In the past, I have normally avoided blondes... at least when we're talking about beer.  In the past few weeks, I have been reconsidering that.  These beers have their place in the world.  In most cases when I see a "Blonde" name on a beer, I stereotype it as a micro or craft brewer's offering to the BudMillerCoors crowd.  In reality, I really believe that IS the case.  The difference between the blonde offerings from micro/craft brewers and the big beer companies is the flavor and ingredients used to get there.  The micro/craft beers have a slightly (only slightly) heavier body but the mouth feel and flavor is usually impressive compared to their rice-boiled counterparts.  As a home brewer, I have never cooked up a blonde but I'm going to do one very soon.  Why?  Well, there are a lot of people in the BudMillerCoors crowd.  One of my personal objectives this year is to get a couple of my friends interested in home brewing so I can have someone to brew with rather than doing it by myself all the time.  If I brew a good blonde and pour it down the necks of those friends who say they don't like home brewed beer, I might just come up with some converts who might become more willing to expand their beer horizons.  I know that when you take someone who has never really consumed any real beer and give them a home brewed stout, porter, or some other really thick beer, they will generally spit it out.  They just aren't used to what happens to the old taste buds when they collide with a high gravity home brew.  You have to convert them slowly!

Anyway... this brings me to today's sampling from Gordon Biersch Brewing Company in San Jose, California.  The Blonde Bock isn't really a member of the family of blondes that I discussed above.  It's a blonde, but it's also a bock.  The actual origin of bocks is a bit of a mystery but it dates back to medieval times in Germany when monks would brew some really strong beers for sustenance during periods of fasting.  The heavy body and higher sugar content would provide that sustenance.  This blonde bock has a great malt flavor with a medium offering of hops which creates a very nice balance.  The blonde bock is also ringing in at 7% alcohol which gives it a nice bite.  The higher alcohol content also makes this beer best served at a little warmer temperature.  55° F seems pretty nice to me.  I'm excited about trying some more Gordon Biersch brews since they are now locally available to me...

This afternoon, I decided to pop the top on a Shiner Bock from Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas.  The Shiner Bock has a rich brown color, but the head is rather lacking in the long run.  It vanished rather quickly with very minimal lacing on the glass.  The flavor is very nice with an interesting caramel sweetness and a decent body as well.  From the Website:

Bock reflects the tradition of genuine Barvarian beers as a brew only a craftsman like Kosmos Spoetzl, trained in the "Old Country," could bring to life.  With its deep amber color, distinctive rich flavor and full body, Shiner Bock demonstrates the care of a handcrafted brewing process to bring forth a mellow taste free of the bitter aftertaste found in many micro, specialty and imported beers.  Just think of it as Shiner smooth.

It definitely has a mellow taste and would potentially be a decent beer to give someone from the BudMillerCoors crowd.  I can't really find any significant fault with this beer, but it just doesn't make me wanna run out and get another six-pack of it.  That being said, I would not discourage anyone from giving it a try.  It's decent beer :)

I have had my eye on this bottle for a couple weeks, but I finally broke down and brought one home with me from Gail's Hops & Grapes earlier this week. The Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock is a member of the "Extreme Beers" collection from Samuel Adams lineup.  As you can see in the photo, the bottle is gorgeous.  There was a tag hanging on the bottle with the following message from Jim Koch:

For centuries, the world's finest brewers have created rich, complex dark beers known as bocks.  The best bocks display many layers of luxurious flavors.  I wanted to brew a bock beer that would represent the traditional style yet surprise the palate wtih a unique character and complexity.  We started with a complex selection of carefully roasted malts combined with hand-selected Noble hops from Barvaria, the world's oldest growing area.  After using a centuries old brewing process, called Krausening, we slowly aged the beer on a bed of rare dark cocoa nibs from Felchlin, a renowned Swiss chocolatier.  Known for their quality these wild cocoa nibs, harvested from the rainforest of Northern Bolivia, impart complex aromas and flavors of chocolate, honey, and vanilla in the beer.  The resulting beer, Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock, has a big, malty character that is combined with the subtle sweetness of chocolate, giving this brew a complex full-body taste with a velvety finish. 

I hope you enjoy sharing the unique drinking experience of this Limited Edition brew.

Cheers,

Jim Koch
Brewer & Founder

When sampling a beer like this one, it is really difficult to compare it with other brews... even other beers in the genre.  When you pair a beer with a flavoring like chocolate, it really sets it apart from everything else.  Fruit beers are the same way... the specifics of the flavor set them apart from others like them.  This chocolate bock is absolutely phenomenal.  I can't really say much more about the quality and flavor of this brew.  Jim Koch appropriately used the term velvety in his description.  The only comparison I can make between this beer and other bocks and stouts is that it makes an outstanding after-dinner drink.  It's like a dessert in a glass.  At 5.5% ABV, it's not going to knock you into a loop, and you can enjoy it without having to worry about after effects.  I don't think I would pair this beer with much of anything on a dessert menu unless it was something like a really fluffy slice of cheesecake :)