Green Man Whisky Bock

Brewed by Green Man Brewery (NZ)
Style: Doppelbock
Dunedin, New Zealand

no carbonation, no head. massive dms on nose and taste. sweet palate. interesting sweet whisky flavours but otherwise not my cuppa tea, especially not at $10/330ml

Clear, deep dark orange, minisule head that vanishes nearly instantly. The colour is gorgeous but the beer looks dead! Rich burnt toffee aroma with a tickle of underlying booziness. Chewy toffee backbone, a little burnt sugar, a little stewed peaches. In the first few sips I was surprised to find a hint of vegemite but this fell away after a minute or two. Quick finish, sweet but dry. Despite the flat pour, my beer had just the right amount of carbonation, much as a cask hand-pulled might have. My bottle actually lists the ABV at 10.6% but I have to agree with sdriessen that it is completely hidden aside from a pleasant warmth at the end of the swallow.

Zero head and hardly and carbonation. Pours dark brown. Dark, slightly burnt malts dominate the nose, whiskey oak shows through nicely. A powerful aroma of caramelized golden syrup (or maybe treacle?). Some stone fruit in the nose, with dates and raisin. Flavours are sweet and smoky. Dark, burnt malts. Slightly salty aftertaste. Alcohol doesn’t show through at all. A rare beer, but rich enough to appreciate only once!

Dark amber in colour with no head. Sweet whisky malt aroma. Short mouthfeel, thin body. May have been sitting on the shelf a while.

Bottle, pours an amber-tinged brown with no head. Certainly a whiskey aroma, but not overpowering. A smooth mouthfeel, doesn’t taste like it’s 9%. The whiskey is again dominant on the palate - woody and smokey - with a caramalised dry finish.

Bottle tasting at Beervana 2008.Pours amber with a smooth dissipating white head. I didn’t get much on the nose, just a little sweetness. A sweet beer for sure, quite strong whiskey flavours which dominate. A very alcoholic mouthfeel. An amazing beer, strong whiskey character but still tastes like a beer. Dangerously drinkable!

Pours with stuff all carbonation and head with light whisky on the nose. Thinnish palate which surprises me given the abv. Palate is dominated by whisky....and not a hell of a lot else really.....

I tried this at the North Island launch at Rumbles on Friday 29th August. Tom Jones gave me 3 small samples - not the panty moistening Welshman but an affable Pom from somewhere in the mid west. The caution on the label is warranted as this really is strong stuff. It seemed stronger than 9% but manages to be well balanced at the same time. Some time ago I tried the Strong, and quite liked it, but I noted from the label that it was a blend with the Green Man bitter. All I could think was "why water it down?" Well, question answered. The Strong is a complex beer with a multitude of flavours. The Whisky Bock is less complex but wow it’s good. This review is based on bottle number 1338 of 1400 (330ml) and was accompanied by a dose of Dr Who on TV. Even my mother liked this beer and that’s saying something. It’s sweet but not too sweet as the yanky oak and hops bring it down to a reasonable level. It’s quite a light colour for a bock beer (really the style is a misnomer as it defies categorisation) and there isn’t a great deal of carbonation. So it’s kind of like a barley wine too (and I’m told there’s an even stronger brew coming called Enrico’s revenge or something like that). This stuff is syrupy in a good way and cleans out really well for such a powerful drop. You can smell the whisky coming off it and it has a warming effect. Quite different to the Bourbon Porter by Emerson even though the concept is similar. Highly recommended. I hope they brew it again.