Yuengling Bock is Back Baby!

There has been some recent comments about how ‘bocky’ this beer is.

I post #7 I stated: “IMO you need to approach this beer for what it is (see above). A lower ABV dark amber lager with nice drinkability (for me).”

While grocery shopping yesterday I saw a stack of Yuengling Bock and I purchased a 12-pack of this beer.

Spoiler Alert: I will be discussing this beer in an upcoming NBW thread.

Cheers!

 

Earlier today in the NBW thread I posted:

I’m Bock!

Yuengling has decided to bring their Bock beer back after being in hiatus for many years. I asked myself: have you had this beer before? And frankly if it wasn’t for the ability to search old posts on BA I would have answered no this question. But as it turns out I posted about this beer waaaay back in 2012. Will this beer as brewed in 2024 taste the same as that 2012 version? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But as far as I am concerned enough time has transpired that this counts as a new beer.

In the ongoing thread about Yuengling Bock there is some discussion whether this is a ‘genuine’ bock beer but the fact this is a low(er) ABV beer is enough to state this is not a Bock beer by German standards. From my perspective it is an American Bock beer akin to beers like Shiner Bock, Genny Bock,…

Permit me to first discuss two topics here:

· What defines the American Bock beer style

· What is the history of American Bock beers

American Bock beer style

Well, according to the beer competition style guidelines (e.g., BJCP, Brewers Association) there is no such thing as an American Bock beer style. Well, that is not going to stop me from discussing this topic. In my opinion (and that of beer writer Chris Colby) the American Bock beer style is a beer brewed by American brewers to ‘mimic’ the Bock beers as brewed in Germany. In a nutshell, an American Bock beer is a darker colored lager brewed using adjuncts (e.g., corn, rice) that is typically of moderate alcohol strength (e.g., 5% ABV). In contrast a Traditional Bock as brewed in Germany would be both of stronger alcohol strength (e.g., 6.5% ABV) with the darker appearance coming from the majority of the grain bill being Munich Malt.

How do (did) the American brewers achieve a darker color for their American Bock beer? I do not have a definitive answer but I am pretty sure that it is not from a majority of the grain bill being Munich Malt. There are a number of ingredients that could be used to darken the color of American Bock beers:

· Crystal Malts

· Roasted Malts (e.g., Roast Barley)

· Coloring agents (e.g., Sinamar, Porterine, Caramel Color)

I have used a term of AAAL (Amber American Adjunct Lager) in past BA threads. I think this is an equivalent designation for American Bock.

Perhaps the most popular American Bock beer is Shiner Bock?

American Bock history

Below is a quote from an article by Chris Colby entitled “Chip Off the Old Bock -- The American Adaptation of Bock Beer”:

“American-style bock beers date back to the 1800s, when they emerged in every region of the U.S. with a large German population, including Texas, Wisconsin and other places in the Upper Midwest and Pennsylvania. German trained brewers incorporated local ingredients and adapted New World brewing techniques to make beers similar to the ones from their home countries, but that were also economically viable here in the states.

Freedom from the Reinheitsgebot (Germany’s Beer Purity Law), coupled with the relatively high protein content of US 6-row malts and fierce competition, likely drove most to use corn as an adjunct in their beers. For a time, this style flourished as a spring seasonal offering and most national and regional breweries offered a bock beer. As late as the 1970’s, American bocks were still relatively easy to find. As a kid, I remember seeing American bock beers on the shelves and hearing the bogus explanation that it was made from beer “at the bottom of the barrel” when breweries did their “yearly cleaning.” Gradually, however, consumers became less and less interested in this dark beer as American lagers gave way to light American lagers.”

As you can read above, back in the day it was common to see American Bock beers as a spring seasonal.



Served in my Sly Fox Bock Fest Willi Becher glass:

Appearance

A deep amber color with a red-ish hue and a khaki colored head.

Aroma

A combination of toasted dark bread and toffee.

Taste:

The flavors follow the nose with toasted dark bread and toffee. Low - moderate bitterness

Mouthfeel

Medium bodied and an off-dry finish. There is a nice crispness to this beer.

Overall

I enjoyed drinking this beer, I think it is a very good American Bock beer. It has a very tasty flavor profile accompanied with the quality of high drinkability. I purchased a 12-pack and I look forward to drinking the other 11 cans.

Cheers to Yuengling for re-introducing the tradition of producing a spring seasonal of Yuengling Bock!

@KOP_Beer_OUtlet @rotsaruch @RobH

 

The 1970s era Bock from Yuengling was still around in May of 1977 at the distributor a few blocks down the street from the brewery in town (so 31 years, not exactly "nearly 40" but...).

It was actually 149 cases after I bought 1.

When that 2008 version was released a BA posted* that the 1970s Yuengling Bock was a blend of Porter and Premium, as per a conversation with Dick, Sr. at Yuengling's post-tour tap room. (*That post does not seem to be available here anymore). Back in the '70s, when Yuengling was still a small (100k-200k bbl) local brewery, it wasn't uncommon for Dick, Sr. to greet people on the tour. My SO at the time and I had a few beers with him, with the tour guide (who also worked in the office) as the only other person in their bar.

The Phila. beer columnist Joe Sixpack claimed that the 2000s Yuengling Bock was "a dry-hopped blend of Porter and Chesterfield Ale, with the addition of malt ingredients to improve the body, according to brewer Jim Helmke" in the Philadelphia Daily News, Feb. 27, 2009.

 

Wow! I haven't had this in years. Hope it comes to my neck of the woods in Western PA.

 

Did they mark down the leftovers? On Long Island, Schaefer Bock went down to 60c a sixpack late in the season for a couple of years around 1980. Not really a bock, but it tasted pretty good. I was able to sample a Yuengling Bock from the early 70s, but all I remember is that it was better than the typical US bock. I don't remember it being readily available on Long Island in the later 70s..

 

Gee, I have not had that beer for decades. Hope I can get my hands on some.

 

If I run across this, I'm getting some just so I can poke it with a red-hot iron.