After reading Deron’s post, revealing his top picks for American Strong Ales, I just had to get my hands on some of my own. My first choice, albeit not on Deron’s list, was Long Trail Double Bag, which offers up an ABV of 7.2%.

Double Bag poured a transparent, deep amber, with about a half-inch of head which dissipated rather quickly, as is evident in my photo. The aroma was a sweet one, reminiscent of nuts from the malts, with a slight floral scent, lent from the hops.

At first taste, my mouth was treated to sweet, toasted malts, with a hint of caramel. A smooth, full-bodied swig, this gulp finished with a bit of bitterness, from the hops and high alcohol volume. I found this American Strong Ale to be rather drinkable, which surprised me, especially for a brew at 7.2% ABV. I would most definitely buy this again.

My next American Strong Ale tasting will be of Great Lakes Nosferatu, courtesy of Deron himself.

Cheers!

P.S. The little guy pictured next to my Long Trail is my munny. I got him for Christmas and got to decorate him myself. Ain’t he cute?

TAGS [ LONG TRAIL DOUBLE BAG | AMERICAN STRONG ALE | BEER REVIEW | BEER REVIEWS | LONG TRAIL BEERS ]

Spring 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!

La Trappe Bockbier

Atwater Winter Bock

Søgaard Julebuk

Genessee Bock

Einbecker Ur-Bock Dunkel

TAGS [ TOP 5 BOCKS | BOCK BEER | BOCKBIER | BOCK BEERS | BOCKBIERS | SPRING BEER | BEER REVIEWS ]