Sunday Night Suds - Lakefront Brewery Bock

This week's Sunday Night Suds review looks at Lakefront Brewery's Bock.

 

After last week's less than spectacular Bock review, I looked around my beer storage area for another Bock to review and came up with a Lakefront Brewery Bock which I had purchased as a single at DeCicco this summer. Although the beer had a brewed on label of mid-March, I decided to give it a shot because the beer was not going to get any fresher anyway.

 

As I have been reminded that it has been a few years since I reviewed a bock (before last week), I have reproduced the definiton from the BA gurus below:

 

The origins of Bock beer are quite uncharted. Back in medieval days German monasteries would brew a strong beer for sustenance during their Lenten fasts. Some believe the name Bock came from the shortening of Einbeck thus "beck" to "bock." Others believe it is 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. Basically, this beer was a symbol of better times to come and moving away from winter.

As for the beer itself in modern day, it is a bottom fermenting lager that generally takes extra months of lagering (cold storage) to smooth out such a strong brew. Bock beer in general is stronger than your typical lager, more of a robust malt character with a dark amber to brown hue. Hop bitterness can be assertive enough to balance though must not get in the way of the malt flavor, most are only lightly hopped.

 

The Lakefront Bock was a dark orange color with almost no foam. The alcohol taste was quite pronounced, while the hop bite was practically non existent. This beer is really all about the malts and they are present from the first sip and well beyond finishing the brew. There is some fruit, almost a little cider in the aftertaste. I would never drink a beer hot, but this is one brew that I could actually see enjoying at close to room temperature.

 

Lakefront Brewery's Bock is under the kosher supervision of the Star-K (there is even a Star-K on the label). For the experts' take on the Bock, please click here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/741/3479.

As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver. If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

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