Samuel Adams LongShot Traditional Bock

Brewed by Boston Beer Company
Style: Dunkler Bock
Boston, Massachusetts USA

Nice and dark but not opaque. Aroma is almost alky fumey, like many bocks. No head. Strong yet not too offensice to the palate. Decent carbonation with a slight bitter medicine malt. Finish is tuff and lingering alky.

Pours amber-molasses into the glass, with a light eggshell head that reduces to a thin ring, leaving light lace. The nose is of dark, dried fruits and pie spices. A malty sweetness hits the palate upfront, followed by a roasted mid-palate. The finish is of light alcohol and dry-roasted hops. Overall, there is a burnt sentiment to the brew that integrates decently. The body is round, and the mouthfeel is medium on the palate, with almost "too lively" carbonation levels. Other than a disjunctive "feel", the brew is put together nicely. Nothing screams overt nor "top tier", but it integrates well.

Bottle. Pours a clear cola brown with a medium white/beige head. Sweet malty aromas. Medium body, malty with sweet plum notes. Light bitter finish with a little spiciness. Pretty good.

Very well made bock, this year’s Longshot sixer is a winner. Rich toffee and raisin aroma with malty molasses. Ruby-brown body, frothy tan head and thick, blanketing lacing. Feels really creamy and smooth. Malty, malty, malty with a sweet finish. Hearty flavors of raisin bread, butterscotch, caramel and a faint grassy effect. Some noble hops to counter the sweetness and a subtle roasted flavor.

Red pour with a small brown head. aroma of sweet dark malts. warming taste of dark roasted malt.

Appearance: Pours a dark clear amber, showing visiable active carbonation and a small khaki head. Aroma: Slight caramel malt aroma with a touch of fruit. Taste: A mixture of caramel and bready malts finishing with moderate bitter hopping. Mouthfeel: Thick, not too carbonated, very lingering, almost sticky. Overall: A very flavorful beer, a bit sweet at first, but finishes with a crisp hop note, and a perfect level of fizz.

12oz bottle. Pours a deep, clear, dark coppery-brown with a medium off-white head. The aroma is malty and very grainy. It features toffee sweetness and subtle ethanol and even subtler esters as it warms. The flavor starts very toasty and malty with a light sweetness and subtle fruitiness. The malt profile turns to chocolate and chewy caramel as it climbs towards the back. There is a balancing spicy noble hop bitterness in the finish and subtle German lager yeast notes throughout. The finish is surprisingly dry with grainy malts and a light perfumy bitterness. Subsequent burps are grainy and malty. The mouthfeel starts zippy with strong bubbles but washes into a full and thick body. Overall, a decent bock with a pretty good malt character and a decent richness - but it’s quite grainy and not quite as clean as expected from a brewing company whose flagship product is a lager.

I like this beer. Smooth, strong, and sweet. Another winner from the ’Long Shot’ series. Sam Adams is starting to show what its really capable of. keep up the good work.