bock at Redbones, and now that it has had some time to mellow it is much more malty and robust. A most excellent spring time lager. Very lively and unique. Overall = absolutely delicious.

Thanks to Rob Martin (President of Mercury Brewing) for meeting me during lunch and dropping off the fresh samples.