St. Magnus Heller Bock
Allgäuer Brauhaus AG

St. Magnus Heller BockSt. Magnus Heller Bock
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From:
Allgäuer Brauhaus AG
 
Germany
Style:
Maibock
ABV:
7%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.41 | pDev: 8.5%
Reviews:
15
Ratings:
15
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 03, 2012
Added:
Dec 14, 2002
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by DarthMalt:
Photo of DarthMalt
Reviewed by DarthMalt from Virginia

3.18/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
This bock comes at a price.

Just-this-side-of-light amber with suspended particles and with a medium-dense white head that fans into protien chunks on the surface.

Hard oak flavor just sucks all other flavors down to size. Very artisenal! Upper end of mash temps amplify the oak dryness and Bock F.U.B.A.R.-ness. Still enough original malt conversion to carry the dexrine sweetness through, though barely.

Finishes with your typical dry, smokey, oakey, pilsener, back-of-the-tongue, hop-flavor fog that obscures your taste to any malt eloquence, but still pulls through in quality fashion.

Pint glasses need not apply.
Apr 24, 2003
More User Ratings:
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.41/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
500ml.brown bottle that pours an apricot-gold murky liquid with a white head. Fine bubbles of carbonation with little to no lace. Sweet and fruity malt nose with hints of stone fruits, green spicy hops and a bit of alcohol. Nice aroma, kind of has a flavored pipe tobacco scent. The taste is of sweet tea from the malt that transforms to a bitter, with some sourness from the hops. The finish is spicy with a zing on the tongue that the yeast and hops produce. Some warmth from the alcohol sneaks up from behind.
Jan 03, 2012
Photo of TheSarge
Reviewed by TheSarge from Virginia

3.74/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Produces a firm and sticky two finger thick white crown, which retains quite well. The body is dark gold in color and is cleanly filtered.

Aroma wise, it's sweet grainy cereal with a hint of tobacco. There is also a hint of a copper metallic trait here too.

In the taste the tobacco character is prevalent, as well as the husky graininess.

This feels crisp and clean like a light lager, but once over the initial hump, the warmth from the alcohol starts to shine through.
Nov 07, 2009
Photo of scottoale
Reviewed by scottoale from California

3.35/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
500ml.brown bottle that pours an apricot-gold murky liquid with a white bubble, 1/4inch cap that quickly fades. Fine bubbles of carbonation with little to no lace.

Sweet and fruity malt nose with hints of stone fruits, green spicy hops and a bit of alcohol. Nice aroma, kind of has a flavored pipe tobacco scent.

The taste is of sweet tea from the malt that transforms to a bitter, with some sourness from the hops. The finish is spicy with a zing on the tongue that the yeast and hops produce. This all leads up to a lively, yet creamish mouthfeel. Some warmth from the alcohol sneaks up from behind.

Very easy drinker with an interesting taste, give it a try for a change of pace.
May 16, 2006
Photo of Zorro
Reviewed by Zorro from California

3.25/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Pours a hazy orange to gold colored beer.

Smell is highly malty with a lesser scent of toasted grain.

Taste is very sweet with a bit of balancing tartness and a bitter hop finish. An interesting taste but could be mixed better.

Mouthfeel is good.

It is OK drinkable, but I can't see myself seeking this brew out again.
Aug 13, 2004
Photo of Boilermaker88
Reviewed by Boilermaker88 from California

3.23/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Poured from a 500ml bottle just like the one in the picture. No best before date noted. Had a hazy dull golden color similar to dark apple cider with a lumpy white head that briefly flared and faded down to a light skim with wispy lace.
The nose was mainly fruity sweet with notes of apple and pear and lots of grassy malt. Also a light whiff of alcohol and, more noteable, floral hops. The taste initially had a sweet grainy malt flavor which was supplanted briefly by a fruity sweetness akin to apple juice. Then things started going off the rails. The modest citrus bittering waiting in the wings came out and developed a coarse bitterness in the finish. Lastly, the alcohol content came across in a raw fashion that was not very appealing. The feel was medium-bodied and, thanks to the abundant carbonation, creamy and tingly. The last is aided somewhat by the alcohol.
Overall, I was on the fence over this offering from Allgäuer. The appearance and smell were pretty nice but the taste, with that rawness from the alcohol and, I'm guessing noble hops though I couldn't say what variety, is a serious detractor. In the end, I'd probably look for another beer of this style before coming back to St. Magnus.
Jun 22, 2004
Photo of anders36
Reviewed by anders36 from Sweden

3.83/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
I bought this beer in Kempten and took it back to Sweden. So this is the only bottle i have. The brew pours a deep golden straw colour with a small head that disappear quickly. It has a malty smell with some hints of spices and a little fruity smell. You even feel some citrus in the smell. The first sip of the beer you taste alot of alcohol. But after that the taste is malty and a bit sweet leaving a fruity finish. It also leaves a bit of bitterness in the after taste. This is a good beer but not as good as their doppelbock Cambonator.
Mar 20, 2004
Photo of RoyalT
Reviewed by RoyalT from Michigan

3/5  rDev -12%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Appearance – Cloudy orange in color with almost no head.

Smell – This has a dominant citrus hop aroma which is uncharacteristic of the style.

Taste – The traditional heavy malt comes out much better at the tongue. The hop is too strong though and had an overriding grapefruit flavor.

Mouthfeel – Some good carbonation helps this one along. The alcohol is a little big though.

Drinkability – This went down OK, but it didn’t taste like any Helles Bock I’ve ever had in Germany.
Dec 16, 2003
Photo of GCBrewingCo
Reviewed by GCBrewingCo from North Carolina

3.35/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Pours a hazy pale yellow color with a golden reddish hue. The head develops quickly and is effervescent, but dissipates quickly. The aroma first out of the bottle is very fruity. After the head falls back it is a sweet malty aroma. The flavor is crisp and somewhat malty yet still with a good bitterness. As it warms there is also a slight sour flavor component. The alcohol is definitely present in the finish. The mouthfeel was about right for a bock, but the flavor just wasn't there.
Nov 30, 2003
Photo of hotstuff
Reviewed by hotstuff from Indiana

3.51/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
When poured, this beer had an average sized white head with fine-small sized bubbles that mostly diminished. The body was hazy with very little carbonation and a pale yellow hue. The nose was malty, hoppy and some fruit notes. It had a bitter taste to it with a tingly, smooth, thin-watery texture along with a burning sensation in my stomach. This beer was light bodied with sparse lacing.
Oct 27, 2003
Photo of Mustard
Reviewed by Mustard from District of Columbia

3.24/5  rDev -5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Presentation: 16.9oz. brown bottle; no "bottled on" or "best before" warning; purchased for $2.29 from the Wine House in West LA.

Appearance: Pours a hazy, orange-tinged gold; foamy, one-inch, milk-white head (with a rough pour); not much in the way of lacing or head retention.

Aroma: Largely of sweet, toasted malt and lemon type citrus.

Taste: Lightly sweet; firm malt profile upfront and throughout; mild bitterness in the finish; stern notes of butter, citrus and banana; fairly strong hints of medicinal type alcohol; thick, creamy mouthfeel.

Notes: Can't say I'm familiar enough with the style to judge it appropriately; the one Helles Bock that I am familiar with --- namely Rogue's Dead Guy Ale (which, of course, isn't a true Bock) -- is far superior, in my opinion; still, nothing bad here and certainly worth the $2.29.
Sep 11, 2003
Photo of Rumrunner
Reviewed by Rumrunner from California

3.05/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
1 pint 9oz. bottle.

The color is a hazy golden with minor orange highlights. Not much of a head. Slightly frothy. Dissipates quickly. Decent lacing. The scent is sweet wheat and malt. Strong citrus smells. Heavy alcohol reaches the nose.

Flavors are strong citrus and malt. This one will definatley leave a person with alcohol on the breath. I could really taste the alcohol. There is some grassy flavors. A nice peppery spice and a too sweet butterscotch finish. The butterscotch finish felt out of place to me.

The mouthfeel leaves an oily residue. This was a little unpleasant. There is also an alcohol burn. Very little carbonation makes this bock feel dense. It drinks fine.

I have only tried a few bocks so far. I found this bock to be very average. I think it is pretty well thought out but it did not appeal to my tastes. I will try a different kind of bock.
Sep 01, 2003
Photo of Darkale
Reviewed by Darkale from Virginia

3.8/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Clear, straw yellow-gold body, and a smooth, hissing tan head. yeasty aroma is faintly spicy.

Tang of sweetness, dry on the edges. Slick and chewy. Buttery, too. It snaps on the tip of your tongue. Aftertaste is sour.

A decent, crisp, interesting beer.
Aug 27, 2003
Photo of mickeymac
Reviewed by mickeymac from California

3.25/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
St. Magnus comes in the classic German 1 pt., .9 oz. bottle. The beer is a cloudy yellow-orange and looks a bit like grapefruit juice with a head, but not much of a head. The smell of alcohol is immediately apparent with hints of citrus (again, grapefruit). Citrus and alcohol also dominate the taste, with musty flavors and just a bit of malt sweetness bringing up the rear. However, the flavor seems to evaporate almost immediately. It's quite thick and seemingly more so because of the minimal carbonation. The more of this I drank, the less I liked it.
Dec 15, 2002
Photo of TheLongBeachBum
Reviewed by TheLongBeachBum from California

4.02/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
The second of the 3 Allgäuer Brauhaus beers that I picked up tonight is St. Magnus Heller Bock. Listed on the label as a Heller Bock, rather than a Helles Bock I note, this beer comes in a 500ml brown bottle with a copper colored and gold edged label. It has a silhouette picture of what appears to be a church and a couple of coniferous trees.
The beer pours a hazy deep golden peachy straw color, which has a somewhat characteristic Wheat Beer look about it. Starts with a reasonable white frothy head, but again as with the other Allgäuer beer that I just had, this quickly dissipates with haste into a thin smooth collar covering, and even that eventually breaks up. Minimal lace as the head collapses. Carbonation levels within the beer are again very good, and streamers are evident throughout the drink.
Aromas are of ethanol, spices, malt and a fruity sweetness with some citric qualities; quite a one dimensional smell that does not change with time and/or temperature. Alcohol is really evident in the nose at the start. Overall, it has a feint smell reminiscent of a strong spicy Belgium Blond Ale.
The taste starts with huge malt introduction. The alcohol is evident right at the start and is the young bully that annexes other tastes to the crappy parts of the playground; eventually they all gang up on this bully and give him his just desserts.
As the alcohol rescinds, a malty middle develops, with some sweetness. No bitterness is evident at all I note. This is quite a malty beer with a lovely fruity finish that is strong tasting. Mouthfeel is high; this is a full-bodied beer for certain. It is advertised as 7.0% ABV. Short finish again though, leaves you wanting more. Drinkable for it strength.
Another crisp, clean drinking beer, which is advertised as complying with the Rheinheitsgebot – so it should be I suppose. And, for only $2.20 a bottle, bargain!, even cheaper than the Winterfestival which is only 5.5% ABV and was $2.50!!!!!

I am no expert when it comes to German Biers, and I note from the BA Beer Styles notes, that this Heller (Helles) Bock has a high gravity for the style. I feel this helps this beer.
If you see it, I would definitely give it a test drive, but as I note that the Importer is based in Los Angeles, and I am the first to post a Review for this beer, maybe that could be some time yet. Keep an eye out for it though.
Dec 14, 2002
St. Magnus Heller Bock from Allgäuer Brauhaus AG
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 15 ratings