Leinenkugels 1888 Bock

Brewed by Leinenkugel Brewing Company (MillerCoors)
Style: Dunkler Bock
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin USA

12 oz bottle pours medium brown with a uber fluffy tanish head. Yeasty and slightly sour aroma. Fairly thin body with a caramel, orange and grassy hop flavor. A bit of oxidation, I hope, at the end.

Single from Total Wine. Twist-off cap, drank straight from the bottle. My bottle labeled 5.2% ABV. Aroma of dark malt. Flavor is mild dark malts, with a little chocolate and a light bitterness in the aftertaste. Smooth and easy drinking. I had high hopes because Leinenkugels didn’t put any fruit or strange adjuncts in it, but it didn’t measure up to the hype of the label. If this were cheap enough I could drink a lot of it but $8 a six is way off the mark.

Bottle. Poured brown with a creamy tan head that had light lace. Aromas of roasty malts with a hop backing. Roasty malts also in the flavor but this one is just not doing it for me. Medium body.

12 oz. bottle bought individually from Three Cellars (Franklin, WI). A beer I was a little sad to see debut, and causing me to be unable to ever try the Big Butt, it seems. Nevertheless, pours a dark reddish copper with some brown notes and a big tannish head that is bubbly, but begins to dissipate to a small amount quickly. Laces a little, pretty much transparent hue. Aromas are vaguely malty, a little sweet, slight notes of toffee, carmel, syrup, and skunk. Initial is pretty watery, which is a let down. Light on the palate, bland up front, moving to some elements that must be maltiness in the body. A touch of bitterness, faint roast, and bland malty sweetness. Kinda mass produced bread feel.. sure its kinda sweet.. but so is everything made with malt/grains. Finishes ok, I guess. Overall, a dissappointment. I root for Leinie’s on the Macro/Craft Hybrid scene.. but it is hard to when they do stuff like this.

Pours a transparent copper amber with a thin, wispy-lacing off-white head. Aroma of sweet toasty caramel malt and some noble hops with a touch of lager yeast character. Starts with average fullness and mild caramely malty notes drying out toward a clean finish. Pretty drinkable, but could be a little more fuller flavored.

Bottle. Pours a transparent and reddish brown with a fairly small head and thin aromas of nuts, earth and grain dust. Flavor is fairly gross. Kind of a washed out bock with a bit of a bitter/chemical edge to it. Grrrr....

Dark, clear ruby color with a foamy off white head. Slight metallic aroma with hints of malt and grains. Strong roasted malt flavors with a slightly bitter finish and a minimal aftertaste . Medium bodied and finishes a little chalky and very smooth. Very enjoyable beer, but not the best.

12 ounce bottle - $1.49 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia. After trying the gag-inducing Berry Weiss and the entirely shameful Fireside Nut Brown Ale, I was more than a bit hesitant to go another round with Leinenkugel, but we’re only talking about a lone twelve ounce single. How bad could it be? What’s the worst that could happen? Appearance: Clear, dark reddish-brown body with a small, fizzy, off-white head. Smell: Vaguely sweetish, slightly fruity nose with notes of roasted and toasted nuts. Taste: Pale malts with a very thin taste of chocolate powder followed by a flavor of toasted nut shells. Hint of apple and raisiny fruitiness. Light bitterness. Sip of metallic-tasting water, like a mouthful of loose change. Finishes quite crisp with a lingering nuttiness. Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium-plus carbonation. Drinkability: Not quite as soul-crushingly poor as some of their other products, but by no means is it a good bock. Not recommended.