Berghoff Red Bock Winter Ale

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

Dark amber, bordering on ruby with a full, frothy white head. Nose is partially sweet malt with a vague fruitiness. Nothing really jumping out at me. Light to medium in body with a hoppy, but bitter finish.

Date: 08/19/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Ticker Tasting

clear dark amber, fine dense beige head, streaks of drippy lace, sweet dark caramel malt aroma, rich caramel malt flavor, touch of fruity character, hint of tartness, mild sweet finish,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.2/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **+/4

Appearance: Pours a clear, light brown body with a thin white head. Smell: Weak aroma of dried cherries and caramel maltiness. Taste: Light caramel malt flavor that isn’t overly sweet. Plenty of fruitiness thoughout that makes me think "red" and "berries". Spicy hops hook up with that pervasive fruitiness to give a oddly twangy finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: Only during the winter, a time well-known for miracles, could a bock and an ale rest side by side in one bottle. ’Tis the season!

Pours a transparent dark amber copper with a clingy-lacing thin off-white head. Aroma of dry, toasty grain and some German lager yeast. Body starts lightly caramely and sweet with some toasty malt and mild bitterness. Decently balanced but not all that full-bodied.

bottle. 7/12/07. Looks nice in the glass. Pours a medium, reddish head that stays a while. Nice malty aroma. Very nice brownish red color. Beer is soft on the palate, a bit of maltiness and a bit of hops. That’s it. Not much depth, nothing too edgey. Pretty typical for these guys. A nice drinkable beer, but not a winter warmer.

Rated 2/17/07: Light toasted aroma mixed in with a sweet maltiness and a metallic scent. Solid light amber/brown pour. Large initial head that ultimately goes away, no lacing. Mouthfeel is uneasy and slightly thin, finish is watery. Drinkable lager, has a respectable sweet malt content and a light hop presence. Weak for a bock. It has that mass-produced metallic aftertaste that really hurts a mediocre flavor.

Deep orange-red body, thin off-white head. Cerealy aroma, toasty and grassy, with sweet brown sugar notes. Somewhat metallic. Metallic body, too, with toast and light sweet bready malt. Thin-bodied, lacking heft. Boring.

Bottle: Dark amber body with tan head. Strong, black current aroma with light coffee-like acidity and lots of molasses notes. In the mouth, this beer starts out sweet with tart cherry flavors. A dry hoppyness does a good job of keeping this from being too sweet. Definite coffee aspect. Too watery of mouthfeel for a bock. Some tobacco was noted. Taste is decent, but the palate is a huge miss from this sub par brewery.