Bock beers are to beer drinkers what tulips are to gardeners: a harbinger of spring. Typically brewed in late December and brought to market from March through May, bock beers can be heartwarming in the sometimes dreary days of early spring.
Once made as ”liquid bread” to sustain the faithful during Lenten fasts, bock beers grew out of German brewing traditions. Last month Milwaukee`s Lakefront Brewery, 818A Chambers (1-414-372-8800), marked the patron saint`s day of brewers with its own ”Blessing of the Bock” ceremony. On a chilly afternoon, close to 200 people gathered to hear the blessing and sample the new batch of Eastside Dark Bock Beer. As Rev. Ken Knippel, pastor of St. Mary of Czestochowa Parish, quipped, ”We Catholics have a blessing for almost everything,” home brewers from Wisconsin and Illinois set out their own beers for the benediction.
The ritual was in keeping with the history of bock brewing. Munich`s best known bock is the Paulaner Salvator, so named in honor of the Savior. During the week before Easter, the first barrels of Paulaner Salvator are tapped in a public ceremony held at the brewery`s beer garden. Other German breweries follow suit, naming their bock beers with the ”-ator” suffix, such as Hacker-Pschorr`s Animator.
Bock may be part of a religious brewing tradition, but its legends have been corrupted over the years. Perhaps the most scurrilous slander says that bock beers originate from the dregs scraped from the bottoms of brew kettles. Not true; beer authority Michael Jackson defines a bock beer as a bottom-fermenting beer with a longer-than-average aging, or lagering, period. Brewers who are negligent in cleaning their brew kettles will find themselves out of business, not making bock.
Bock beers usually are quite dark, with a rich flavor and slightly dry finish because of higher alcohol content. The darker bock beers, also known as Dunkel, get their color from the roasted barley malts used in production.
”Too many people steer clear of bock because they believe it is poor-quality beer,” says Russ Klisch, a partner in the Lakefront Brewery. Proof to the contrary can be found by sampling several bock beers. But prepare your palate for a stronger taste.
Imported bock beers include the Paulaner Salvator (retail $2.50 to $3 per 16.9-ounce bottle) from West Germany. As an extra-strength, or double bock, beer Salvator is fairly dark, with a smooth, dry finish because of its high alcohol content (7.5 percent alcohol by volume). Typically, the Paulaner Salvator is served with foods that can stand up to its bitterness, such as grilled, smoky German sausage.
Hacker-Pschorr has its Animator Bock and a Maibock beer, brewed late in the winter for release in May. The Maibock is easier to find in the United States, but expect to pay $6.25 and up for a six-pack.
Domestic bock beers include one from Wisconsin`s Leinenkugel Brewery; it has a sweetish taste and is a shade paler than most imported bocks. Augsberger also makes a bock beer. Both brands are reasonably priced from $3.75 to $4.75 a six-pack.
The newest domestic bock is produced by the Boston Beer Co. under the Samuel Adams label. Made with hops imported from Bavaria and very dark roasted barley malts, its strength puts it in the category of a double bock. It sells for $5.75 or more a six-pack. Flavor in a bock beer largely is a matter of malt.
”We use chocolate and black malts to make our bock,” Klisch says. The chocolate malt is roasted to the color of cocoa, while the black malt looks as dark as the deepest espresso. Klisch made the bock in early January to allow it to lager for two months before serving. The Eastside Dark Bock had a hint of molasses with a pleasant aroma of hops.
Lakefront Brewery is unusual in venturing to issue a bock beer so early in its operations. Formed by brothers Russ and Jim Klisch, the brewery is just 3 years old. ”We`re not really a microbrewery, we`re a microscopic brewery,” Klisch says.
Notably, it is one of the few microbreweries operated solely by amateur home brewers rather than by professional brewmasters who have left large commercial breweries. The Klisches renovated the building, a former bakery, with an initial investment of $25,000 from their personal savings. Equipment was gleaned from restaurant auctions and going-out-of-business sales. An oak door to a walk-in refrigerator was scavenged from a defunct liquor store.
Even with the motley look of the brewery, the Lakefront is turning out beers of superb quality. ”It should be served in flutes,” according to Dan Bradford, president of the Association of Brewers.
Lakefront also is one of the few area breweries to offer fruit-infused beer. The Lakefront`s cherry beer is just one reason to visit Milwaukee; the Eastside Dark Bock is another. Aficionados can expect bottled beers from Lakefront in late 1990. Contact Russ Klisch, Lakefront Brewery Inc.
(1-414-372-8800), for more information.
Beer tasting
The Chicago Beer Society recently held its 8th All-American Beer Tasting and Banquet at the Goose Island Brewery. The focus on beer from America reflects the swing away from imported beers to the highly specialized beers brewed in small quantities by local craft breweries. ”For the first time, the tasting reflected the diversity of beer styles,” said the cochairman of the event, Bob Barson. ”We included ales for the first time.”
Seven lagers and six ales were represented in the highly informal competition. More than 250 participants quaffed beer and compared notes in judging the beers according to aroma, color, carbonation and head, and flavor. The crowd gave the top-rated lager, from August Schell, kudos for its hoppy taste with a pleasantly bitter finish. Bell`s Ale from the Kalamazz Brewing Co. and the Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale of Tico, Calif., were favorites in the new ales category.
Look for more festivities this summer from the Chicago Beer Society;
among them, the Blues & Brews Cruise, a chance to float on Lake Michigan while sampling locally produced beers. Call the Perpetual Beer Line at 1-708-692-BEER for more information. –
