Breckenridge Pandoras Bock

Brewed by Breckenridge Brewery
Style: Dunkler Bock
Denver, Colorado USA

02825B09 Bottle Code; Sampled May 2009
A solid pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a three-finger thick, lightly amber tinged, tan colored head. The beer is a ruddy amber hue that shows a brilliantly clear, light amber tinged, full copper color when held up to the light. The aroma has a nice, clean, sweet malt character to it that makes me think of grapes (though not in a fruity way), whole grain crackers, toasted whole grain bread that has been lightly sprinkled with brown sugar. There is not a whole lot going on here, and that grape note even picks up a touch of tartness as the beer warms.

Lightly sweet malt, a touch of tartness even, some herbal notes and a toasted grain astringency are noticeable as the beer first rolls across my tongue. The beer finishes with a touch of hop bitterness as well as a lingering, almost metallic, malt note that has some toasted grain, some caramelized notes and even a bit of something that reminds me of sweet tea. The body has a medium fullness to it, though it could be a touch more viscous for the style. That grape like note comes into the flavor as well and reminds me of tart / sweet green table grapes somehow.

A bit of a disappointment, it could perhaps use a bit more lagering time as it seems like it still might be a bit green. This seems like it has a good start to the malt complexity that it would need to be great, but it is just not integrated enough to really work here.

12oz bottle. Reddish-brown color, off-white head. Aroma of rich malt, fresh brownies, slight citrus leans toward the posibility of a pleasantly hoppy brew. strange sweet candy flavors, date sugar, some citrus. I’m sure this would be much better on tap. so far, not my favorite Bock. Thin body, although the flavor is a bit more full.

3/18/2009: What’s most interesting for me about Pandora’s Bock is that it tastes a lot like Cracker Jacks and peanuts, especially toward the back and through the finish. Overall it is malty and sweet with something sour and I’m not quite enjoying in the middle. I’m not sure how to completely describe it, but it seems to be a cross between acetaldehyde (green apple) and burn malt. Overall this is a decent beer, but probably not one I will return to in the future.

12 fl. oz. bottle from Tmoney99. Thanks Tom! Rating #105 for this beer.

I tasted this beer in Breckenridge and it was definitely very fresh. A light tasting bock, but still flavorful and very pleasing. Has a subtle cotton candy-like sweetness but not at all overwhelming. I found this to be a surprisingly refreshing beer and one of the better varieties from this brewery.

Bottle. Muddled caramel and yeast aroma, lighter touches of grape Kool-Aid and cardboard. Heavy carbonation in a dark copper body, still clear but only barely, with a ringing, off-white head. Taste is far too sweet, with simple grainy malt and vague artificial fruitiness. Hard to choke down. Light body, grainy cardboard finish. Definitely panning this one.

Nice red color with small haed. Nice orangey and melanoidin aroma. Toffee and melanoidin flavors. Light nearly empty finish! A little tart.

a clear dark amber/ruby under a small beige head. malty toffee aroma. flavor is toffee and malty with a hint of nuts and brown sugar. palate is smooth and medium bodied. i sort of like it.

bottle - Pours hazy auburn with a very small head. It smells of sour grapes. Uh oh. It tastes of sour grapes and maybe a little malt. It’s quite thin, too. This beer is infected. There is no way they gave it this strong sour fruit flavor on purpose. From the commercial description: "a traditional bock flavor profile". Not even close. Judging by the numerous ratings here that mention obvious sour or tart fruit notes, it’s often infected, so I’m going to go ahead and enter my rating. Drain pour. Beware!