Online Tasting: Bocks (April 23-25, 2021)

L1787

 

Primator Maibock. Good looking beer with a honey color and solid foamy topping that persisted nicely. Yeasty and malty, the flavor is of mild caramel and toffee that effectively obscures the 7.5% ABV. A nice light bitter finish makes this an easy drinking maibock. Czech it out

 

Primator is a very interesting brewery doing a lot of non-Czech traditional beers, and I remember digging their premium lager in the past!

*Not sure if Primator is the actual brewery or just branding.

 

Making ribs myself today for the first time (I know, I know). No smoker but thinking retirement will bring me one, in a few years.

Anyhow, we’ll see if they come out well. Not sure what I’ll pair with them beer-wise yet.

That was sort of my experience with their Eisbock today, and the thing I think I probably should’ve recognized if I’d delved into their stuff more often.

 

Beer #2 is Vitus. It’s been a long time since I had this beer, it’s a Bock time I give it a revisit.

Lot: 8440 so about 6 months old.

Pours a hazy bright yellow, this is one of the yellowest beers I can recall ever seeing. 2 plus fingers width of bright white head with great retention and some lacing. Aroma is typical wheat characters for days: clove, banana, big phenolic spice with cracked pepper and a hint of cardamom. Not a ton of fruity esters, mostly the banana. A bit of citrusy fruit characters. Taste is sweet citrus, wheat, and mild spice on the finish. Spice builds as it warms with the same cracked pepper and clove from the nose. Taste is pretty inline with a standard hefe. Mouthfeel is full bodied, a bit heavy which i find with most hefes which someone limits its drinkability. Would have no clue it’s got a beefed up ABVs if I didn’t already know. Overall, another tasty beer. I love the regular Weihenstephaner hefe and tend to go with that one if I’m gonna have a “regular” hefe, but this one is also quite tasty.

4.5/4.25/4/4/4



Sticking with the Goose theme, second set from the recent Suwannee Rising fest. The music is great and I really enjoy that I can see myself and my PODS crew so much in this video!

 

Uh, dude? Something's wrong with your glass. Just sayin'.

 

Only clean one was in the freezer. Sorry but with this being the 8th beer it had to go in what was clean

 

I’ve been trying to figure out their code as well, one I’m missing on my list. So if anyone knows I’d be happy to know as well.

 

Following up on my last one, I decided to go with another doppelbock by the same brewery:

Riegele Speziator Dunkel - Pours dark brown, nearly black with beautiful thick head. Mouthfeel is exceptional: thick and creamy. Flavor is quite subtle, but fantastic in what it does. Milk chocolate notes, a wonderful roastiness, even a touch of vanilla and caramel. No real bitterness to this, and it lacks the dark chocolate notes of the Ator 20. But it makes up for this by having a much smoother maltiness. Even without the bruskness of the earlier doppelbock, it is very well balanced. So very easy to drink; it just disappears without me even noticing I've been drinking it. An excellent display of dark malts.

Oddly enough, although I have had this beer many times before (it is easier for me to get where I am...), I've never had it back-to-back with the Ator, which I have considered the superior beer. I think maybe I have been taking the Speziator for granted... I think it's the better doppelbock. Not what I expected at all.

 

Been drinking mine at garage temp -- probably 45°.

'Course, 8th beer in, I imagine your palate is just a bit stunted anyway.

 

Luckily started yesterday afternoon but still it's been a while since I had 8 in two days. This place is great.

 

I love reading stuff like this in posts. I think the concept (or something near it) got @jonphisher to start the side-by-side thread.
Cheers!

 

I'm sorry but I can't give a reliable answer to this. All I can say is we are still under lockdown, even if it's open I'm sure this will be a bad experience (bars/restaurants closed, contact limits, mask, quarantine etc).

If you like this you will love Munich!

 

Now up a beer that I did not realize was a doppelbock until this weekend, Weihenstephaner Korbinian.
4.25/5 rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

500 ml bottle poured into a mug

A- A clear dark amber with a two finger tan head

S- Figs, dark fruits, toffee, some caramel, earthy, touch of bananas.

T- Figs, toffee, dark fruits, some bananas, earthy, some caramel.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A tasty doppelbock and easy to drink

Cheers!

 

Ok, enjoyed a cigar on the deck with.. a "local" doppelbock. Was just enjoying the experience, but my general impression was a little more toasty with vague references to the yeasty / weizen side of things.

[Ardent (Richmond, VA) Defenstrator]
So, onto another American bastardization of the style... ?


Brücius from Schilling Beer Co (I have another from them, likely for tomorrow).

Compared tot he Virginia brew above, it's definitely more malty, roasty, and has that Maillard thing going on. I'd say of what I've had so far, it's a denser version of the Commonwealth eisbock Plassenburg. Thick without being too sweet, though it could use a little more countering bitterness or attenuation. It has a sticky lingering aspect that isn't bad and leaves me not needing another sip for a minute or so.

Little of a short post for me, but I'm trying to prep dinner, as well

 

I love East Rock
Visited 3 times pre-Covid can’t wait to go back
Cheers

 

Fortunately, this one had no carbonation issues and I have to thank B. United for the delivery. It felt like a perfect day to try this beer for the first time. I agree with the previous posts… Mai-Ur-Bock from Einbecker is a solid beer.

I was out most of the evening yesterday and have been tied up for most of the day today. Looking forward to going back to read all of the reviews in further detail so I can learn more about a style that I know very little about!

 

Oh, whew -- I thought you were at 8 for today.