Another category of beer that I absolutely can not get enough of comes from the Bock family of beers. These include Traditional Bock, Maibock, Doppelbock, Eisenbock, and Weizenbock. Bock is a strong German beer, which is usually a dark lager. I will cover the history of the style and then go into the differences between the different styles of the Bock family of beers.
The style that is now known as Bock Beer was originally brewed in the 14th century in the town of Einbeck in Lower Saxony in Germany. In the 17th century the style was adopted by Munich brewers in Bavaria. Due to their thick Bavarian accent they pronounced Einbeck as ein Bock, which in German means billy goat, and thus it became known as Bock beer. This is why many labels of various styles of Bock have goats on them.
Bock is historically associated with special occasions and religious festivals such as Christmas, Easter, and Lent (Lentenbock) over the years. It also has long been brewed and consumed by Bavarian monks as a source of nutrition during times of fasting.
Traditional Bock is a sweet, relatively strong, lightly hopped lager that checks in lower on the IBU scale (usually 20 to 30 IBUs). They are traditionally clear with a color ranging from light copper to brown and a persistent off-white head. The aroma should be malty and toasty, with a slight alcohol taste but no detectable hops or fruitiness. The mouthfeel will be smooth with low to moderate carbonation. The taste profile will be rich and toasty, oftentimes with a presence of caramel. The low presence of hops provides enough bitterness so that the sweetness is not overpowering and the aftertaste ends up being muted.
The style of Maibock (also known as Helles Bock) is a strong pale lager that is lighter in color but with more hop presence. The color ranges from deep gold to light amber with a large, creamy, persistent white head and moderate to moderately high carbonation. Alcohol content ranges from approximately 6 to 8 percent. The flavor tends to be less malty than a Traditional Bock, but may be drier, hoppier and more bitter, even with a still relatively low hop content. You can also get a mildly spicy or peppery quality to the beer depending on the hops that are used.
Doppelbock or Double Bock is a stronger (7% to 12% ABV and above) version of Traditional Bock that was first brewed in Munich by the Paulaner Friars. Since it was stronger and sweeter it was described as liquid bread and served to the Friars during times of fasting when solid food is not allowed. It is a clear beer ranging in color from dark gold to brown with red highlights. It has a large, consistent, creamy head, which can be affected by higher alcohol content. The aroma is extremely malty, with some toasty notes, and an alcohol presence, darker versions may have a chocolate or fruity aroma. The flavor is rich and malty with a very noticeable taste of alcohol, and little to no detection of hops.
Weizenbock is essentially just a Doppelbock where some of the barley in the grain bill has been replaced with 40-60% wheat. This style combines darker Munich malts and top-fermenting wheat beer yeast, and brewed at the strength of a Doppelbock. It was first produced in Bavaria in 1907 by G. Schneider & Sohn.
Eisbock (Or Ice Bock), is a traditional specialty beer from the Kulbach district of Bavaria. They are made by partially freezing a Doppelbock and removing the water ice to concentrate the flavor and the alcohol content (8% to 14% and above). It usually varies in color from deep copper to dark brown with ruby highlights. It often pours with a thin white head, but oftentimes head retention is impaired by the higher alcohol content. Aroma on this beer is extremely intense, usually with fruity notes such as plums, prunes and raisins, and has almost no hop presence. The mouthfeel is full and smooth with huge alcohol flavors present. The flavor is usually rich and sweet, often with toasty notes, and sometimes hints of chocolate.
Now that you are armed with the knowledge to differentiate between the different styles of Bock, sit back and enjoy a few and taste the differences between one of the maltier families of beers the world has to offer. But please do so responsibly. Do it at home or have a designated driver because although they are excellent tasting beers, most styles of the Bock family are relatively high in alcohol percentage. Be safe and have fun. Prost!
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