Spring used to be simple for beer lovers. Spring meant bock. But a glut of seasonal microbrews of all stripes has radically altered the landscape. There are plenty of bocks, but they compete with Belgian, British and new American styles emerging from microbreweries.
When left unqualified, the term “bock” connotes a darkish lager beer with about 6 percent to 7 percent alcohol. Doppelbock (double bock) starts where bock leaves off. Maibock (May bock) is a pale beer that’s typically of single-bock strength.
These strong beers came about for various reasons. Doppelbock was created by the Pauline monks in Munich to sustain themselves through Lent. The resulting beer, whose descendent is sold as Paulaner Salvator (Savior), would certainly have contained abundant nutrients, but one wonders how the brothers stayed awake with this potent brew on an empty stomach. “Monks gave up a lot of things to lead a holy life,” says Pete Slosberg, founder of Pete’s Brewing Co., “but great beer was not one of them.”
Released in January, Pete’s Wicked Springfest is an amber bock containing 7 percent alcohol by volume. The company says the beer is made from “the first wort of the malt”: Only the first batch of sugar-laden liquid drawn off the malt is fermented into beer. Additional wort sugars aren’t rinsed from the mashed grains, as is usually the practice. Using only the first wort helps reduce astringency in the finished brew.
Here are several other noteworthy spring-themed American microbrews available in the Chicago market. Most stay on the shelves a few months at most, and survive on tap even less time, so call around.
The Three Floyds Brewing Co. in Hammond, Ind., is brewing a saison that should appear by mid-May.
“It’s one of the most underappreciated styles,” said sales manager John Freyer. “We were looking for something more summery, drinkable but substantial.”
Saison is native to the French-speaking part of Belgium. These farmhouse beers are usually orange, with a craggy head, bracing bitterness and refreshing acidity. Saisons are made in various strengths, including one brewed in the spring for summer consumption. When brewing la saison de mars (March), the objective is to produce a beer that’s strong enough to last through the summer but not too strong to refresh.
Nick Floyd, head brewer at Three Floyds, uses a sour mash–letting the malted grains stew long enough to awaken the lactobacillus on the husks–to obtain a subtle tartness in his saison. Like most Three Floyds brews, it’s plenty hoppy. Look for it on draft at the Map Room and the Augenblick in Chicago and the Maple Tree Inn in Blue Island. The beer will be sold in half-gallon growlers at Nick’s Liquors in Hammond, Sam’s in Chicago and the Liquor Center, 5200 N. Milwaukee Ave. Three Floyds Saison will be available mid-May.
At the Yakima Brewing & Malting Co. in Yakima, Wash., brewmaster Bert Grant has been making a series of seasonal beers that use just one variety of hop each. SpringFest Ale is an amber beer with a maltiness accented by earthy, spicy Willamette hops, which are related to the British Fuggles variety.
“I wanted something like a bock,” Grant said. “We ended up with quite a complex spring beer.” SpringFest is made with pale, Munich, caramel and chocolate malts, and a roasted malt that gives a biscuity flavor. Alcohol is 7 percent.
The Wild Goose Brewery in Frederick, Md., has made a Spring Wheat since 1993. The beer is made from three malts and four kinds of hops, including Pacific Northwest and European varieties. The straw-colored brew is clean and crisp, with a spicy finish. It tastes nothing like the hefeweizens (yeasty wheat beers) from Pacific Northwest brewers such as Widmer and Pyramid. Alcohol is 5.6 percent.
Goose Island’s brew pub on North Clybourn Avenue is serving a malty Maibock with 6.5 percent alcohol. “With the exception of the Maibock, we start to see things lightening up in the spring,” said head brewer Greg Hall. “We do a lot of hoppy beers in the spring. People start looking for a lighter color.”
The Capital Brewing Co. of Middleton, Wis., makes a malty Maibock. “It’s one of our strongest-selling seasonals,” said president Rich Lingk. “It’s second only to our Oktoberfest.”
After a multiyear absence, Sierra Nevada Pale Bock has returned to Chicago. Like all the company’s beers, it’s hoppy for the style. “We just like hoppy beers,” said sales manager Steve Harrison. In late March 700 cases arrived in Chicago from the brewery in Chico, Calif. Look for it at Sam’s, Chalet on North Clark Street and Total Beverage. The beer contains 6.75 percent alcohol. It is on tap at Bricks, Clark Street Ale House and the Village Tap.
Dating to 1988, Samuel Adams Double Bock was the first seasonal beer produced by the Boston Beer Co.
“We got involved for the brewing challenge,” said Jim DeBoer, production manager at the company’s Boston brewery. It takes two mashes (the conversion of barley malt into sugars) to collect enough wort (unfermented beer) for a brew. The double bock is malty, caramelly and moderately bitter, with 7.2 percent alcohol.
The Sprecher Brewing Co., Glendale, Wis., brews a Maibock containing 6 percent alcohol; it should be available into May.
Rogue Ales in Newport, Ore. produces Maierbock, a top-fermented beer with the strength and maltiness of a bock.
“I prefer to use an ale yeast because I like the fruitiness it contributes to the flavor,” said head brewer John Maier. Maierbock is sold in the spring, then returns in the fall as Dead Guy Ale.
The Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. in Chippewa Falls, Wis., brews two bock beers. Sold in early spring, Leinenkugel’s Original Bock dates to 1888. This month you’ll also find Big Butt Doppelbock in stores.
The Leinenkugel products are made with 8 percent to 12 percent corn for a lighter body. With 6.9 percent alcohol by volume, Big Butt is the maltier of the two.
Leinenkugel’s Berry Weiss will be available for about six months starting in early April. This sweet brew is made with Wisconsin blackberries, loganberries and elderberries. It contains 5 percent alcohol by volume.
