Einbecker Mai-Ur-Bock

Brewed by Einbecker Brauhaus
Style: Heller Bock
Einbeck, Niedersachsen, Germany

Absolutely brilliantly clear and a perfect example of the color amber; it is just like the million year old amber with a bug trapped in it thing, only without the bug. The head is a frothy, initially 1.5 finger thick, pale tan color, which dissipates fairly quickly. As I pour this beer the distinct aroma of light-struck hops reaches my nose (damn green bottles). As time passes this seems to dissipate till it is just lightly noticeable. The aroma is dominated by a rich maltiness that reminds me of caramelized grain that has just been lightly toasted. In fact there even seems to be a touch of smoke here. It does not smell sweet so much as rich and thickly malty. This definitely has the characteristic malt nose one would expect from a bockbier.

The beer has a thick maltiness to it up front, that again, is not so much sweet as in concentrated and malty. It finishes with a touch more sweetness though and is rounded out by a light bitterness and a touch of alcohol. Interestingly enough the lingering note that is left in my mouth is that of skunked hops; it is not overly noticeable, or at least not so much that I don’t enjoy drinking this brew. A really nice toasted biscuit malt note is here as well; it really helps to round out the malt complexity even more. A touch of prune like fruitiness is here as well as something akin to a wisp of smoke. The hop bitterness though light seems to have a touch of astringency to it and makes me wonder if that is a by-product of the light struck character. This beer has a nice palate coating richness to it, yet still remains pretty drinkable. It is certainly not a session beer, but hits the appropriate character of a Mai-Bock.

Once again, what is up with these damn green bottles; it really shows a brewer who lacks a fundamental respect for their beer. If it were not for the skunked hops this would be an incredibly nice Bock. It is still quite good though.

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Bottle from Super Saver. Medium copper pour with minimal off-white head. Aroma of caramel malt, fruit, apricotty syrup. Tastes caramel malty, apricotty, with some semi-dry chardonnay notes.

(Bottle) Colour is amber, frothy white head, quickly disappearing. Nose is malty, fruity with dried fruit, toffee and caramel, hints of over ripe apples as well. Taste is malty with dried fruit, cherries and hints of chocolate. Medium to full body, rather sweet (a bit honeyish), ending with a refreshing puff of bitter hops in the finish. Well balanced and nice.

Not bad. Wish I could be more of a help, but I drank it a while back. I do remember that it tasted good, and that’s all that matters.

Green Bottle woe. Skunked beer from the foodery 2. I’m tired of going in there and having to listen to retarded people prattle on loudly like they know about beer because they can differentiate between dark and light. Getting excited about apple lindemans lambic while I but some incredible beers and one skunked mediocre mai bock just because I love another beer with a similar name. I can tell this was probably a pretty decent beer, but since these German beer geniuses like to put their beer in a green bottle it tastes like crap. You lose for not caring about beer and matching beer to some stupid color scheme on a design. Hint: come up with a shiny brown label.

Bottle. Pours amber with a nice large head that is lasting. The aromas are dominated by caramel and toffee as well as malts. Flavors of nuts, coffee, caramel, hops and grapefruit. The finish is bitter but there are also sweeter notes. A nice body, almost creamy. Very nice.

(Green) Bottle. Clear orange-amber with a playful, frothy, lacing white head. Aroma is basical bock maltiness, sweet with spice and light alcohol. Sticky, bittersweet with mild alcohol warming. Hoppy herbiness, and if I squeeze my tongue together just right, I can make out floral notes. No, that’s not a personal problem. Touch of metallic lust in the bitterish, dry finish. Simple and true-to-character Maibock, good for extended consumption, but if I were a Bock fan, I think I’d be ecstatic.

Struck by the initial skunk aroma released by the opening of the bottle, but a little patience, fresh air, and ample swirling seemed to do this beer wonders. Pouring a light, but rich copper with a fair head, this really is a nice looking bock, if perhaps on the light end of the style. The nose, though original dominated by skunk, gave rise to sweet malty caramel with light apple hints and a slight touch of nutmeg. The palate is smooth and creamy, dead on bock. The flavor was less skunky, more big sweet caramel malty, less apple, but more of that spicy backdrop alluded to by the aroma. Creamy with just the slightest hint of alcohol. I was kind in rating this beer to be completely honest. I was perhaps imagining it with less skunk, which I think would make this a really drinkable beer. If I ever happen to see a someone stocking the shelves with this beer, I will grab one just to see how good this beer could be fresh from the box. God damn you green bottles! Damn you all to hell!