Brooklyn Blonde Bock

Brewed by Brooklyn Brewery
Style: Heller Bock
Brooklyn, New York USA

Pours a golden blonde leaving a thin white lace. The aroma is fruity with a slight musty presence. The taste is sensational, it starts with a funky, wheat bready feel in the mouth, then moves to a sweet honey effort balanced by the faintest sense of bitter hops. A another great effort by Brooklyn to continue to excite our palates.

Draught pint at Redbones on 5/30/06. Initial off-white head is half a finger in height but fairly quickly recedes to a ring. Liquid has a medium-high to high clarity and is a deep pilsener-gold with strong pencil-yellow tints. The nose is strongly hopped, with soft, very fresh hallertauers creating a green, hop flower-like fuzziness that spreads out on the nose, backed by lightly sweet, vanilla creme malts. Honey and very light caramel are fluffy and quite deep, while the bock yeast is crisp on the end, with light breadiness as well. The hops add a light crispness as well from the spiciness. Strength is medium to medium-high, with no alcohol apparent. No phenols that I can find, seemingly quite well lagered, with minimal ester activity as well. The flavor is startling and wonderfully unique. Like a double helles, it’s alive with crisp yeast and honey-like pils malts. Light minerals, as if it’s brewed in Dortmund or Munich, allowing the hops to be poignant on the end, but only light in flavor through the middle. Fluffy, creamy malts are sweet and only minor breadiness creeps in. But the yeast wisks it off on the finish and provides a snappy ending. Fair amount of carbonation, providing a zestiness and keeping the mouthfeel vibrant. No alcohol. Clean, hoppy, well-malted but also well-attenuated and just a brilliant yeast, without being overyeasted.

04.29.06 TAPNY Excellent pale malt presence like a suped-up pils with more caramel and biscuit flavors. Noble earth, dried herbs and spice aroma and taste. Full body is soft with fine effervescence. Rockin.

I had asked for a Brooklyn Lager at the Gramercy Tavern in NYC but was told that this beer had been subbed in for it on the menu for a short time.......The hazy yellow colour and minimal white head almost fooled me into thinking the waitress had messed up my order and brought me a wheat beer.......However, I was in for a tasty treat......the fruity (apple?) aroma prepared my palate for the sweet, caramel malt flavourings that would soon flow over it.....the quality hops in this beer balanced the sweetness and citrus flavourings again had me thinking of a wheat......the lacing on my glass also revealed that this was a quality brew.....excellent!

Pours a nice deep blond- gold moslty clear with a bit of haze and a nice lasting fluffy thin white head. Good lace. Aroma is thick sweet bready and caramel malts and just a touch of spicy almost zesty hops in the background. Bready pils malt, sharp carapils type sweetness, and maybe some light munich for added sweetness and breadiness. Light herbal spicy finish and clean overall. Nice full body and mouthfeel. Great Maibock.

Tap at the Hop Devil Grill. pale golden beer with a thin white head. Citrusy/orange hop aroma. Honey and pale Belgian malt. Very European smelling. Spicy pale malt, Saaz hops and a spicy yeast strain as well. Some lingering peppery alcohol that works really well with the orangey/spicy hops. Lean bodied though, which also works. Seems like an Imperial Pils to me, but whatever you want to call it, it’s tasty.

Draft at the 5th Annual Virginia Beerfest. Golden body. Small foamy white head. Nose is sweet, slightly grassy, and malty with light citrus notes. Taste is grassy, a bit grainy, malty and has light buttery biscuit notes and a touch of lemon. Body is medium with a mild carbonation feel. Finishes equally sweet and grassy with light lemon honey tea. Nice and refreshing on a warm afternoon in the sun!

Brewmasters Reserve Series (April ’06). Draft at Hop Devil. Gold with a small head. Aroma is malty with some dough, toast and imported hops. Smooth body that starts dry and sweet and becomes a bit more rounded as it warms. Nicely balanced and one of my favorite bocks.