Berghoff Famous Bock

Brewed by Minhas Craft Brewery
Style: Dunkler Bock
Monroe, Wisconsin USA

Date: August 19, 2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Ticker Tasting
Appearance: clear dark amber, fine beige head, drippy lace
Aroma: sweet dark caramel aroma with earthy hops
Flavor: sweet caramel flavor, hint of chocolate, light earthyness provides balance

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.1/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

Name: Berghoff Traditional Bock
Date: August 08, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Ticker
Appearance: clear brown, wispy beige head, bits of lace
Aroma: sweet chocolate and caramel aroma
Flavor: same sweet chocolate and caramel flavor to match the aroma, light earthyness

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.1/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

12oz bottle acquired in trade. Poured a medium to deep mahogany color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of caramel, nuts (lots of nuts), cookie dough, light chocolate and some roast. Tastes of dough, some nuts, and roast. Thinner body.

On tap at the brewpub on 4/9/07: Pours a dark copper amber with a fairly full, frothy light tan head. Aroma of toasty, grainy sweet dark caramel malt and a touch of milk chocolate. Body starts with a good amount of dark German malt some mild bittering hops and a touch of milk chocolate toward the finish. A decent bock.

Anyone else out there from the Chicago area who remembers when The Berghoff used to do its own brewing? The beers were vibrant and tasty back then. Now the Berghoff label (brewed by J. Huber) has greatly increased its repertoire, but the beers are mainly insipid and uninteresting. This "bock" looks nice, but it’s got a fairly weak caramel aroma. It’s quite light-bodied for the style and has only a light caramel malty sweetness. The finish is non-existent, as should be the case for a macro-type brew. If you think I’m being unduly harsh, match this beer against any of the other bocks that pop up on your rating page. You’ll be glad you didn’t buy a case of this stuff.

Mohagany color with a small bubbled light tan lid. Dark caramel and toffee aromas along with a touch of resin. Near butterscotch flavors. Fizzy on the feel. Another american bock.

Bottle. Pours a dark brown color with a small white head that diminished quickly. Moderate roasted malty aroma Medium body with a creamy texture. Good malty sweet flavor with a moderate roasted finish.

Pours a dark brown with traces of a slightly off white head. The aroma is light caramel and some wood. There is also a little bit of aromatic bitters. The taste is caramel and some raosted notes of coffee and chocolate. Surprisingly warming and decent. Could use a little more balance of sweetness.

This brew pours a medium head of finely sized mostly lasting very light brown colored bubbles that leave behind a poor lacing and a transparent dark brown colored carbonated bosy. The aroma is a very nice caramel malt one and the mouthfeel is smooth with a slight tingly "Brown" taste to its finish. The flavor is respectable but somewhat thin and needs more of what it already has just stronger. There are notes of caramel, malt, and slight hints of dark chocolate and mollasses. Still, a very nice brew.