Hofbräu München Maibock

Brewed by Staatliches Hofbräuhaus München
Style: Heller Bock
Munich, Germany

Sampled at a tasting... poured copper with minimal white head. Aroma is malt and hint of alcohol. Flavor was similar, but the alcohol was more prominent and was a bit sharp overall. Not my favorite.

a bit nutty and a malt character that is barley and mainly grainlike with a barely straw like notation. alcohol is as a brandy, fruity with that kind of a refined though milder alcohol presence.velvety yet thin enough for the heat. a nice muted sweetness that makes for a drinkable and balanced grog. good.

[bottle] Nutty, grainy, and a little raisiny in the nose, along with just a touch of ethanol. Clear amber with a tawny fuzz that rapidly drops to nothing. Smooth, almost sherry-like flavour that is not quite as grainy or nutty as the aroma might have suggested. For this style, the balance is on the side of bitterness, but it is not too dominating. A pleasant sweetness still comes out along with the malt flavour. Medium body, medium carbonation, quite smooth and a little warming.

On tap at Mr. Dunderbak’s (Tampa, FL). Pours a rich golden amber color with a medium white head. Aroma is sweet, malty, spicy, with hint of alcohol. Good flavor, mostly roasted malt with sweetness in the aftertaste. Very drinkable at 7.2%

On tap at the Oldsmar Tap House. Pours deep gold with white head. The aroma is bold with a load of somewhat light fruity esters and a mild backbone of Munich malt graininess. The taste is similar to the nose with a big bright hit of fruitiness up front that seems to be sort of pears, apples and raisins. Then a bit of balance is created by grainy Munich malts. But by midway and to the finish the fruitiness dominates and is accompanied by a mild fruit sourness that is out of place. The flavors seem too bright and needs to mellow out a bit.

A very medium of the road heller. Aroma was very weak. Could pick up caramel malt and a hint of roastiness. Pour was nice enough. A medium brown with a one finger off white head. Taste was pretty bland. Caramel, roasted malt and a bit of butter with no aftertaste. Was expecting a lot more from a German brewer. Good carbonation kept this beer interesting.

This beer is what I’ve always aspired to as a home brewer - a deceptive abv% relative to taste, a translucent, but not cloudy, pour (albeit no decent head to speak of) and a malty, sweet taste with just the right amount of carbonation - not quite up there with your standard pilseners, but not as reserved as a porter...a really nice medium. The only drawback, in my opinion, is the price relative to the product...for half the price and 2/3 the taste, you could buy a Shiner Bock or even an Amber Bock (alright, 1/3 the taste) albeit with a little less kick...

Pour is bright lightly clear amber with a thin off white head...smell is lightly toasty with caramel and bread crumbs...taste is sweet with corn and some toasty malt flavor but turns bitter and vegetal very quickly...bitter gross finish...