Bock

Rye beers are more popular than ever. It seems like most breweries use malted rye in at least one of their beers. I tend to glance over most ryes I see on the beer list because a good deal of them are Rye IPAs, not the kind of beer I'd choose to showcase my rye malt. This bottle from Left Hand is a Rye Bock, a Bavarian style Bock that's been brewed with malted rye instead of barley. There's nothing off the wall about this beer but it still stands out in a crowd. What makes Left Hand's Rye Bock remarkable is it's quality and flavor.

Sprecher is a brewery I know of only because I've seen their sodas for sale a few times. John Ratzenberger told me a few years ago (OK, I was watching his Made in America roadtrip show...) that Sprecher also makes beer. I'd more or less forgotten about Sprecher's craft beers until I got three bottles in the mail a few weeks back. The bottles are labeled "Winter Brew" and aside from that you'd never know they were a seasonal. The packaging is quite low budget, so much so that it actually kinda looks like an authentic German beer... from one of those 600 year old breweries that hasn't updated their labels since the the first time Germany invaded France.

Longshot Traditional Bock, a beer created by homebrewer Alex Drobshoff. How cool is that... You enter your beer in a homebrew contest sponsored by Samuel Adams, win and not only do you get your picture on the label but your beer gets distributed nationally. It doesn't stop there though, probably the coolest thing about the Longshot is that it's actually quite delicious. The folks at Sam Adams know their beers so I wasn't really doubting the quality of a handpicked contest winner, but I was still pleasantly surprised by the quality of this beer. Even though this is labeled a Bock I think of it as a borderline Doppelbock. After all, it is almost 7% ABV and has a lot of Doppelbock qualities. The Longshot packs a ton of roasted barley up front, it hits you as soon as the beer lands on your tongue. Don't get me wrong, this doesn't taste like it's smoked or anything. It just has that warm, almost salty quality... like an Amber but replace the hops with malt.

Mahr's Bräu's Der Weisse Bock is a strong dark beer with a ton of flavor. The beer's name isn't just clever, it really describes the style quite aptly. This beer is a blend of the Bock and Weissbier styles. It's sweet and malty like a dark Bock beer but it's also sour and light bodied like Weissbier. The label on the bottle has a white goat on it, he's licking the overflowing foam from a full glass of beer. The label is almost as a clever as the pairing of the Bock and Weiss flavors. This beer is brilliant, it's smooth and creamy while retaining all the flavor for a Bock AND a Weiss. This beer smells like a butterscotch sunday, and some of that follows through to the flavor. It's sweet and sour in flavor, super creamy and still a bit malty. I'd suggest this beer to anyone who wants a complex and strong beer that isn't as bitter as your usual bock/stout/porter. Keep an eye out for Mahr's Bräu's Der Weisse Bock, you won't regret it.