Bock

The style now known as Bock was first brewed in the 14th century in the Hanseatic town of Einbeck in Lower Saxony. The style was later adopted in Bavaria by Munich brewers in the 17th century. Due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced "Einbeck" as "ein Bock" ("a billy goat"), and thus the beer became known as "Bock". A goat often appears on bottle labels. Bock is historically associated with special occasions, often festivals such as Christmas, Easter, or Lent (''''). Bock has a long history of being brewed and consumed by Bavarian monks as a source of nutrition during times of fasting. ==Styles==

Substyles of Bock include: • Maibock (May Bock), a paler, more hopped version generally made for consumption at spring festivals. Due to its lighter colour, it is also referred to as Heller Bock; from German hell (bright, light in colour). • Doppelbock (Double Bock), a stronger and maltier version • Eisbock (Ice Bock), a much stronger version made by partially freezing the beer and removing the ice that forms • Weizenbock (Wheat Bock), a wheat beer made from 40 to 60% wheat Traditionally Bock is a sweet, relatively strong (6.3–7.6% by volume), lightly hopped lager registering between 20 and 30 International Bitterness Units (IBUs). The beer should be clear, with colour ranging from light copper to brown, and a bountiful, persistent off-white head. The aroma should be malty and toasty, possibly with hints of alcohol, but no detectable hops or fruitiness. The mouthfeel is smooth, with low to moderate carbonation and no astringency. The taste is rich and toasty, sometimes with a bit of caramel. The low-to-undetectable presence of hops provides just enough bitterness so that the sweetness is not cloying and the aftertaste is muted. Maibock The Maibock style – also known as Heller Bock or Lente Bock in the Netherlandsis a strong pale lager, lighter in colour and with more hop presence. Doppelbock Doppelbock or Double Bock is a stronger version of traditional Bock that was first brewed in Munich by the Paulaner friars, a mendicant order founded by St. Francis of Paula. In 2011, journalist J. Wilson proved this was at least possible by consuming only doppelbock and water for the 46 days of Lent. Modern style guidelines suggest a minimum strength of around 6.6-7% alcohol by volume, with an upper limit of 8-10% or higher. It is clear, with colour ranging from dark gold, for the paler version, to dark brown with ruby highlights for a darker version. It has a large, creamy, persistent head (although head retention may be impaired by alcohol in the stronger versions). The aroma is intensely malty, with some toasty notes, and possibly some alcohol presence as well; darker versions may have a chocolate-like or fruity aroma. The flavour is very rich and malty, with noticeable alcoholic strength, and little or no detectable hops (16–26 IBUs). made by partially freezing a Doppelbock and removing the water ice to concentrate the flavour and alcohol content, which ranges from 8.6% to 14.3% by volume. It is clear, with a colour ranging from deep copper to dark brown in colour, often with ruby highlights. Although it can pour with a thin off-white head, head retention is frequently impaired by the higher alcohol content. The aroma is intense, with no hop presence, but frequently can contain fruity notes, especially of prunes, raisins, and plums. Weizenbock Weizenbock is a style that replaces some of the barley in the grain bill with 40–60% wheat. It was first produced in Bavaria in 1907 by G. Schneider & Sohn and was named Aventinus after 16th-century Bavarian historian Johannes Aventinus. The style combines darker Munich malts and top-fermenting wheat beer yeast, brewed at the strength of a Doppelbock. ==References==