Bock Thread (2023)

I am also drinking a can of Aventinus for the March Madness thread. I've got the big brother lined up next.

 

And now the Aventinus Eisbock. Dated 21.259 so about 1.5 years since bottling. Great stuff!

 

Ayinger Celebrator



It's the finest Bavarian double bock.

 

Not according to *my* ratings.

 

Strange that they don't list your ratings on the label.

 

They asked, I was too modest.

(of course, that's also a Merchant du Vin label designed by Charlie Finkel )

 

Well, you've got the BA rankings on your side
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/top-styles/35/

What's your favorite? Andechs? Korbinian?

 

I believe that, but at the risk of beating this into the ground, I was just having some fun with their label blurb. I've scarcely had enough bocks of any sort to make a bold claim like that!

 

Based on my rankings, Korbinian (it's one of the few 5s I've rated) -- but it's all splitting hairs by .61 -- thus my goofing around.

 

steveh said: ↑
Are you sure that's hops and not alcohol? I just made notes on a second sample and was a little turned off by big, peppery and hot alcohol. Just not as smooth as I expect a Maibock to be.

Hi @steveh,
Circling back to earlier comments about Ayinger Maibock. I am enjoying my last two bottles this afternoon. It is definitely dark bread and peppery hops but i am not getting hot alcohol from this.
Thought i would circle back to see your sample and review patterns to maybe glean something. First off, you write some very nice reviews! In consideration of your hot alcohol comments, i sorted your reviews by ABV. Clearly you are a lager lover and enjoy sessionable beers. With the higher gravity bocks reviews i did notice several with comments similar to Ayinger Maibock. You definitely can perceive brewing flaws. So perhaps you are sensitive to a higher abv in bocks when not executed properly and i am not that sensitive to this, possibly due to the high gravity nature of half the beers i enjoy? Personally with lagers, i have only noticed this with the Double Pilsners that some brewers made within the last 10-20 years. Anyway, appreciate your comments, all part of my journey with beer!
Cheers!
Tom

 

@CarolinaCardinals -- I'm probably not sensitive, so to speak, of alcohol -- just when it's overpowering to a style -- like Maibock. Sure, they're higher ABV than many beers, but there are more flavorful characters to the style that should be more prominent (and enjoyable) than hot, peppery alcohol.

I definitely enjoy higher ABV beers at times when I'm craving a style that leans that way, but they aren't all booze-centric and the better ones tend to hide their alcohol behind better flavors from good brewing practices.

Just my point of view from over many years of beer enjoyment -- and therein is the perception that matters most: if it's still enjoyable, it's worth drinking, no matter the style identification.

 

Weltenburger Kloster Asam Bock

Well, it is still Lent, so for me it is still doppelbock season. And it is a bit chilly tonight to boot. So I went with an old favorite of mine - Asam Bock. Though perhaps a touch sweet when cold/chilled, this doppelbock showcases the dry chocolately notes and the bready malts that I prefer in a doppel.


500 ml bottle
Glass: 500 ml Festmug
ABV: 7.3%
Temp: approx 50 F


Look:
Dark chestnut brown that shows faint mahogany highlights when held to a light. The color is dark enough to be opaque, even when held to a light, though faint outlines of my fingers can be seen then. 3+ finger creamy khaki head stays and stays, very slowly dissipating. The lacing left behind by the head is excellent.

Smell:
Rich and dark bready malts. Strong notes of semi-sweet to dark chocolate along with dark fruits such as raisins, figs, and dates. Earthy notes linger in the background.

Taste:
Follows the nose with additional notes of toffee and some caramel joining in. The earthy notes are a bit more pronounced in the flavor, and help to balance things out quite well. The sip dries out a bit towards the end and finishes somewhat dry and bittersweet with most of flavors still present but very slowly fading away. A light chocolatey bitterness remains through the aftertaste.

As the beer warms, the dark fruit notes fade into the background, leaving semi-sweet chocolate notes in their wake.

Feel:
Very smooth and also creamy. Mouth-coating. The body is just about medium-full.

Overall:
An excellent doppelbock. The bready malts and dry chocolate/cocoa notes are what I look for in a doppelbock.

 

Opened a local Maibock tonight. Seems a bit syrupy and heavy compared to my memory of last year’s version. @steveh I don’t think this is up your alley, given the body and apparent alcohol heat.


Honestly, as a lifelong fan of the Southsiders, I feel like a bit of a traitor drinking this tribute to…I don’t even have the words…Ugh…F the Cubs!

 

Went to La Crosse, WI and Rochester MN Early Sunday morning. Had full pours of these Dark Doppels listed in order of consumption.

Revolution Baphomet Bock at Bodega bar
608 DoppelBock, at Bodega bar
Turtle Stack DoppelBock
Forager Bocktiari; The Green & Gold #69, 8% abv,
Little Thistle, Dop It Like It's Bock 7.4% (this one tasted the freshest)

All were solid not a bad one in the bunch. No gold metal winners here in my opinion.
Not one of them really stood above the rest. I liked 608 the best but it could just be a flavor/style preference. 608 tasted more like a Great Dane bock (Uber/Velvet Hammer).
Turtle Stack & Forager were more the grain, bread, heavy toasted almost roasted style.
I did not bring any crowlers home.

 

A real nice one here. 3 different pours. This one's the slowest w/o head. Cheers!
Utepils Minnator Doppelbock 7.8% ABV
4.01/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
16oz can canned 12/?/22 into a tulip glass.
L: Pours clear mahogany w a 1" light khaki rounded head that has fair retention, light fine carbo to final sip, spotty sticky lacing w banding lines.
S: Rich malts, toasted grains, more earthy w warming. Quite simple.
T: Roasted toasted clean caramelized malts, plum, a hint of cocoa, raisin, moderately sweet, slightly bold, a nuanced and elegant light fruity finish, not much aftertaste beyond a subtle linger.
F: Lightly brisk then very smooth med-bodied feel, bold & rich center, med-length finish.
O: Nice & clean, malty, rich & fruity. Curiously bold with a fast finish. No alcohol detected. It is excellent in its style.

 

Some bocks I had on my recent trip to Bavaria...

Andechs Weizenbock



Despite the ABV (7.0%), this drank as a slightly heftier hefeweizen...dangerously easy to drink. Rich wheat, ripe banana with limited spicy clove. Would buy a lot of this if it were available here.

Andechs Doppelbock Dunkel



For me, not much to say other than it sits up there with some of the best. It's on tap for most, if not all, of the year.

Hofbräuhaus Urbock/Maibock (called Urbock at HB)



Enjoyed at the Hofbräuhaus while watching FC Bayern and Dortmund fans mingle in peace before their big match.

Edit: I had a couple more that you can read about in the Starkbierzeit thread in the German forum.

 

@grantcty -- are you craving a big, hoppy IPA now that you're back?

 

I know you know my general tastes--I was just thinking how good another liter of Augustiner Helles vom holzfass would be right now or another H-P Edelhell vom holzfass; or some dunkels.

There's never enough time when you're on a family trip.