Aufsesser Bock Bier

Brewed by Brauerei Rothenbach
Style: Dunkler Bock
Aufsess, Oberfranken/Bayern, Germany

Bottle. Clear amber / red color with a small none lacing white head. Aroma is moderate malty, roasted, caramel, earth., notes of alcohol. Initial flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and light to moderate bitter, finish flavor is moderate sweet and bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is flat, finish feel is light alcoholic.

Swing top bottle. Dark brown color. Cacao, chocolate, toffee and malt in the aroma. Malty sweet flavor with dark chocolate and toffee. So thick you can almost chew on this beer. Low on carbon. Hint of laurel in the aftertaste. I just love this bock!

This chestnut colored lager grows a generous off-white head which lasts and leaves a good amount of lacing aroung the glass. Unfortunately expired since a few months, it starts to show signs of oxidation in a rotting nuts fashion, but nevertheless suggests a rich maltiness, accompanied by soft alcohol tones. Almonds and vague leafy hops constitute the finish while highly toasty and close to earthy malts dominate the entrance. Globally balanced, nutty, sweet and warming, while light-medium bodied and softly carbonated, but a bit tired at this stage and would be interesting to try fresher.

Beautiful red-orange-amber colour; with yellowish, fast gone head. Earthy, chocolate, caramle, esters & some kind of heavy, dark & syrupy liqueur, ending in freshly kilned malt. Very good nose! Taste is again very earthy, leafy, lightly burned - at the edge of smoked - like very hotly, unsalted peanuts. A bitterish, more liquid version of Malay peanut sateh-sauce. A bit of sesam and chestnut cream mash flavours mixed in. No trace of the oversweet bready mold we’re used to; much more to the bitter side: part hops, but more roasted. Medium bodied, slightly silky texture, neither thick nor watery. Slightl burning MF. Superb example of Bockbier - great, Sebastian! Only one remark: either this is not a Heller Bock, or I’m getting colourblind...

Any first impressions?
-A ring of head circles the clear orange-brown.
-Earthy caramel, cranberry and baccate fruitiness, and bean-like bock maltiness make up a sweet, confident aroma.
-Smoked nuts are laid out on wet earth, as fruity sweetness almost uses some oxidation to its advantage.
-The silky mouthfeel is never heavy, yet showcases a round maltiness to satisfy most malt heads I’m sure.

What if you dig deeper?
-A trail of smoke is even perceived in the aroma.
-Grass blades offer flavor and bitterness in the back.
-A classic dunkel bock, well-crafted and flavorful, which must be a fine, fine product when released.

Bottle; best before May ’06.

Flip-top bottle (from Landbierdealer) : Clear, amber coloured, small and stable white head; complex nose: sweet caramelly maltiness and a resinous hoppy touch; medium bodied, well hidden alcohol, robust bitter-sweet flavour; soft MF, low carbonation; lasting bitter-aromatic, sweetish-toasted-malty, nearly a bit fruity finish with a lingering hoppiness in the aftertaste. Very well rounded and balanced Bock, extremely well quaffable. A splendid time is guarenteed for all......

(swing-top-bottle) Clear, amber to copper colour with a rather short but also persistent and slowly lacing off-white foam. Sweet and chewy toast-malty aroma, with caramel, melanoidinic molasses and notes of herbal hops and a faint alcohol. Sweet flavour, full bodied with a mellow mouthfeel. Aromatic, well attenuated slightly roasted malt-character, nutty and minimal-fruity with herbal notes coming along early. Malty, sweet-bitter finish with distinctive herbal hoppy and well-integrated alcoholic notes. Superb, world-class Bock.

Pours a clear amber color with a thin white head. Very good and pleasant aroma of malt, candied fruits, caramel and smoke. The flavor is also very good, the candied fruits and smoky malt are there but there is also a bitter and dry finish, I noticed also that the malt is earthy. The palate is light and oily and the carbonation is soft. This is a very interesting bock.