Carolina Spring Bock Lager

Brewed by Carolina Brewing Company
Style: Heller Bock
Holly Springs, North Carolina USA

The aroma was light caramel malt character and a bit of sulphur. The aroma was lightly sweet with an equally light spicy hop presence. The beer poured into the glass crystal clear amber with a white head which was fleeting and retreated to the edges of the surface, but survived to lace the glass. The flavor was malty with a light corny DMS presence and a candy characteristic of cotton candy. The middle of the flavor had a decent level of spicy bittering and a very low flavoring. The malt was prominent but was kept in check by the hops. The finish was dry with lasting malt impressions and light DMS into the aftertaste. The body was medium and the carbonation was low. A decent Maibock, this one was much better on draft that out of the bottle, but still a respectable showing. 12 ounce bottle, bottled on 3/21/07.

Bottle from brewery. Bottled 3/21/07. Good aroma, well stronger than I was expecting. Yeasty grassy, little pear and I;m thinking seaweed. Very clean lite brownish orange color. Good head that faded quickly. Sweet & sour flavors. Kind of a wort taste about it with a sour streak. Medium body, syrupy mouthfeel, sour finish. I can’t say I was enjoying this one, but I think that more my preferences. Went down slowly. Didn’t make me want another.

Draft. Refreshing, but not dazzling. Light color with not much fizz. Nice malts, but I didn’t enjoy the overall flavor.

Nice for a woman... sweet beer... Keeps you wanting more but definetly worth the try.

Enjoyed on-tap at 42nd St. Oyster Bar in Raleigh. Poured a clear, crisp honey orange color. Almost thin looking in appearance (but not so in flavor). Thin whispy ead that dissolved quickly. Fairly flat but I find that is common for on-tap examples of the style. Flavor is very rich. A whole lot of sweet malts. Picked out a bit of honey and even a litle bit of peat. Very light hop character that was more cloverish than bitters. Light mouthfeel and not quite crisp but rather moist-ish mouthfeel. Enjoyed several of these beers. Definitely becoming impressed with CBC’s seasonal offerings.

Tap at Carolina Ale House at Brier Creek in Durham, NC Aroma: Lots of hops with a light hint of caramel malts and pepper underneath. Appearance: Light amber yellow with little head. Flavor: Tasted hoppy like it smelled but not quite the right balance or sharpness to make it special. Palate: Bitter, dry finish. Overall: Not a terrible bear but not a great one either. A nice change of pace beer but not something I would make a session out of.

Flat, reddish dark and a shitload of sugar. Besides all that this is not that bad of a beer, just a touch too sugary for my likings, but its not like i didnt drink it all.

Draught at 42nd St Oyster Bar in Raleigh, NC. Clear golden-orange color with thin white head which did a quick disappearing act. Not much aroma other than subtle grass clippings and occasional whiffs of pear and sprucy hops. I even detected what smelled like Elmer’s glue. Took me right back to 2nd grade. Flavor is a bit flat, but dominated by caramel malt. Finish is crisp and somewhat bitter. Overall I thought it was pretty average relative to their other offerings.