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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/28636
CHEERS BEER TASTING By Lucy Saunders with warmth from higher gravity and ABVs of six to nine percent. These malty lagers range from deep russet to bright gold in hue, with moderate levels of hopping to let the bready, toasty flavors of the barley malts emerge. In fact, the bock and doppelbock styles were first brewed by Bavarian monks who made fortified lagers, truly “liquid bread,” to sustain them through Lenten fasting. Bock to Black: Warming Lagers S pring is the traditional season for bock, doppelbocks, helles bock and Maibock beer styles, and assertive malt richness. Though soft gold in color, the Maifest offers substantial malt sweetness, making it an excellent foil to spicy food such as Thai, or roasted flavors such as roast pork loin stuffed with smoked Ancho chiles. Maifest is modeled after the Munich Hofbrauhaus doppel bock and is available through the end of April. (August Schell Brewing Co.) Brauerei Gasthof Aying in Bavaria, known in the U.S. as Ayinger, offers Celebrator, the classic example of the malty double bock, or doppelbock lager. The aroma offers hints of roasted chestnut and burnt sugar, as well as bready malts. The body is smooth and dry, at 6.7 percent ABV, with flavors of cocoa and roasted plum. The beer is best appreciated at 50 degrees Fahrenheit served in a stemmed goblet. (Merchant du Vin) Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. launched its Glissade Golden Helles Bock last year, and it returns this spring to help beer aficionados slide from winter into spring. It is a mellow, malty lager that pours bright gold into a glass, accented with fresh-smelling floral hops such as German Spalter and Slovenian Aurora and Styrian hops. It is excellent with grilled fish and rind-washed cheeses. (Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.) A relatively new brewery in Austria, Brauerei Hofstetten, is garnering kudos for its spin on classic bock, the sparkling Saphir Bock. As a helles bock (light bock) it is golden in color, with crisp carbonation and sweet malt body to balance the 7.4 percent ABV. It’s got a bit more hoppy character than most traditional bocks, but that just adds to the brilliant effect. (B. United) Pandora’s Bock All punning aside, this is a delicious interpretation of the classic bock style, rich in caramel malt and praline-nut flavors. The lager has a nip of hops bitterness to balance the taste, thanks to Pacific Northwest Chinook and European Strisselspalt hops. Pandora pours deep amber into a glass, with reddish glints of mahogany under a rocky crown of foam, and weighs in at 7.5 percent alcohol by volume. Truly worth seeking out to appreciate its malt complexity. (Breckenridge Brewery) Schell Maifest is a full-bodied blonde doppel bock that wraps the drinker in warmth, thanks to its 7.2 percent ABV www.cheersonline.com APRIL 2011 | 45 Capital Blonde Doppelbock One of the boldest doppelbocks, The Blonde is golden-amber in color with a creamy cap of foam, followed by aromas of brown sugar and Bourbon thanks to rich caramel barley malt and 7.8 percent ABV. With nuanced carbonation, the mouth feel is closer to a barley wine than a typical lager, with a very fine bead of bubbles. The lager tastes rich, like caramelized apple cake such as a tarte tatin sweet and biscuit-y, followed by hops bitterness for a slightly dry finish. (Capital Brewery) Black is back: the Session Black Lager is chocolate-y and full of toasted malt flavors, and retro appeal, thanks to its presentation in “stubby” short brown bottles. I first sampled Session Black at SAVOR, the beer and food festival in Washington, D.C., where it made an amazing match with creamy Gorgonzola cheese pasta. It’s most quaffable at 5.4 percent ABV, and makes for smooth sipping on a chilly spring evening. (Full Sail Brewing Co.) Lucy Saunders writes about beer and food, and is the author of three cookbooks, most recently, The Best of American Beer & Food (Brewers Publications).