Top 5 Bocks
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009 by DeronSpring may not officially be here yet, but I’ve had it with Winter as most of you all have, and since the official BEER of Spring has been on the shelves for a few weeks now, it’s time for me to submit my first Top 5 in a series of similar styles of Bock.
The origins of Bock are a bit fuzzy and uncharted. In medieval times, German monasteries would brew a strong beer for sustenance during Lent. Many people believe that the name Bock comes from the shortening of Einbeck, therefore "Beck" to "Bock". Others believe it’s more of a Pagan or old world influence that the beer was only to be brewed during the sign of the Capricorn goat, hence the goat being associated with Bock beers.
Regarding the beer itself, Bock is a bottom-fermenting lager that generally takes extra months of lagering to smooth out the roughness and take a bite out of the alcohol zing. Bocks, in general, are stronger than a typical lager, with a more robust and chewy malt character, with a dark amber to dark 
brown hue. Hop bitterness can be aggressive, but cannot overpower the malt flavors. Most traditional Bocks are lightly hopped, but of course, some American versions are some of the hoppiest out there.
Since this beer is a symbol of better times to come (let’s hope, in our case, in a variety of arenas), and a move away from Winter and the white stuff, I invite you to try one of these.
Cheers!
TAGS [ TOP 5 BOCKS | BOCK BEER | BOCKBIER | BOCK BEERS | BOCKBIERS | SPRING BEER | BEER REVIEWS ]
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March 10th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Deron, I love bocks. Thanks so much for this list and bits about the origins and characteristics. I had always wondered why bock beer features a goat on most bottles!
March 10th, 2009 at 11:16 am
oh, and one more thing… had NO IDEA that Genessee made a Bock. Fun little can, too.
March 10th, 2009 at 11:48 am
The La Trappe is the best Bock I have ever had. They have it at Premier, and I believe I saw it at Consumer’s.
People can say what they want about Genessee being on my list…but I think it’s the best beer High Falls makes. For $5.99 a 12-pack, you CANNOT go wrong. It’s a great session beer, usually what I fill up my backpack with every year when we do the St. Patty’s Day parade.
March 10th, 2009 at 11:54 am
Hell yah!