Red Oak Battlefield Bock

Brewed by Red Oak Brewery
Style: Dunkler Bock
Whitsett, North Carolina USA

Date: 09/22/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewfest, Asheville

dark brown, wispy beige head, rich dark caramel aroma with light sweetness balanced by earthyness, rich dark caramel malt flavor, nice earthy bitterness keeps it mostly dry,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

on tap-pours a diminishing light tan head and black color. Aroma is dark malt. Taste is dark malt-chocolate, roasty/nutty. Secondary hops bitterness. OK carbonation.

Draft at Carolina Ale House. Dark brown pour with aroma of malt, big chocoff. Yes, chocolate is present in the aroma and big in the taste here, with a complex, smooth finish. Red Oak beers are greatly under-rated on this site.

Draught at Down Under Pub in Durham, NC. Black color with thin brownish head that dissipated quickly. Roasty nose with chocolate and coffee flavors with brown sugar undertones. Body was much lighter than I expected it to be.

On draught at Fox & Hound in Winston-Salem, NC. I am assuming this is a Schwarz, although I cannot be sure. It had some qualities of a Porter. According to the brewer when I asked at a visit to the brewpub it is a Dark Lager so I will go with that. The beer is black and a little bubbly with a medium beige head. Slow lacing. The aroma consists of roasted malt and a little chocolate. It has a medium body and was kind of slippery. Flavors of malt, chocolate and a tiny but of hops. The finish is kind of sticky sweet malt. Not bad.

Dark brown almost no head. Nice aroma of coffee, pumpernickel bread, and molasses. Flavor is prtyy much the same players. Surprisingly full bodied. Pretty tasty.

On tap at Macaroni Grill, Cary. Bartender described it as a stout, so apparently they don’t have good training for their craft beers. Everything served ice cold, too. Mild roasted grain and malt aroma with Tootsie Roll and apple juice. No hops. Dark brown black clear with no head. Medium-light body with high carbonation. Starts watery sweet with toasted malt and light Tootsie Roll sweetness. Hardly any bitterness with carbonic acidity and fizzy tang. Smooth sweet finish and nutty sweet after.

Just another dark beer. Black body with a lackluster head. The flavor is thin with that lager metallic edge. Slight roast a couple of other dark malts but the flavor doesn't really have a lot going on. I didn't know what style it was at the festival but I wrote in my notes that I guessed it was a schwarz. Considering that it's black and not just dark like a Dunkel, I'm guessing I was right after all.