The Bock Hog
Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall

 

 

This beer is superb! The flavor and aroma is reminiscent of apple pie and it has a medium-full body with prickly carbonation and a pleasant warming sensation.

 

 

Pours a dirty brown into a tulip. Wax seal on a crown cap...interesting. No head to speak of, not much visible carbonation. Clears and looks like new motor oil as it warms. Well, lets say it looks like cognac, for real, giving an uptick on the visual. It is nice looking when warmer.

The aroma is straight up Christmas kitchen spices, with vanilla, boozy, dates, and very faint cocoa. Ok...this is NOT the road I expected to be on here...mulled cider??? Brown sugar and toffee sort of going on in the background.

The taste is an equally jumbled scenario. The whiskey is there. Everywhere and dominating - oak, vanilla, boozy hot, cinnamon, vanilla, quite sweet in the fig/date fruit way. I'm looking for the maltiness of the dopplebock and I am having a hard time finding it. This is dominated by the barrel, and I mean it is an utter victory for the whiskey. I can usually have some fun with the jumbled bag of flavor thing, but this is close to being a real mess. It isn't evolving, it isn't melding, it is just kind of a smack in the mouth.

This is minimally carbonated, on the thin side for feel, sweet yet astringent and drying at the same time. Bit of an alcohol burn, but maybe more like a whiskey tingle.

It is coming across as some weird, lightweight winter warmer and not in a good way. Unusual...typically I find Harpoons special stuff to be pretty to very good. This one is a a fail, for me. A let down from a brewery I usually enjoy.

 

 

Bought on a whim at the local bottle shop. Poured from a bottle into a tulip glass. Golden brown color with good head and lacing. Sweet toffee and cinnamon smell and taste. Maybe a bit of root beer. A tad sweet for me but not a bad beer. Flavorful in a warm spice way. Probably not a repeater.

Sampling a cellar temp 22 oz bottle. I picked this up for the bock tasting event, but ran out of room in my belly for this one!

The beer pours a clear mahogany color with some light ruby highlights and a creamy eggshell white head of 3.5 cm. The foam slowly fades to a sturdy surface layer and leaves dense clingy lattice on the glass. The foam almost seems cask like in its density and creaminess.
the nose is slightly fruity but also some medicinal phenol notes which are kind of off putting. I also get quite a bit of whisky, no real hop character.
The first sip reveals a medium body with smooth texture and very fine carbonation that gently rolls across my palate.
The flavor is some toffee and brown sugar and some vanilla and maybe cinnamon too. A ton of whisky comes through too, but no really any boozey heat, just the flavor.
I dont get any hops here either. Im not sure I really like this beer the spicy flavor and the medicinal nose detract from the beer significantly. I had higher hopes for this one, but am disappointed in the result. wouldnt recommend

This is the only Bock I could find in the entire store and it is a bold and boozy Bock! Poured into a 16 tulip glass, pours a very attractive chestnut brown with a half finger off white head that leaves some thin lines of lace, with solid retention. 4.5

Aroma is fig, dates, caramel, toffee, biscuit, and did I mention oaked vanilla whiskey. 3.75

Taste follows dark fruit, biscuit, toffee, caramel, vanilla, and woody whiskey lingers long after each sip. 3.75

Mouthfeel is a solid medium, maybe a touch dry, low carbonation, and it is a sipper that is complex enough to hold your attention and make you wonder if you will ever get your palate adjusted for the entire 22 oz bottle. It gets better and more balanced as it warms. 4

Overall I am excited I got to try this one, but not sure I would go back and purchase again. I feel the 9% should have been higher and it would have hidden the Whistle Pig better and kept it from dominating the other flavors. 3.75

Bottle from the Packie.
Pours a solid black color with a huge frothy tan head that shows great retention. Spicy nutmeg overwhelms the aroma and flavor. Hints of coconut and alcohol warming but that spice just detracts. Maybe I got a bad bottle?

Bottled 2020/12/07
Pours a light fizzy head with lower retention, light lacing, decent legs, clear dark cherry auburn color

Nose is weird, very fruity, cherry cough syrup lozenge like chemical phenol, whiskey is decent, toasted oak, light sweet syrupy malt

Taste is better but still cherry cough syrup and lozenge, chemical, sweet syrupy malt, candy, a bit of oak, buttery toasted oak and light whiskey, quite fruity like fake cherry

Mouth is med syrupy bod, lighter carb

Overall I'm really sorry I spent money on this, it's terrible, nothing like a real doppelbock, so syrupy and messy, crazy fruit and fake cherry cough syrup thing, only a little barrel a huge waste of boss hog barrels, like it should be a crime

 

22oz bottle poured into a tulip

A- pours a dark amber color with a ruby hue, one-finger off-white head reduces to a ring around the edge

S- a bit of a strange nose up front, it has a weird medicinal note that is similar to nitrous gas. Once you get beyond that, there are aromas of brown sugar, berries, raisins, plenty of peppery rye, clove, cinnamon, oak and toasted rye bread

T- plenty of barrel influence is immediately noticed up front; adding an array of spices; clove, ginger, allspice and cinnamon. Mid-palate starts to bring out the sweetness of the base beer, adding raisins, berries, chocolate and fruit cake. The finish gives more barrel character, adding woody oak, spicy rye, cinnamon and Christmas spice. Lingers of stewed berries and raisins

M- medium body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that continues into a slightly warming finish

O- one of the more interesting beers I've had in a while. The barrel takes center stage, which I'm guessing was the planning considering the expensive whiskey that came from the barrels. Definitely worth a try

 

From a waxed, top bottle sampled on Jan 23, 2021.

Attractive looking mahogany brown pour with reddish hues under a modest tan head.

Interesting array of aromas including sweet malts, chocolate, dark fruit, spice, and an earthy hop profile.

Medium or better mouthfeel.

Sweet malts with spicy notes and the barrel aging shows up at the end of the flavor. Not overwhelming in that regard but still notable.

 

From a 22oz bottle, recently purchased at Thee Beer Store (Nashua) for $15.00.

It's a clear, deep, rich mahogany/chestnut color. Has ample, steady carbo bubbling forth, with a fine, thin beige layer of foam up top. Lacing is on the light side, though. Has a nose full of caramel sweetness, rye and holiday spices (cinnamon and allspice). Has a decent medium body, with a light touch of prickle on the tongue.

Flavor? Has nice caramel and toffee malt action to start. Has some vanilla and dry cocoa powder, plus rye spiciness. Also hitting the palate are some subtle hints of cherry and raisins along with more holiday spice action. Finishes somewhat on the dry side, with the spiciness lingering a bit. An interesting take on a DBock, for sure. Prosit!!

4.02/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

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