Mahrs Bräu Christmas Bock

Maybe it’s the impending seasons which are almost upon us. It is almost September after all as I write this review of my Bamberger Mahr’s Brau Christmas Bock.
Pours a lightly translucent pale brown color into my tall 220z "pint" glass. A decent head forms and fades down into a ring around my glass. A sweet nose hints at the malts within as hints of ripe prunes, dark raisins, and some herbs. Rich silky mouthfeel with only a light hint of effervescence in the body. Goes down very easy with tons of malty notes with prunes, raisins, and hints of spices and herbs. Not much caramel, though it is there which I attribute more to the sweet smoothness of the brew itself. A dry finish which hints at some bitter hops, but overall the malts of this bock are the shining stars. A pleasant warming sensation from the alcohol slowly embraces my chest the further down I go in my glass. Not much brussels lace to speak of, though she maintains her foamy ring all the way to the finish. her full flavor profile definitely shines when given a few minutes to adjust to room temperature and warm up a bit. Overall, rich, creamy smooth with a pleasant medium body. Sweet malts ripe with prunes, raisins, and spice, even a hint of saltiness, ending in a semi-dry finish with very little hop character.
So far probably one of the easiest drinking bocks I have quaffed. The addition of warming winter spices and herbs puts Bamberger a couple notches above the rest.

Bottle from PC Market of Choice, Eugene, OR. Orange tinged amber color with an emphemeral off-white head. Medium body with near creamy carbonation. Flavor is spicey caramel - could be citrus zest. Some grape and light stone fruit. It has malt, but the finish is dryer than not, and actually it’s quite tasty. Is it underrated? Not to this ale drinker. It’s a good drink, and it has the edge on Baron Heller Bock.

Yet another Christmas beer! No wonder I was looking a bit on the paunchy Santa side by New Year’s. This round belongs to the Bamberger Mahr’s Brau, an advertised Christmas bock. The thin, tan head quickly hollows itself out after the pour into a halo shape. The body is dark, but not oily (is this because it is a lager?) with a tree bark brown hue that omits entirely the red flashes I’m used to seeing on the stray edges of the beer in good lighting. A dry and chalky aroma emanates from the Christmas Bock, alongside a mature wine sweetness and a sizeable hit of malts. Again, I am startled by the absence of what I might take for granted in a dark ale - the presence of chocolate and coffee scents. But I find this omission refreshing. The vinous grape quality is unique, and the white oily fish and soy sauce character buried deep inside a muscat tunnel make for a curious but delicious smell. So far my senses had convinced me that, though dark, this bock was largely different from the dark ales I had become accustomed to, but the flavor was shockingly deep and heavy, back to the ale type, but with only a moderate complexity. It’s salty, grainy and lacking sugar, imparting a burnt bread savory flavor. A tinge of deep maltiness nicely paired with a quality lager corn note and the emphatic salty, burnt bread taste makes this a perfect beer for those like me that like salty foods. Really, quite amazing, and it gets only better with warmth.

Pours a dirty brownish red color with a small white head. Aroma of caramel, bread, malt. Flavors of caramel, bread, fruits, malt, brown sugar. Decent bock.

2006 vintage bottle. listed at 6%abv not 6.5%. not sure why this is listed under dunkler bock as it isn’t dark at all. a careful pour still yeilded sediment in a golden color with foamy white head. aroma is loaded with saaz hops. flavors is way more pils than bock, classic spicy saaz hop profile. seems like a nice pils too me but whatever. this is tasty, fresh and hoppy, even though it is a 6% light colored beer over 1 1/2 years old. i don’t understand the low ratings or the dunkler bock listing. they probably changed the recipe.