Michigan Brewing Mai Bock

Dark golden foamy head. Clear, lots of light, a bit hazy. Some spidery lace. Flowery malt aroma. Smell is not distinct, not strong. Has a heavy spicy / Saison / maibock flavor. Spicy and a bit sour like a saison; hints of dark grape. Some honey to smooth it out. Some white wine. Feels bubbly; sharp and fizzy. Improves with warmth. Actually a solid brew, much better once you let it breathe a bit.

12oz Handbottle. Labeled 6/08. Slightly estery and rubbery nose, backed with some slightly old malt. Pours a crystal clear burnt orange, with a soft soap up in lacey whitish. Flavor is shocking. There’s some really ugly flaming tire, hexane cleaning chemicals, and residue. Rubbery. Bitter. Alcoholic. Ahh. This is, unfortunately, not drinkable. Some bitter almond close the smack, but ugh, this has some serious problems.

On tap at the brewery. The stronger alcohol content has a bit of a bite. Good overall flavors with good hops on a solid malt. I found the bitterness a bit more than I cared for.

12oz bottle, courtesy of ryan. Thanks! Pours a bright, clear golden-orange color; light, creamy khaki head with solid, fine-bubbled lacing. Light aroma showing candy sugar, basic cereal malts, and some orange-tinged fruitiness; a bit bland overall, with a touch of alcohol poking through. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: candy sugar, sweet basic maltiness, and some light citrus and mineral bitterness; slightly relaxed carbonation, making this seem a touch flabby overall; still, decent amounts of balancing mineral bitterness and a solid, if not overly complex, malty core. Lengthy, dry finish: toasted malts, breadiness, and some minerals.

Draft at new brewpub. Poured clear dark amber color with an average creamy off-white head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Moderate toasted nutty malty aroma. Medium body with soft carbonation. Medium balanced flavor with a medium bittersweet finish of moderate duration. Drinkable brew that met my expectations.

Tap at Spuyten Duyvil. Pale amber beer with a thick white head. Pale malts with light honeyish character. Acetaldehyde and DMS stink. After the last two quality brews, this nastiness just doesn’t cut it.

Draft at Spuyten Duyvil. Vegetal, dry earthy. As it warms there is a kind of glue taste that makes it near undrinkable. Doesn’t have much to separate it from other maibocks, and doesn’t really live up to its brothers, either.

A little lighter in color than many mai bocks I’ve tried in the past. Wonderful malt sweetness ... some citus flavors. More hops than many mai bocks. I really enjoyed the lingering aftertaste. This is the beer to drink while munching peanuts outside on an overcast afternoon. MBC’s mai bock is a beautifully balanced beer and could become a favorite.