Mahrs Bräu Christmas Bock

Brewed by Mahrs Bräu
Style: Heller Bock
Bamberg, Oberfranken/Bayern, Germany

Bottle from Super Saver. Deep brown pour with 2-finger off-white head. Aromas of roasty malt, fruit (pear, apple), hopcitrus, brown sugar, almonds. The flavor is very malty, almost at a Celebrator level, with some figgy fruit, alomnd, brown sugar, cacao, prune, and slight bandaidy flavor hints. Medium palate.

Malty and very lightly spiced. No head on this in my very clean glass, very light lacing and quick fall. Aroma was more of Christmas spices with notes of cloves and cinnamon. Spice aspect absent in flavor with a heavy malt note and minor molasses thickness. Good for someone who wants a Christmas beer, but not one that hits you over the head with spices.

Bottle: Muddy dark caramel, fluffy off-white head, sticky lacing, light sediment.   Soft bready malts, slight pale fruit skin on the nose.   Fairly rich malty start, pale malts that is, semi-sweet, with a soft fruity flair.   For a lighter bock it is quite bready.   Simple, and fairly clean.   Body and mouthfeel are moderate.   Finishes with a tangy bready aspect, slight honey and a bit grainy.   Decent Bock, but fairly light overall.

Bottle, marked with a "bottled on" date of a cryptic "10". Pours honey gold with an off white head. Sweet biscuit aromas, mildly fruity. Flavor is sweet, bready, yeasty, some herbal notes. Honey flavors in the finish, a touch of spice. Medium, slightly buttery mouthfeel. May not be a great bock, but I liked it.

Ah, not what I was expecting. This one came across as a mix between a maibock and a pilsner - not good. The pour was the most impressive part, clear amber color with a nice head and great lacing. The aroma was skunky upon opening the bottle and then skunk to grassy in the glass. The flavor was bready and earthy with a grassy hop finish. Malts were maybe caramel-like, but overshadowed by the hops. Mouthfeel was fairly light and dry, as I was expecting something more thick.

From a 1pt. 9oz. euro brown bottle with a bottled on date found on the back label. Made a decent appearance, poured a semi-hazy golden hued amber with a soapy pale tannish head that settled into a thin bubbly lacing, good carbonation. Spicy herbal nose with a sweet fruitiness, caramelized malts and alcohol in the background. A crisp, slick and smooth medium bodied mouth feel, good drinkability. Spicy and herbal hop taste, biting in it’s bitterness, a dry yeastiness and sour fruity maltiness, a slight alcohol warmth in the palate and a yeasty, herbal and sour fruity finish. A nice Christmas seasonal from Mahrs, a quality brewer.

Pours a three finger light tan head that fades slowly to a ring leaving some lace. Clear, deep mahogany color. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied. Almost malty nose. Flavor is almost sweet malty with spices, some honey. $5.45 for a 500ml bottle from John’s Marketplace Portland, OR.

Although I did not detect a typical "Christmas" flare, this was a nice Bock. Paler in color than typical Bock, it was a deep honey color, nice malt sweetness, and very easy to drink.