Today is National Bock Day. In celebration, Peaks and Pints offers a bock-style, to-go flight of five beers: Peaks and Pints Pilot Program: National Bock Day On The Fly.
Bock beer is a strong beer style generally 6.3 percent alcohol by volume and higher. It is believed to have originated in Einbeck — a town famous for brewing in the Middle Ages. Einbeck was one of the first cities to ban the use of gruit in beer in favor of hops to circumvent the Catholic Church’s high prices on gruit. The oldest written record of beer from Einbeck is from 1378 in the form of a receipt for two casks of “Einbecker” sold to the town of Celle, Germany.
Realizing that beer was a profitable export, Einbeck employed a novel quality control system. People who wanted to brew were allowed to malt their own grains and make beer in their own cellars, but not own their own brewhouse. This was owned by the city that employed professional brewmasters who would take the brew kettle to individual homes. The procedure ensured that all Einbeck beer was brewed the same and met the same quality standards. They would later certify the finished product for sale. The city branded their beer as “Ainpockisch Pier” a term that was soon shortened to “Oanpock” by Bavarian consumers and later to “a bock bier,” hence the name.
So, why the goat iconography on bock beers? Bock literally translates to ram or Billy goat in German. So, it began as a visual pun (and maybe a slight poke at the Northern Germans by the Bavarians) and has now become the symbol of bock beer.
Bock is a bottom fermenting lager that generally takes extra months of lagering (cold storage) to smooth out such a strong brew. Bock beer in general is stronger than your typical lager, more of a robust malt character with a dark amber to brown hue. Spring is the season for maibock, a lighter, more refreshing bock beer style. But this season is also known for doppelbock, a style that originated as a beer to drink during lent. Bock beers can vary greatly from style to style and can go from light and refreshing to some of the strongest beers in the world with eisbocks.
Peaks and Pints Pilot Program: National Bock Day On The Fly
Fortside The Pale Goat
6.2% ABV
A historically crafted beer with elite and universal staying power, Fortside Brewing’s hugely malty and satisfying The Pale Goat bock pours a pale copper colored hue with a depth of caramelly melanoidins. With just enough bitterness to balance and an ultra-smooth and clean lager profile despite the strength, this bock is rich, malty, slightly sweet, and bitter throughout.
Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock
6.7% ABV, 24 IBU
During Lent, as legend goes, German monks sustained themselves by sipping strong, dark lagers dubbed doppelbocks. This timeworn tale of liquid bread tends to overshadow an indisputable truth: Doppelbocks are fantastic feats of brewing engineering, no more so than Ayinger Celebrator. With accolades from the late Michael Jackson and a collection of gold medals from the World Beer Cup, this rich, toffee-rocked lager is dark, crisp, with a touch of chocolate and grape notes. While presenting a full body, it’s not cloyingly sweet and features a wonderfully creamy body and enough alcohol to warm your palate.
Black Raven Element 1, Malt – Doppelbock
6.8% ABV
Black Raven Brewing’s doppelbock was brewed in collaboration with Washington’s own Skagit Valley Malting. They built this beer with 100 percent Washington grown malt varietals: Pilsner, Munich, and Dark Munich. Element 1, Malt – Doppelbock is full-bodied with a deep amber-reddish color. Its flavor is malt-focused, accenting a lightly toasted caramel and chocolate character, plus bready roast, and subtle spice deliciousness with a light hop finish. A portion of all sales of Element 1: Malt will be donated to Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland.
Kulshan Shucks On The Beach
7% ABV
The helles bock, or maibock, is most often a golden to clear copper-colored beer with firm malty aroma and flavor. Hops provide accent and balance and can sometimes provide spiciness in the background. Maibock refers to the springtime serving (“Mai” is May in German) of the brew. Its other name, helles (also German), refers to the beer’s pale color. These lagers are traditionally brewed in the dead of winter and aged until spring. Kulshan Brewing and Taylor Shellfish Farms ignored the month and took a stroll on the beach and invented a helles bock with German Pilsner and Vienna malts providing a rich, bready malt profile, coriander and pink peppercorns adding subtle fruity and spicy accents, and sea salt adding just the slightest hint of refreshing salinity.
Silver City Copper MTN Maibock
7.2% ABV
Mount Rainier National Park offers more than 100 climbable peaks (not counting Mount Rainier itself) either within or immediately adjacent to the Park boundary, including Copper Mountain. Indian Henrys Hunting Ground (the takeoff point for Copper Mountain) is about 5.5 miles (one-way) from the trailhead, making for a long day. Silver City Brewery’s Copper MTN Maibock is a traditional German-style lager celebrating the end of the harsh Alpine winter and the reemergence of the beer garden. Copper Mountain is a formidable, but approachable lager with a rich caramel sensibility encapsulated by a refreshing, easy-going texture.
LINK: Peaks & Pints cooler inventory
