Barrel Roll Bock
Flying Bison Brewing Company

 

 

 

Growler straight from the brewery to a beer stein.

This pours a clear pale golden copper color with a 1 finger head that leaves a decent lacing. Sweet malts hit the nose on the first whiff, followed by caramelized hop note with a nice spicy/gingery tone to it. Nice blend of citrus and malts. The taste plays alot like the smell, with the sweet bready malts on top of the spicy hops, that ends with a metallic type feeling. Lots of lemon flavors and caramel tossed about but distributed quite evenly. Light on the tongue easy to drink (despite it being 7%abv.) good for that first lawn cutting of the year. This is a good lager for sure. Cant wait to get another fill of this.

On tap at the Transit Rd. Pizza Plant. Williamsville, NY.

Pours a clear copper color with a 1/2 finger of brite-white creamy head. Retains well and leaves some heavyish lace behind that slides down the sides of the glass. The aroma is some malt sweetness and yeast with a perfumey scent of floral hops and citrus behind it.

The taste is a deep, sturdy backbone of sweet malts that hold up some floral citrus tones and a pleasant undercurrent of hop bitterness that doesn't really makes itself known until the finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with some poppy feeling carbonation. The body appears to have just a wee bit of heft to it from alcohol but that is all that I'm able to ascertain of the ABV.

This wasn't a bad Maibock by any means and seemed to be toned down some in the hops department (or maybe just better balanced) based on the other reviews for this beer from a few years ago. Tasty and easily drinkable because of the hidden ABV, this went well with dinner at the Pizza Plant.

Which bock? Brewmaster said it's been on since October. There certainly is no maibock called maibock. Even owner at annual Raceway brewfest could not describe it. Looked like a dopplebock, brown but with a thin head. Malty and a tad of sourness, a bit like the red though less hoppy.

It came to me a coppery gold, rather clear and bright, and with a finger of foamy white head that dwindled soon to patchy froth. Tails of lacing wagged along the inside of the glass.

The aroma was chiefly toasted malt, lightly sweet, but also carried a mild yeast note, along with a feathery swirl of noble hop pepper spice. There was also a grassy, metallic note, a bit more poignant than generally present with such hops.

Upon sipping, a credible wash of toasted malt and light fruity sweetness came forth along with a caramel touch, and slid through to a soft baked dough yeast component. The hops asserted with a peppery edge, quite present but nicely muted. Residual malt and biscuit appeared toward close, and a light bite of hops bittered midly into a lingering finish. About as basic as it gets, it's a nice, enjoyable bock flavor profile.

A bit north of light bodied, it has the malt and mellow edge to coat and linger before washing away slowly.

Even in early summer, in an air-conditioned bar, this one goes down smooth, easy, and with absolutely no effort. It's tasty, with a little zip, and it keeps your interest as you drink it with a grin. I'm glad FB has made their way south, because while they don't try to amaze me, they always end up making me happy.

Poured from the tap a rich clear golden with a very thin white head,cooked veggy and grainy aromas abound with a sweeter alcohol note that lingers as well.A somewhat sweet bock with a nice toastiness the alcohol is prevelant keeping it quite sweet thru to the finish wich is got a nice spiciness from the use of German hops.Its not an overly complex lager but has nice flavors a good recommendation on a blustery spring day here in western NY.

Burnished brass with a thin white foam cap. Toasted malt aromas mingle with doughy yeast scents and a slight note of herbal hops. Toasty malts predominate in the taste, with caramel flavors midway. Foral/herbal "noble" hops add a subtle bite at the finish and linger with the essence of the toasted malt flavor in the aftertaste. Very smooth mouthfeel; round and slick and light-to-medium bodied. Not quite as refreshing as a Koelsch, but pretty nice all the same for a warmer weather beer.

I like this beer. It may not be a work of art, but it certainly has drinkability--at least in the amount that is to drink it, and that you are not just looking to get smashed. I could buy cases of it and drink it for months and be very happy. Quite honestly this one inspired me to get back into brewing at home.

The color is a deep gold, almost orange, sparkling clear with a short-lived head. The smell is malt/yeasty, similar to what I get when I have a good one lagering in secondary. The bubbles/carbonation is light, fitting to the tap. I bet I wouldn't like it as much with more bubble from a bottle.

The taste starts out quite malty over the strong hops, and then fades and the hops take over. If there is one fault here, I think it is the hops are a wee too strong, last too long, and as you drink more seem to build and squash the malt. I like a malty beer, but after two pints there seemed to be a waining of the malt as the hops took over in my mouth. I might judge this differently, better, if I were just to have had a sample. Good, no doubt. Perhaps not 100% in style--but I don't see detracting for that alone.

I go out of my way a bit for a happy hour that stocks this on tap...a place with some 120 beers. It is often the first choice when it is on.

Eye Candy: The amount of rising bubbles at pour captivated me. The bubbles quickly dispersed, giving way to a slight bubbly head with minimal lacing. Nice deep golden color, goldenrod if you are into Crayola.

the nose knows: Hops and a slight yeast. Nothing spectacular.

Tongueland: This maibock was thin. Floral hops gave way to a yeast-like middle, and as Maibock warmed, the malts emerged. Not too complex, a solid drinking beer. This style reminded me of something along the lines of Saranac Adirondak Amber. Maibock is similar in taste, except for the floral notes at the beginning,

I agree that FB Maibock doesn't really emerge as a true Maibock, but maybe we are fooled into thinking a great beer must be Imperial in form, taste, and complexity.

This is a tasty beer, but I believe it's pushing the limits of generally accepted style guidelines. There's a healthy dose of very fresh, floral, fruity aromatic noble hops here, which outshine the malt.

Pours a deep, rich golden color with fine sticky lacing and a thin head. Aroma is unmistakeable noble hops and a hint of bakery-fresh yeast. A dank and rich aspect that reminds me slightly of pot.

There's a good amount of medium-bodied malt here, but this is highly hopped for the style. An earthy, bready, pungent flavor gives way to an all-noble-hops, but still fairly sweet finish.

I imagine that the many green-bottle eurolagers should taste something like this, but never will due to mass production and breakdown in the journey from the brewery.

Not a local hero like FB's oatmeal stout, but still a fresh, tasty, interesting brew. Experimental rather than strict adherence to the style.

Will never be mistaken for a classic Maibock. Bright gold with a few small bubbles struggling to surface. Fruity floral hop and toast nose. Flavor profile is a sweet American pale, completely. Muy smooth, but if you crave a Maibock don't bother seeking this one out. Drinkable, no doubt, and actually pretty good, but some old school German brewer would likely have heart failure if he tasted this one.