Abita Bock

Brewed by Abita Brewing Company
Style: Heller Bock
Covington, Louisiana USA

..some nice malt and biscuit aromas....OK head....ummm, taste is abit ...??? cheap???....falls short of other bocks and all other abita’s!!...is smooth and dangerously drinkable..

Nothing really remarkable, just pleasant memories. It was a sure sign of spring, Carnival and crawfish. Classic bock flavors and colors - malt, alcohol, some hops, glowing red color.

From a twist cap stubby brown bottle with a notched best before date along the left side of back label. Poured a hazy copper hued orange with a foamy off-white head that settled into a thin lacing. Aromas of faint grape fruity esters and bready malts. Moderate carbonation and a softly crisp, smooth medium bodied mouthfeel. Very malty tasting, toasted caramel and bready malts with a touch of sugariness, fruity esters, a light, soft spicy hop bitterness, a slight warming alcohol presence towards the end and a dryish sweet malty finish, a nice smooth drinkability. A decent bock, mildly tasty and quite quaffable.

Bottle. Orange colour with a off-white head. Malty, grassy aroma and a sweet caramel malty taste. Medium body with a sweet light dry finish.

Bottle (12oz). Thanks to my Summer06 SecretSanta!. Bottle best before July ... something, but what do they know? Poured clear amber with reddish tinges at the top, a small off-white foamy head. Decent aroma - bready yeast, lightly toasted cereal grain malt, a hint of alcohol and light citrus hops, maybe a hint of sulfur on warming. Tastes like a bock - bitter herbal hops, grainy toasted malt, hint of citrus and alcohol, a little floral sweetness balanced the medium bitter finish. Average boday, astringent, a little stickiness on the tongue - pretty solid, really, defnitely over 3 and one of their better offerings IMO.

Served a highly carbonated amber with a cream colored skin & thick halo. Apple juice aroma underscored by cabbage and yeast. Well-hopped and spicy flavor with a sharp mouthfeel contradicting a smooth body. Touches of fruit and honey.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Events-Detail.asp?Eve Park Brewhaha, June 24, 2006<font size=-1>

Taster at the <a href=/events-detail.asp?eventID=3891>Balmoral Brewhaha. Got to this pretty late in the evening, while I was pouring. So my notes are a bit sketchy. Couldn’t gather too much of the smell, only that it was a fine "beer" character. Taste turned out to be rather yeasty, surprising for a beer that I would presume to have been pasteurized and carbonated… or is it? Still, some fine dark roasty malts and a contrasting German hop profile make this a solid example of the style.

Classic bock, excellent sweet flavor with a light flavor. Clear, golden color.