Mendocino Spring Seasonal Bock

Brewed by Mendocino Brewing Company
Style: Heller Bock
Hopland, California USA

Date: 04/06/2008
Mode: Bottle
Source: Brewfest, Classic City

Appearance: hazy amber, fine beige head,
Flavor: dry earthy caramel malt flavor with a slight metalic twang,
Overall: sweet dark caramel malt flavor, touch of earthyness for balance, light bitterness in the finish,

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.8/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4
-------- /> I would like to rerate this beer.

Golden-amber colour. Big caramel and fresh bread nose with just a hint of toastiness and alcohol. Full and firm, with ample toasty components. Starts well, but fades in the finish...it dries out, bringing some graininess to the fore, with lots of drying alcohol at the end.

(12oz bottle) Small off-white head atop crystal clear amber body. Aroma is medium sweet, lime, some honey, caramel, candi sugar. Taste is moderately sweet, caramel, grassy/lime, some bread, light apple, alcohol. Medium body, lightly sticky.

12oz bottle-pours a rich off white head with trailing lace and abler color. Aroma is nice, sweet medium malt-caramel, fruit. Taste is sweet medium malt-caramel, fruit, secondary hops-mostly herbal, slight alcohol.

Bottle... Clear copper/amber lager with a small, creamy, white head. The aroma is all about toffee and biscuit malts fetched together with citric, acidic hops. Also, hints of pineapple and apricot. Full-bodied and chewy with medium carbonation. Toffee and pineapple sweetness dominate, but good mineral bitterness provides near-perfect balance. Lengthy, grassy, medium bitter finish. Nice Maibock!

Pours a transparent copper amber with a thin, wispy lacing white head. Aroma of sweet toasty caramely German malt with a touch of biscuity character and noble hops. Starts with good fullness and sweet caramel flavor with a touch of fresh piny hops before a drier, more bitter peppery finish. Pretty true to style and drinkable.

12oz bottle pours a clear amber orange color with a small head. Nose of oily corn, honey and dried leaves, with a similar flavor - a bit oily, fuller on the palate than it needs to be (typical in American maibock) - but still nice enough and very drinkable. Fresh corn, crackers, honey, malt, etc, with a small presence of hops, just as needed. Not a bad beer, but it’s really difficult to find anything that stands out.

Light copper color with a moderate lasting, vanilla folder colored head. Quite fruity in scent with some orange blossom, light honey and corn syrup scents. Perfumed flavors, with light currants, white grapes, mild cherry wood and earthy caramel. I’m not thinking bock, when I imbibe. I have to go deep to think of other brews that had this flavor and I’m still searching for a style. Strong american ale - to weak, bock - not enough malt, not even a strong amber. Perhaps a strong vienna., bit I’m reaching.