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Bock is a strong lager from Munich in Germany. The name is a corruption of the medieval German brewing town of Einbeck. The beer is usually darkened by high-coloured malts. Bock is traditionally brewed in the winter time for drinking during the Spring.
Bocks have a long history of being brewed and drunk by Catholic monks in Germany. During the Spring religious season of Lent, monks were required to fast. Bock beers are higher in food energy and nutrients than other beers, thus providing sustenance during the holiday.
Variants include Maibock (brewed for the month of May), Eisbock (ice bock), Weizenbock (wheat bock), and Doppelbock (double bock). The names of Doppelbock brews commonly end in -ator in honor of the original, Paulaner Salvator (Latin, "Savior"), pictured right.
Many bock beer producers have displayed goats on bottle labels since Bock in German means billy goat. In the local dialect, Einbeck is pronounced similar to "Einbock", which sounds like ein Bock (a goat).
Bocks
- Einbecker Ur-Bock (Einbecker original bock)
- Hacker-Pschorr Dunkeler Bock
- Shiner Bock
- Anchor Bock
- * Amber Bock
Mai/Helles Bocks
The lightest coloured of the bock beers, these two are generally grouped together. These pale bocks are brewed in winter and first tapped in spring, often to coincide with seasonal celebrations. They range in colour from deep gold to light amber. Naturally, light malts are used almost exclusively to produce them; thus they are fairly new to the bock scene. Pale malts were unheard of until early in the 19th century, when malting technology was refined, but they soon found their way into strong lagers in central Europe.
Decoction mashing is usually employed in the production of a pale bock, but the caveat to this is that the overall colour of the brew darkens substantially during this procedure. Because no dark malts are used, the soft, clean malt flavour and aroma come through totally unobstructed. Helles/maibocks are often given a slightly higher dose of hops than other bocks, giving them a fresher, livelier aroma and more balance.
Because of their relatively broad colour range, pale bocks present a nice diversity. They could actually be segregated into two subcategories, with helles bocks being the golden hued and maibocks being those that appear more amber. The helles version would contain almost exclusively pilsner malt, while the maibock would contain a significant dose of toasty Vienna or Munich malts. Then again, there is that middle ground that would make them neither (or both).
Many German breweries, especially in Bavaria, may include a pale bock in their lineup. Einbecker itself brews both a helles and a maibock. Spaten makes a golden helles known as Premium Bock that is very much worth trying. Compare it to an Ayinger maibock, which is a little deeper in color and spicier on the palate. For something really unusual in the style, Schlenklera of Bamberg, Germany, makes a rauch maibock that uses the brewery's famous smoked malt quite liberally. The label is almost identical to its regular Rauch Märzen, so read carefully.
Not surprisingly, many North American microbreweries that specialize in German-style brews also make pale bocks. The Gordon Biersch brewery includes a blonde bock that is mellow, malty and crisp. Pittsburgh's Church Brew Works annually wins awards in the maibock style and employs decoction mashing. Breweries in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Colorado, and North Carolina are just some that produce these seasonal brews.
- Haake-Beck Maibock
- Spaten Premium Bock
- Ayinger Maibock
- Summit Maibock (USA)
- Capital Maibock (USA)
- Ramstein Maibock (USA)
Weizenbocks
Not technically a bock, a weizenbock is simply a stronger dunkel weizen (dark wheat ale) - brewed "to bock strength." It includes a substantial portion of wheat malt in the grain bill, and uses a top-fermenting wheat ale yeast which lends fruity ester flavors as well as clove and phenolic/medicinal notes to the beer.
Doppelbocks
The Paulaner brewery of Munich can lay claim to the creation of doppelbock as a style. A group of Italian monks from the order of St. Francis of Paula crossed the Alps and settled near the city of Munich. Devout Catholics, they followed their traditions, which meant fasting occasionally. Solid food was forbidden but liquid was not. As the monks were expert brewers, making a brew that sustained them during these periods of dubious abstinence was a logical choice. Strong and nutritious, it fit the bill perfectly, providing both physical and mental sustenance.
Strong beer, brewed with local Germanic influence, resulted in what is now doppelbock. The monks established the Paulaner brewery in 1634 (coincidently, not long after Herr Pilcher from Einbeck visited Munich). Their beer became available to the public in 1780. The beer was named Salvator (The Savior) for obvious reasons, and it carries that moniker to this day. As the beer became popular, other breweries in Bavaria brewed it with great success and adopted the "-ator" suffix for their own versions.
Doppelbock literally means "double bock" but it isn't really twice the strength of traditional bock, only marginally stronger. Doppelbocks are generally dark in color, from dark amber to dark brown, though some pale versions exist. A beer can be considered a doppelbock if its original gravity is no lower than 1.074, which ensures a beer of substantial strength and character.
Doppelbocks are quite complex. As there is virtually no hop flavor and aroma, and just enough hop bitterness to be detectable, virtually all of this style's character can be attributed to its Munich-style malt and brewing practices. Munich malts are darkened from some extra kilning and they are also rendered less fermentable, resulting in a full-bodied, dextrinous wort. The character of these flavorful malts is augmented by using time-consuming, complicated decoction mashing techniques.
Decoction mashing was the method employed before thermometers were available. It consists of raising the mash temperature through its critical stages by boiling a little of the mash at a time and re-mixing it with the main portion. Repeated several times, this ensures that the all of the enzymes are able to do their job. The extra boiling, both during decoction and in the kettle, results in caramelization and a myriad of other complicated chemical reactions that benefit the wort and ultimately the flavor of the finished beer. All of this adds up to a complex, rich brew with unparalleled malt character.
Fermentation is done slowly, as with bottom-fermenting beers, and the lagering period is lengthy, often several months in duration.
Doppelbocks are not hard to find if you have a good package store and unrestricted beer laws. The majority of bocks available are, in fact, doppels. All of the major Bavarian breweries produce a doppelbock. All are good, some are excellent. Depending on local distribution, look for Spaten, Ayinger, Paulaner, Tucher and other brands with -ator in their name. Like other bocks, these are diverse, some relying solely on lighter malts, others on an influential dose of dark malts. The darker ones have distinct caramel and chocolate notes and sometimes a faint roastiness, whereas the amber versions have a slick, clean malt palate and a little less complexity.
Some breweries really push the envelope when it comes to strength. Most doppelbocks fall in the 7 to 8.5 % ABV range but some are significantly higher. Coming in at 9.6 % ABV is Urbock 23 from the Eggenberg brewery of Austria, established in 1681. The designation "23" refers to its original gravity in degrees Plato, roughly a 1.092 specific gravity. It is very pale, pure tasting and honeyish.
Stronger still is a product from the Hürlimann Brewery in Zürich known as Samichlaus. Insanely strong at about 15 % ABV, and with a starting gravity of about 1.120, it is brewed but once a year, on St. Nicholas Day, December 6. After fermentation, it is lagered until the following St. Nick's day, when it is released just in time for winter. Reddish brown in color, and rich beyond description, it retains a smooth lager character despite its potency. This beer will keep for quite some time, so if you are lucky enough to find some, cellar it. (This beer is no longer produced by the Hürlimann Brewery of Zurich, and it was at 14% abv rather than 15%. This beer is now in production by the Austrian Brewery Castle Eggenberg at 14% abv.)
- Auer Peccator
- Andechser Doppelbock
- Ayinger Celebrator
- Capital Blonde Doppelbock
- Capital Dark Doppelbock
- Hacker-Pschorr Animator
- Löwenbräu Triumphator
- Paulaner Salvator (original)
- Sam Adams Double Bock
- Spaten Optimator
- Thomas Hooker Liberator
- Tröegs Troegenator
- Tucher Bajuvator
- Weltenburger Kloster Asam Bock
Eisbocks
In yet another twist in strong lager production, some breweries produce eisbock. Simply put, this is a strong beer that is made into a stronger beer by freezing. As only the water portion will freeze, the beer is concentrated by the removal of the resultant ice. Generally, the beer is concentrated by only 10 % or less.
One brewery that employs this strategy is Kulmbacher of Kulmbach, Germany. The beer is known as Reichelbräu, about 10 % ABV with the signature dark doppelbock color and malty character.
Another brewery from Kulmbach, EKU, produces a strong bock called EKU 28 that uses a minimal concentrating step of freezing. The "28" is a designation of its degrees Plato, which gives the beer a strength of about 12 % ABV. It is amber in colour and aromatic. EKU also makes an excellent doppelbock called Kulminator.
- Kuhnhenn Raspberry Eisbock
- Niagara Falls Eisbock
- Schneider Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock
- Southampton Double Ice Bock
- Kulmbacher Eisbock
Austrian Variations
In Austria Bockbeer is traditionally brewed only around Christmas and Easter, almost every brewery brews its own Bock then.
See also
Beer styles | Beer and breweries in Germany
Bockbier | Bock | Bokbier | Bock | บ๊อคเบียร์
"Bock"