Granite City Brother Benedicts Mai Bock

Brewed by Granite City Food & Brewery
Style: Heller Bock
St. Louis Park, Minnesota USA

Had this at the Rockford, IL location. Arrived at the table with a very large, long lasting head. Color was a very nice dark copper red. Aroma is very malty with a hint of a nutty scent. The beer has a very roasted flavor imparted from the malt. Great dense maltiness and the nuttiness in the flavor tastes very similar to a walnut. It is a medium heaviness in the mouth with very low carbonation. Beer also leaves great lacing on the glass.

Shown as Brother Benedict’s Bock (not Mai Bock) Reddish brown pour with no head at all. (which is quite at odds with the menu pic) Light caramel malt aroma, raisin and nuts. Malty flavour but not overly sweet. A little thin again. Light dark fruit tones that are more lost in a burnt malt bitterness.

Reddish brown with a thin off-white head. Very light caramel aroma, not much else. Very light caramel taste. Not a whole lot else there too. A bit sticky and finishes a little tart. Blah.

In my opinion not really a Mai Bock at all. Instead I would call it closer to a Nut Brown or English Brown Ale. Ok, yeast aside, Brothers Benny is a dark brown color, which typically should be a yellow to light amber color. It had a stronger roasted and nut smell to it. Nothing German in the malt per say. The taste also didn’t match as it really had limited sweet hop flavors but more of a earthy or English style to it. The “so called” Mai Bock as a beer was a little watered down as well. The yeast was nothing exciting and difficult to pick up the yeast. Overall I was not impressed and more confused on this beer. Maybe add more English malts and fuller body and you have a decent English Brown Ale.

Draft at Fort Wayne, IN locaton.Very small light brown hue that quickly dissipated, no lacing, transparent, no carbonation observed, and a reddish brown hue. Nose was malt and a hint of caramel. Flavor was malt, semi-sweet, chocolate and nutty. Smooth mouthfeel and light in body.Quaffable but reminded me more of a brown ale.Lacks much character, if any, and nothing here to have me want this one again or to remember it for anything special.Seems to be the trend for their beers IMO.

Amber body, no head, faint aroma. Flavor is mildly bitter with some rye and roasted nuts.

On tap at the Ft. Wayne Indiana pub. Dark amber color with a small off white head that disappeared pretty quickly. Sweet caramel nose. This beer showed some nuttiness, lightly burnt sugar, light toast, and something almost smokey in the finish. It made the glass sticky. Simple but tastey bock.

On draft at the Maumee, OH "brewpub". Golden brown with a white head. Some faint maltiness in the aroma with a lot of sulfery notes from the lagering. Underwhelming flavor. Very, very watery. I guess this is ok for an ’intro’ but to me it is just swill made for people who drink BMC.