Troegs Cultivator Helles Bock

Would love to try it; sounds great...

Prosit!

 

I hate it when people are using incorrect German when naming their stuff...

It's HELLER BOCK dammit.

 

Not according to the BJCP.

 

I always just assume "-bier" at the end and it makes me feel better. In other words, I read it: Helles Bock(-bier). And besides, if you make it Heller Bock then we have to start worrying about what case it is and ain't nobody got time for that.

 

I had Troegs Cultivator Helles Bock last night for the first time on draft at a local beer bar. I thought it was a tasty beer; my wife thought it was a very, very good beer.

As to the question of Imperial Helles vs. Maibock, I would suggest that these two style descriptors mean the same thing. Here is an extract from the BJCP style guideline in the comment section for Helles Bock/Maibock: “Can be thought of as either a pale version of a traditional bock, or a Munich helles brewed to bock strength.”

No matter how you classify the beer it is a tasty beer!

Prost!

 

If they're too lazy to even look up the correct name of the beer, that should tell you something about how much effort they are willing to put into brewing the correct type of beer. (A: the former takes all of about 5-10 seconds.)

 

Never had it. In fact I've never seen a Troegs beer in Europe, and I doubt many European ba's have either, but then again I don't spend the majority of my time in Germany. If I do happen to see it though I'd certainly pick up a bottle...

 

I can see these points. But (at least in English) the style name has become (for better or worse) "Helles Bock". This is true from style guidelines to the name of yeast strains. From the perspective of an American brewer, this is the right name for the American market (bastardization of the language or not).

Oh, and it's not just Americans...

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/rhein-ma...i-helles-bock-aus-dem-hinterland-1938922.html

http://www.mauritius-brauerei.de/pr...ws]=52&cHash=fd0d01deced95d44d8f3fce4fbdf5f5b

 

That is just plain idiotic and ******ed.

It's either "Helles Bockbier" as mjtierney2 pointed out or "Heller Bock". Anything else is just insulting.

 

The Glissade comparison is very apt- I posted on Friday's WBAYDN thread "the people who are missing Glissade are going to love this beer."

In this case I think it's a much better beer overall- it's got a much nicer malt platform for those hops.

I don't think Troegs is presenting it as a traditional take on the style, though. The neck label even makes mention of celebrating the start of the hop growing season.

 

Relative to any German versions it definitely has more of a hop presence in the aroma, but you are right in that it isn't dominant or overdone. Plus, it's still in the herbal/spicy noble hop family so that makes it work within the overall framework of the beer. It doesn't seem like it was dry-hopped to me, but I couldn't say for sure.

I don't think the malt profile is a rich as, say, Einbecker's Mai-Urbock, but maybe toned down a notch while still more bready than Glissade was. I am reminded of something more easy-drinking like Hofbrau Maibock (with a hoppier aroma, naturally).

Taken on its own terms I think they did a nice job here. I still wish we had access to fresher 'proper' Heller Bocks, but I will take this in the meantime.

 

Below is Troegs description of Cultivator Helles Bock on their website:

“Cultivator Helles Bock

“This spring bock delivers hints of toasted grains, fresh baked bread and delicate floral hops.”

That description is 100% consistent with how my palate perceives this beer.

Cheers!

 

Even though the beers may be good, correct spelling doesn't seem to bother American brewers much. Here's another example:

 

The bolded part is how Hofbrau comes across to me, very similar to their Oktoberfest. Have you had that one yet, Jack? Maybe the 'imperial helles' descriptor is a better way of describing what Troegs is going for after all.

 

Michael, I have not had the Hofbrau beer you mentioned. Another beer I need to 'add to the list'!

Cheers!

Jack

P.S. I bottled my Tmavy Lezak last week; the hydrometer sample was tasty. I have a good feeling about this batch of beer. Oh, and I brewed a Kolsch today.

 

Hope they turn out well, and Happy Brewing!

 

That should be "weiss" or "weiß", no? I've heard of this beer but never really paid much attention to the spelling.

 

Wow, pretty strong words. Can't say that misappropriated foreign words have ever been that bothersome to me. Good thing too, considering: der Evergreen; das Handy; das Mobbing; etc...