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

Actually, it was collecting dust and I thought I would dust it off for the occasion! Definitely not part of my usual rotation... I don't remember the last time I used it.

 

Firstly, kudos to @TongoRad for organizing the bock tasting. Have been keeping up on the thread and enjoying the wide variety. So many options which makes this thread a fun read. Would love to see this become an annual event.

Have three maibocks for tonight - one imported and two locals. Starting off with the former, which is a fairly popular one in the thread it appears. And with good reason. This is quite enjoyable. So enjoyable, in fact, I drank the entirety before making any tasting notes. But others have described it very well. Cheers all. Keep on Bockin'.

 

I was hoping you'd tell me to give them another shot.

 

More like...

 

I went to JJ Bittings in Woodbridge NJ this afternoon and enjoyed a plate of hot wings and three pints of Knockout Bock. It's amber and 6.2ABV. It's in the same family as the Hofbrauhaus that I had earlier this week and quite tasty.

 

If nothing else, it's very sturdy... feels like I'm getting a workout every time I take a sip! My usual snifter / teku / pilsner / pint glass rotation gets the job done 95% of the time. Will probably become a decoration again after this weekend!

 

Yes, that is weird. I quoted your comment and food pictures.

I added a sentence at the bottom about the food. I just noticed after your message showed up in my flagged area that it didn't quote it. I will see if I can change that but not sure if edit works after people have liked it.

Sorry about that. I wish I had seen that the quote didn't work.

 

Alright, this will probably be the last one for me tonight, otherwise I might Bock out. 2020 Samichlaus. As I recently posted in the Bock Tasting prep thread, this beer was completely new to me as of a couple weeks ago and it completely blew me away. Stellar beer. Posting my review from 4/12/21 as I’m sure it hasn’t changed much since then.

Pours a very nice caramel color with some amber hues. Decently sized tan head that dissipates very quickly leaving no lacing. Aroma is malt forward and quite sweet with huge caramel, molasses and some candied sugar. There are some floral noble hops-esque notes to balance. Taste is remarkably sweet, like almost stunningly so. I said the aroma was sweet but that’s nothing compared to the taste. It has an almost candy like sugary sweetness, as well as big caramel and molasses notes, yet remains shockingly uncloying with a moderate degree of bitterness and some fusel ethanol bite (in a good way as it balances the sweet bomb). Some lingering subtle dark cocoa notes on the finish, with very subtle earthy almost woody notes. Others have commented on its English Barleywine similarities, and there are perhaps some but not many in my opinion. There’s almost no dark fruit notes here, it’s also much cleaner (which is a poor descriptor I know, but it’s what comes to mind when I drink it). This is wonderfully complex. The mouthfeel is a bit lacking, it’s certainly low on carbonation but not too detrimentally so as in some ways this almost drinks like a lower ABV spirit. This would serve as a terrific after dinner drink, a fine alternative to a port wine for example. ABV is noticeable but necessarily so, as mentioned above. It’s remarkably drinkable. Overall, this is just stellar. How I have never had this beer before is baffling to me. I am picking up several of these both for current drinking and to cellar. Honestly kind of blown away by this.

4/4.25/4.75/4.25/4.75







Merry Bock’ing belated Christmas to you all!

 

Haha, no worries! I’ve just never had that happen before. I thought for a min I was just wasted and didn’t realize it (don’t worry I didn’t drive home from the German restaurant). Just very strange.

But anyways, to your point, yes beer and that food is all one could ever ask for!

 

Perhaps you'd want to try replying to that post and removing the quote format commands in order for you to repost it as your own. Then you can report @TommyG22 's post to have it deleted. I'm guessing that's an easy way to put it back as intended.

 

4.46/5 rDev +4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Bottled on May 5, 2016. Bought this at a bottle shop where the owner advised to cellar this for a while and today is that day. Poured into a Simon Pearce tankard bought on vacation in 2019, produced a clear dark amber body under a medium off white head. Smell has a lot of malty sweet ingredients with the wheat banana and cloves morphing to molasses and raisins. Taste reflects the smell although very rich and full. Even though the alc is well hidden, self preservation dictates a slow sipper. Although it's tempting to think of the Bavarian cuisine which would compliment this, I'm thinking more a post desert sipper. I'll try to find a younger bottle for comparison sake except I'm afraid it will only disappoint. But that's why we experiment right?

This will end my tasting participation in this thread. Great commentary as always chock full of ideas for the future. I felt a bit bad for not including any local offerings, although I've already had Fat Head's Alpenglow, but Hansa Brewery does not bottle or can anything they brew according to the website. Slainté to every participant.

Listening to Trevor Watts' Moire Music Group @ The Empty Bottle 9/30/2000

 

I think this beer was a bit too cold to be properly poured

Arcobräu - Coronator (7.2% ABV, 18°P)

This beer has a really nice chocolatey character. Smell is cocoa, bread and coffee. Taste is just lovely, chocolatey and also a little bit sweet. Roasted malts coming through as well as some hints of cherry and plum at the end.
Very easy drinking and no signs of alcohol.

I really love this beer! This is a quite fresh example (03/13/2022) and really tasty!

Prost!

 

For my final beer of the evening...

As promised (@JackHorzempa).

Andechser Doppelbock Dunkel
Bock - Doppelbock
ABV: 7.1%
IBU: 19



Clear mahogany with somewhat sparse rising bubbles. 1½ inch tan head, thick, with good retention. It forms pock marks as it recedes and leaves behind momentary lacing which slides down into the beer.

Rich aroma. Dark fruits and sweet molasses. Raisins and figs. Some toast.

The toasted pumpernickel bread is more up front in the flavor than in the taste. Blending in nicely are the dark fruits and sweet bready malts. The middle and finish are smooth and complex. It tends toward the sweet, but the totality is a sumptuous blend of the various flavors. The aftertaste is on the sweet side, but not overly so, and leaves a pleasant coating.

Mouth feel is luxurious and medium-to-substantial.

Overall, this is a full and gorgeous doppelbock. Complex, mellow, and a wonderful interplay of flavors.

L: 4.25 | S: 4.25 | T: 4.5 | F: 4.25 | O: 4.25 | Rating: 4.35

 

Taking in a lovely Helles Bock from Heater Allen in OR, Lenz Bock. So tasty as usual from Heater Allen. Great gold color to it.

 

Next up a maibock (6.3% ABV) from a local brewery, Goldfinger Brewing Company, based out of Downers Grove. They've recently started distributing in the Chicagoland area which allowed me to to pick up singles of their helles, pils and this maibock. Already enjoyed the pils.

Their maibock pours much paler than the the Hofbräu maibock I had. The slight, foamy head dissipates quickly. Aroma is faint but getting notes of bready malts mostly. Tastewise, it mostly follows the nose with the bready malts. The flavor fades rather quickly. Following after the Hofbräu is probably not fair but this one is mostly a one note maibock and does not exhibit the complexity, depth and layers of flavor which are present in the Hofbräu. Nice effort but thought it was only decent all things considering. Looking forward to trying more of their lagers, however.

 

Celebrator is possibly my MVP for this series. Both the fruits and the sweetness are more subtle than in Korbinian (which I really liked), and a certain malty bitterness blends all the flavours really nicely and makes for an excellent drinkability. Nutty chocolate, slightly roasted malts, licorice, tobacco, some raisin and date by the end, and again the sweetness point being placed just right. The only thing not being world class was the fastly receding head, but I didn´t care one iota as the beer was truly rounded and delicious. More Asam Bock than Korbinian, but also with a strong 'european' porterish character in my opinion (think of Fuller´s or even Baltic ones). Also one of the best labels ever, but damn the 33 cl really felt scarce, and I did actually had one single satisfying sip from it.

I said I drink this beer pretty often above, but maybe not as often as I should. I´ve passed on it many times on tap because there is always some distracting Kirtabier, Maibock or whatever around. But will bring the little bottle home more often. This kind of event really helps to look at the beers with a renewed vision, as this particular season demands...

 

Very helpful post, but that sounds like a lot of work. I’ll just let it live at TommyG’s post!

 

What a nice glass. And also I am not alone with the sherry bit in Aventinus.