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

Bonus Bock!! Wasn’t sure if Sweetwater Tavern would have any bocks on, but they actually have three (3) on!! That includes this GABF silver medal winner, Sidewinder doppelbock.


Toasted bread and sugar profile with an earthy, lightly yeasty middle, and slightly mineral ending. Little more than medium body, but it seems less because it has a pretty clean finish. Tasty!

 

Thanks @TongoRad for putting this together.
This tasting has been great. I ended up with six new to me bocks of different styles, most of which, including this one, I wouldn't have bought without this incentive.

Some of us have to work tomorrow so here's what I saved as my 10th, and final, bock of the weekend: Aventinus Eisbock

The back label declares (in what is likely a Bond villain voice)

bwah hah hah (probably)

Nothing special as far as looks are concerned; kind of a muddy reddish brown with a quickly dissolving tan head.
But when you bring the glass up to your lips you discover why this is a world class beer.
The aroma gives you a good idea of what is to come once the beer passes your lips. Sure there's some alcohol there, but what you taste is a balanced blend of caramel, brown sugar, dates, raisins, those Pantera brown bread rolls, molasses, a little banana bread, I keep thinking there is some walnut in there.

So, I thank you, but my wallet doesn't, now I'm going to have to go out and buy several more bottles of Aventinus Eisbock for the cellar.

 

Off the cuff comments on the wonderful Aventinus Eisbock. Many have already talked about this..but hey adding to the fun.



Pours a near opaque brown, with a beige head that continues to rise, and even overflowed my glass ha. Excellent retention, but spotty lace, like any of that matters...

Baked dark bread, dark fruits, and warming alcohol. Fruits range from raisins, plums, cherry, pears and cinnamon covered apples.

Enough carbonation to let you know its there, but becomes ultra smooth as this breaths. A big full, warming body that I can sip on all night. Which is exactly what I plan to do.

While I know some breweries like Kuhnenn do a good representation of this style, and then there are the ABV arms races from BrewDog and the like...I never understood why this style never really took off in earnest. Its exactly everything American "craft" breweries look for. Big ABV, tons of flavor, unique in presentation and history.

Anyway, one of the best, Cheers all.

 

I have the 2018 mug, though use it mostly as a coffee mug.

 

Is it open on Sunday?

I´d have liked to engage further but it was really fun to get in from time to time and share a couple of them with all of you while learning from such experienced advocates. I think having weissbiers and lagers was a great decision and this event is setting the bar really high. @TongoRad for president.

 

They make several lagers that I think are fantastic but this one was a drain pour for me.

 

I could be wrong to assume that that's a typo, but the typos have been incredible lately.

The legal issues with brewing it must have been a big factor. And I assume that the actual production process didn't help things either.

 

I had a second hunt on saturday morning and bought this one along with Celebrator (and instead of Vitus) for the pale factor, and as a lover of the latter I can´t be happier about it, as Tap 05 has now become my own weekend´s underdog.



The resinous pine, grapefruit peel and floral notes from the hops blend really well with the slightly toasted-not too sweet malts, the more classic aromas from a weissbier appearing subtly in the background as the beer settles.



Bitter citrusy hops and some sweet malts managing not to be cloying, with piney hints by the end and some bittersweet orange peel in the aftertaste. The hops are indeed very tasty but don´t overshadow the rest of the beer at all, as the full bodied weizenbock character shows in the mouth and makes for a nicely balanced brew with a much higher drinkability than expected (the prickly carbonation plays wonders along with the bitter hops for it).

A second pour with the yeast brings in an even silkier body with expanding fruity notes and of course a darker, hazier look. I really liked them both.



The end of the glass is nastily silky, fruity and delicious without going flat (even still sparkling by the end). WOW, loved it.

Overall fantastic, and by far my best Hopfenweisse to date (found it heavy and cloying in the past, much better recently but not near this good). A total steal of a DIPA at hardly above 4 euros a liter that I will drink more often for sure.

I must say I´ve just drunk it right after some heavy Asian dinner, so my advice would be; try it fresh for the hops to shine (the beer is able to hold whatever you throw at her), have some food before (or along) the beer and don´t drink it too cold but still cold (to maximize drinkability and keep the sweetness at bay).

Big and delicious in all senses but yet quite drinkable at last, what a nice surprise. Class.

 

True, probably a big point, though breweries have made it so its not impossible. I mean if "ale in Texas" can be repealed, in reference to slightly high ABV lagers, a lot in the labeling and categorizing can be over come ha.

 

That Tap 5 is real good.

 

You folks win. I officially "reviewed" Schlenkerla Urbock. What have I become?

@TongoRad

 

Oops Panera
It's been three days of steady bocks & doppelbocks, finishing with a 12% eisbock. I'm lucky my posts are even coherent

 

The idea of Pantera putting their name on bread rolls is very amusing.

 

I'm coming in late here tonight because my wife and I were traveling on a mini pub crawl and I didn't plan to find any bocks along the way to talk about, thus no plan to participate (I actually found one bock but I don't want to talk about it because it wasn't very good.)

However, we had to end our travels early, so we arrived home with time to go to one of our local breweries that is German-inspired in their beers and food. A few weeks ago they had their annual release of their Penetrator Dopplebock (no lewd thoughts, please; it's named after the interstate highway 'spur' off I-94 that 'penetrates' our downtown area, hence its local-assigned name), and over the past few days they introduced a BBA Penetrator and a Penetrator Gone Wild, a barrel-aged wild version.



L to R: Penetrator, BBA Penetrator, Penetrator Gone Wild
Penetrator = 8.9%
BBA Penetrator = 10.4%
Barrel-aged Penetrator Gone Wild = 11.7%

Penetrator was first brewed 5 years ago when the brewery first opened their doors, so I've enjoyed it each spring. BBA Penetrator was first available last fall in a very small quantity and I had a small glass then, which I recall it tasted young. Today's version has a much more mature bourbon character and I enjoyed it much more.

The Barrel-aged Penetrator Gone Wild is a new beer and I'm thrilled it came out great. The brewery has tried BA beers in the past (a Dunkel Weizen and a Triple Weizenbock, and I think it had cherries in it) that were okay but didn't approach outstanding, but this Dopplebock hits my sweet spot. The barrel character almost overpowers the dopplebock, but that's my sweet spot. (No bourbon or whiskey character, just oak.)

It was a great experience to have these three beers side-by-side today, so having to cut my pub crawl trip short ended up being a good thing.