A little Bock History
Style History
The style known as Bock was a stronger dark, lightly hopped ale, that was first brewed in the 14th century in the town of Einneck, Germany. At the time beer making was the only economic activity of Einneck, and the mayor was the head brewer. Must have been a fun town! This style was adopted by brewers in the 17th century in Munich using their new style of lager brewing. Due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced "Einbeck" as "ein Bock" ("a billy goat"), and thus the beer became known as "bock". As a visual pun, a goat often appears on Bock labels. Bock is historically associated with special occasions, such as family celebrations like births and weddings, religious festivals such as Christmas, Easter or Lent and seasonal celebrations of the Spring and Fall Equinox.
About the Style
There are four subtypes of the Bock style:
● Traditional Bock
● Maibock or Helles Bock
● Doppelbock
● Eisbock
* All style information comes from 2021 Style Guidelines for the Beer Judge Certification Program by Gordon Strong
TRADITIONAL BOCK
Traditional bock is a sweet, relatively strong (6.3–7.2% ABV), lightly hopped (20–27 IBUs) lager. The beer should be clear, and color can range from light copper to brown, with a bountiful and persistent off-white head. The aroma should be malty and toasty, possibly with hints of alcohol, but no detectable hops or fruitiness. The mouthfeel is smooth, with low to moderate carbonation and no astringency. The taste is rich and toasty, sometimes with a bit of caramel. Again, hop presence is low to undetectable, providing just enough bitterness so that the sweetness is not cloying and the aftertaste is muted.
EXAMPLES: Millstream Brewing Schokolade Bock, Great Lakes Rockerfeller Bock, Revolution Brewing Baphomet, Off Color Brewing Beer for Burgers
MAIBOCK OR HELLES BOCK
Maibock literally means May Bock which originally was around the time this spring beer was available. Today it is available year round. Also called Helles or Heller bock which is a name given to bock strength beers in the Netherlands. It's ABV and IBU are identical to standard Bock. This style is strong as traditional bock, but lighter in color (deep gold to light amber) and with more hop presence. It usually has a grainy sweet or doughy malt flavor with a little more hop bitterness than standard bock, medium body with higher carbonation.
EXAMPLES: Ayinger Maibock, Mahrs Heller Bock, Rogue Ales Dead ‘N’ Dead, Off Color Brewing Town Musicians, Hailstorm Brewing Rock Out with Mai Bock Out
DOPPELBOCK
Doppelbock or double bock is a stronger version of traditional bock that was first brewed in Munich by the Paulaner Friars, a Franciscan order founded by St. Francis of Paula. Historically, doppelbock was high in alcohol and sweet. The story is told that it served as "liquid bread" for the Friars during times of fasting, when solid food was not permitted. Recent historians say it was served all year to monks to augment their vegetarian diet. Either way, the monks created a great beer style. Today, doppelbock is still strong — ranging from 7%–10% or more by volume. It is clear, with color ranging from dark gold, for the paler version, to dark brown with ruby highlights for the darker version. It has a large, creamy, persistent head (although head retention may be impaired by alcohol in the stronger versions). The aroma is intensely malty, with some toasty notes, and possibly some alcohol presence as well; darker versions may have a chocolate-like or fruity aroma. The flavor is very rich and malty, with noticeable alcoholic strength, and little or no detectable hops.
EXAMPLES: Ayinger Celebrator, Paulaner Salvator, Spaten Optimator, Haymarket Brewing Demonstrator Doublebock, New Glarus Brewing Gyrator Dopple
EISBOCK
Eisbock is a traditional specialty beer brewed originally in Bavaria, Germany. The original story goes that a dopplebock was being fermented and it accidentally partially froze, and when they skimmed off the ice, it ended up increasing the alcohol and intensifying the flavor. They were impressed with the result so they kept brewing it. It is clear, with a color ranging from deep copper to dark brown in color, often with ruby highlights. Although it can pour with a thin off-white head, head retention is frequently impaired by the higher alcohol content. The aroma is intense, with no hop presence, but frequently can contain fruity notes, especially of prunes, raisins, and plums. Mouthfeel is full and smooth, with significant alcohol, although this should not be hot or sharp. The flavor is rich and sweet, often with toasty notes, and sometimes hints of chocolate, always balanced by a significant alcohol presence. Its ABV ranges from 9% to 14%.
EXAMPLES: Jack’s Abby Brewing Eis Maker, Kulbacher Braueri Eisbock, Heavy Seas Beer Schnee Boot, Pollyanna Brewing Jotunheimr Eisbock