Day 59, Feb 28 / Yuengling Bock

Day 59 / February 28

Yuengling Bock

D.G. Yuengling & Sons  /  Pottsville, PA

A

NG

P

G

VG

O

I first had Yuengling Bock in April 2009, the year it was re-introduced, at the Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville, PA.  Beat that, sucka!

That was on another of my beer trips with the guys.  On that trip, in 4 days, we visited the following breweries and beer bars (and I probably missed one or two).

• Yuengling, Pottsville PA
• Selin's Grove Brewing Co,  Selinsgrove PA
• Appalachian Brewing Company, Harrisburg PA
• Troeg’s Brewing Company, Harrisburg PA
• Bube’s Brewery, Mount Joy PA
• Stoudt’s Brewing Company, Adamstown PA
• Jimmie Kramer’s  Peanut Bar, Reading PA
• Hooter’s, Reading PA (actually had another Yuengling Bock there)
• The Brewer’s Art, Baltimore, MD (closed, actually)
• The Hotel Belvedere (for a pitstop)
• Clipper City Brewing Company, Baltimore MD
• Orioles Park, Baltimore MD
• Cat’s Eye Pub, Baltimore MD

The Yuengling tour was definitely the highlight of the trip.  After all, it is the oldest continuously operating brewery in the United States!  The tours are conducted in the original brewery in downtown Pottsville, with a mix of some old and some new equipment.  They actually have a large modern brewery outside of town, where the majority of their beer is produced.

Me and the boys at the Yuengling Brewery in 2009

Yuengling Bock is the brewery’s first seasonal in years.  They re-introduced it in 2009, after it disappeared in the 1970’s.  The bottle label and package design is based on actual Yuengling Bock Beer artwork from 1941.

The beer had a dark brown color, slightly malty and just a touch of hop taste.  It poured with a small head which quickly dissipated. Overall, a decent dark beer.

However, there are rumors floating on the internet that this might actually be a mock bock!  The rumors say it may be a dry-hopped blend of Yuengling Porter and Lord Chesterfield Ale.  Can anybody out there confirm or deny this rumor?

Day 58, Feb 27 / St. Boisterous Hellerbock

Day 58 / February 27

St. Boisterous Hellerbock

Victory Brewing Co.  /  Downingtown, PA

Spiedies and Beer!

A

NG

P

G

VG

O

We’re winding down the Bock Beer Run in the next couple days here.  I actually picked up today’s beer at Whole Foods this afternoon.  For the record, the Whole Foods in Fairfax only sells a few 12 ounce bottles as singles, but they do have a large selection of big individual bottles, especially Belgian ales.

St. Boisterours is a Hellerbock Lager from Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown, PA, about 45 minutes west of Philly.  I’ve had the pleasure of visiting the brewery for a tour and a couple tastings.  They’ve also got a pretty happening brewpub.

This beer was actually quite tasty, slightly sweet and a little cloudy copper color in appearance.  It’s a spring seasonal, so it won’t around much longer.

So what about spiedies?  What are spiedies?  Ever heard of them?  Both of my parents were from Binghamton, NY, so I practically grew up on them!  And we just had them for dinner tonight.

Spiedies are cubes of chicken, pork, lamb, veal, venison or beef, marinated overnight or longer in a pungent marinade, then grilled on skewers – we almost always use pork.  The traditional way to eat them is to take a slice of Italian bread, wrap it around the meat on the skewer, and use the bread to pull the meat off the skewer.  I like mine with a little brown mustard, my wife likes mustard and mayo, but many people like them with no sauce.

 I used to bring back a few bottles of Spiedie Sauce when I went back to upstate New York.  But now you can find Spiedie Sauces in the DC area at Harris Teeter and Wegman’s.  My favorite is Salamida’s State Fair Spiedie Sauce, pictured below.  Pick some up and enjoy!  And they have zero calories!  Just kidding.

Day 57, Feb 26 / Einbecker Mai-Ur-Bock

Day 57 / February 26

Einbecker Mai-Ur-Bock

Einbecker Brauhaus AG

Ain’t no Bock Beer without Einbock!

A

NG

P

G

VG

O

As frequent commenter Heinrich³ noted, the Ur- prefix to a beer’s name indicates that the brewery claims to be the originator of that style.  So HHH dropped me off a bottle of Einbecker Mai-Ur-Bock, which would be the original Maibock beer (thanks!).  As you may recall, if you’ve been paying attention, a Maibock is a strong lager, lighter in color than a traditional bock and with more hop taste.

In my opinion, the Einbecker was pretty good, good hop taste, but maybe slightly skunky or sour.  Maybe it was the green bottle, or maybe it was the taste of Heineken from the previous night.

Einbecker beer dates back to the 1300’s, in southern Lower Saxony, Germany.  Check out their website for the history of beer in Einbeck. 

The village of Einbeck, Germany.

Day 56, Feb 25 / Pandora’s Bock

Day 56 / February 25

Pandora’s Bock

Breckenridge Brewery  /  Denver, CO

A

NG

P

G

VG

O

We went to a friend’s 50^th birthday party last night.  I was sure that they wouldn’t have any bock beer on hand.  Let’s face it, who does, except beer geeks, beer dorks and Germans?  So I brought my first beer of the night with me, and then graciously drank our hosts’ brews.

Sure, I could have ended the Bock Beer Run, or skipped a day, but rules are rules!  If I skipped a day, then the terrorists win.  And we can’t have that.

Pandora’s Bock is a January through March seasonal from Breckenridge, CO.  It was a little more copper colored than brown and slightly hazy, with just a little bit of hop taste.  It’s a good beer, but nothing really outstanding.

Happy Birthday Chief! 

Day 54, Feb 24 / Dominion Big Thaw Bock

Day 55 / February 24

Dominion Big Thaw Bock

Old Dominion Brewing Company (Coastal Brewing Co.)  /  Dover, DE

A

NG

P

G

VG

O

What’s this?  A light bock beer?  Dominion Big Thaw Bock is a variation on traditional bock beer called a Maibock or Heller bock.

The Maibock style of beer tends to be lighter in color than other Bock beers and often has a significant hop character with a higher alcohol content like a traditional Bock. Maibocks are customarily served in the spring and are oftentimes interrelated with spring festivals and celebrations more often in the month of May.

I read that description after I poured this beer into a glass and thought to myself, “Hmmm… this is a lot lighter and hoppier than the bock beers I’m used to.”

That said, this was definitely a good beer, actually similar in taste to last week’s Shiner Dortmunder Spring Ale.  Want to more about this beer?  Check out the video from the brewery below.

Day 54, Feb 23 / Michelob Amber Bock

Day 54 / February 23

Michelob Amber Bock

Michelob Brewing Co (InBev)  /  St. Louis, MO

A

NG

P

G

VG

O

What’s this?  Two Anheuser-Busch beers in one week?

Sometimes that the way it goes.  I met some co-workers for a couple drinks after work at the Red, Hot & Blue down the street.  If you’ve been paying attention, you know that I’m in the middle of my Bock Beer Run.  So what were the chances of the restaurant having a bock beer on hand?  Pretty slim – I was fully expecting to have a bock beer when I got home.

But there in the cooler, right next to the Bud and Bud Light, was Michelob Amber Bock.  It certainly wouldn’t have been my first choice, but it was a bock, and a beer dork’s gotta do what a beer dork’s gotta do.

To its credit, Michelob Amber Bock is brewed with 100 percent malt (no corn or rice).  It was dark like a bock beer should be, but was actually pretty bland.  The head disappeared almost entirely after pouring it.  There was really no distinguishable malt or hop flavor.  But hey, it was only two bucks!

Day 53, Feb 22 / Anchor Bock Beer

Day 53 / February 22

Anchor Bock Beer

Anchor Brewing Company  /  San Francisco, CA

A

NG

P

G

VG

O

What’s up with the goat?

Spring is just around the corner.  And we all know what that means – April showers, buckets of pollen, more stinkbugs, and bock beer!  Must be time for a Bock Beer Run!

So what exactly is bock beer?  I found this description on the internet, looks pretty good, so let’s go with it…

Bock is a style of lager beer which originated in Germany. It was traditionally brewed in the fall, at the end of the growing season, when barley and hops were at their peak. It was "lagered" all winter and enjoyed in the spring at the beginning of the new brewing season. Bocks can be pale (helles) or dark (dunkels) and there are double (doppel) bocks which are extra strong.

Bocks are usually strong beers made with lots of malt yielding a very full-bodied, alcoholic beer. A persistent myth has been that bock beers are made from the dregs at the bottom of a barrel when they are cleaned in the spring. This probably seemed logical because of the heavier body and higher strength of bocks. From a brewing standpoint, this is clearly impossible for two reasons: 1) The "dregs" left after fermentation are unfermentable, which is exactly why they are left over. They cannot be fermented again to make more beer. 2) Any attempt to re-use the "dregs" would probably result in serious bacterial contamination and a product which does not resemble beer as we know it.

I’ve got a few more bocks chilling in the fridge, but tonight we’ll start out with an Anchor Steam Bock from San Francisco.  This beer was very dark as I poured it into the glass, but the thick foamy head filled about half the glass.  The head quickly dissipated.  The Anchor bock was a good drink – a little hoppy, a little malty.

So what is up with the goat?

It seems that just about every bock beer has a goat on the label.  Why is that?  Well, the simplest reason is that in German, bock also means “billygoat.”  Another theory has something to do with an “amusing” story of a drinking contest between a Bavarian duke and a knight from Brunswick.  Believe me, it’s not that amusing…

Day 52, Feb 21 / Viru Beer

Day 52 / February 21

Viru Beer

A. Le Coq Brewery  /   Tartu, Estonia

A

NG

P

G

VG

O

Don’t judge a beer by its bottle.

I am friends with a mixed couple – he’s American, she’s Estonian.  Estonian-American, actually.  She grew up in Massachusetts, but she is extremely proud of her Estonian heritage.  And he has adopted her culture as well, having visited Estonia 2 or 3 times, hosting Estonian parties at their house, and exposing his friends to Estonian culture as well.

And by culture, I mean beer.  I’ve actually got another bottle of Estonian beer sitting in the fridge, awaiting a future tasting.  But tonight I sampled Viru beer, marketed as “Beautiful Beer.”

As you can see, the design of the bottle is very unique.  It is a century old design and originates from Imperial Russia; it is intended to resemble the medieval-era turrets found in Estonia.  The bottle I had actually has the signature of the original brewery name, A. Le Coq, embossed in the side.  But Viru is actually going through a slight rebranding as they expand into other markets, so it looks like they’ll be losing the signature.  Viru was first imported into the US market in December 2009.

Now for the beer – it is a light (in color and taste) pilsner style beer.  It was an unremarkable, less than average tasting beer.  It had no particular unpleasant aftertaste,  so I’ll give it a Passable grade.

Day 51, Feb 20 / Budweiser American Ale

Day 51 / February 20

Budweiser American Ale

Anhueser-Busch  /  St. Louis, MO

A

NG

P

G

VG

O

In 2008, Anheuser Busch introduced this richer, more flavorful amber ale, to grab back a portion of the market that had migrated to microbrews and craft brews.

A friend in the beer business was able to score a few bottles in the summer before its official release.  I must admit I was surprised when I first tasted it that a good, hoppy beer like this had the name Budweiser on the label.

If you’re used to some of the other beers below, here’s how I’d say it stacks up:

Compared to Yuengling Lager >

Much better:  Much more complex flavor, no corn or rice, less “gassy”.

Compared to Samuel Adams Boston Lager >

Better: More hop character, better flavor.

Compared to Fat Tire Amber Ale >

Actually, just a notch behind Fat Tire.  In a blind taste test, I’m not sure who would win.