Alpine Ibex
Block 15 Brewing - Southtown Tap Room

Simply a beautiful beer (visually). Very malt forward, but sweetness is restrained. Mouthfeel is fairly ‘heavy’…though short of cloying. Can says “balanced bitterness”, but I don’t detect any bitterness. Very good brew. Would have preferred at least a faint hop presence.

 

Can from Uptown Market.

The Block 15 lagers have a particular hop blend on the nose, and thisbis no exception. Earthy, minty, a little more assertive than I was expecting, particularly for the style. This is coupled with a nose that's more bread than most maibocks, and a definite caramel/crystal malt character. Less fruit (raisins) than I was expecting. The palate has a blend of crystal malt like grist notes, assertive hops and some bread. All told, a little unbalanced. Cleanly fermented. Drying, hoppy, mildly minty on the finish. Solid.

16oz can

Pours a finger of off-white head into my Nonic. Retention is a little above average, the head lasting a solid few minutes. Initial lacing looks pretty good. Body is copper colored, crystal clear, with a small amount of bubbles coming up. Looks fine so far.

Nose is…a little off. Iron and tomatoes come to mind. Sherry-like as well. This is either oxidation, dms, or both. While mild on both accounts, this doesn’t smell very good.

Flavor is better. Rich notes of honey, and some bread. Still, that tomato flavor lingers underneath.

Carbonation is medium. Body is on the lighter side. Bitterness is low. Perceived malty sweetness is medium-low, and the high attenuation leaves no doubt there. Pretty straight forward mouthfeel.

Appearance turned out surprisingly bad. The head completely died and the lacing was nonexistent.

Drinkability is ok. Some sips are honey malt forward, others are more tomato forward.

Overall this beer kinda depends on where you focus your attention, but the fact that that’s even a decision is a problem.

Look: Clear red in color with hints of orange and a spry off-white head builds quickly and holds, slowly pulling back and leaving great lacing behind
Aroma: Freshly baked bread, raw dough, floral hops, wafts of pilsner malt, some spicy hop notes, and honey
Taste: Kicks off with rich bread and dough that quickly develop depth and not long after, a huge floral and spicy hop blast comes in to shake things up. Honey-like sweetness pops in and out as the malt and hops continue to develop and go back and forth for dominance and closes like it started
Mouthfeel: Full, clean, medium-high carbonation, and slightly soft and extremely clean on the finish
Overall: This is awesome. I love Maibocks as they signal springtime and this one is not only hitting the spot, but is a contender for one of the best out there and a legit challenger for my favorite, Heater Allen’s Lenz Bock. A ton of malt depth and a nice and unique spicy & floral hop combo that works well and accentuates the overall beer. I swear these folks made a Maibock last year or in the past that was good but this one is next-level-good. Highly recommended

tis the season for some maibock, and this is a good one, was happy to share it with my dad, and he adored it. a rich honey colored brew with good clarity, some obvious body, and lots of carbonation collecting into a tall almost two inches of white head, looks gorgeous. sweet in the nose for sure, german malty but still pale, minerals abound, and a lager yeast robust enough to push through all the grain, distinct but still obviously a bock too, clean and sturdy at the same time. the flavor is great, cereals from the malt, earthy and less sugary than the nose suggests, with a little bit of alcohol in the mix, an almost oaked richness in the center, and some balancing hops at the end, noble and a little spicy, more and more of that as it warms. nuances of almond, dried flowers, and honey, and a nice bready old world vibe to the yeast, which is spot on for this. medium bodied but feels a little fuller than others, clean on the finish though, and very well carbonated, almost a can conditioned softness to it. overall an extremely well made beer, thoughtful and professional, and ideal for these mid spring evenings. i adore block 15, they really can do it all!

Poured into a Celebrator pokal. Pours a medium orange with a one finger white head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of bready and lightly caramel malt, light grassy hops, lemon and a touch of toffee. Flavor is bready and caramel malt, grassy hops with a touch of citrus, honey,dry caramel, dried red berries, dry grass with a hint of citrus and floral elements. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. A very pleasant maibock (first of the season so far) with an interesting mixture of dry and semisweet flavors. Hops are light at first, but more noticeable in the finish, giving a light dry field herbs character that meshes well with the caramel in the malt. Finish has a little more assertive hop bitterness than many traditional ones I've had, but still mellow by domestic standards. Quite drinkable and flavorful.

Poured from a can at fridge temp. Pours a nice clear golden color with little head. Nose is toffee, apple, raspberry, wheat, and a nice grassy note. The taste is incredible. Sweet toffee, and lots of fruit. Raspberry, pears, green grapes. Very slight hop bitterness on the back end. This is so smooth. Definitely an earthy/grassy taste coming through. Mouthfeel is fairly light bodied. Overall, an incredible maibock.