Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier – Urbock

Reviewed By: Rick S.
Style: Rauchbier, Bock
State/Country: Germany
ABV: 6.5%
Serving Type: 16.9 oz Bottle

Look: 8
Dark brown color, clear, with a decent head and little lacing

Smell: 9
Bacon, malt, and slight must

Taste: 9
Mild Smoke up front, then a wave of sweetness, and then the two trail off together in the finish

Mouthfeel: 9
Medium to full body, slightly creamy, with low carbonation.

Drinkability: 8.5
Surprisingly good!

Overall Score: 8.7

Value: 7
Cost/12 oz serving: $3.79

Overall Impression:
I was expecting to be overwhelmed with smokey flavors, but that was not case.  This beer is surprisingly well balanced.  There is plenty of malt backbone to stand up to the smoked malt and mild hop bitterness.  

There are those beer drinkers who consider Rauchbier strictly an acquired taste, and will have none of it. However, when paired with the right foods, Rauchbier can become the star of the show.

Food Pairing:
Suzy-QCB and I tried this world-class Rauchbier with a Pork Tenderloin that I smoked for 2.5 hours accompanied by green beans with roasted pecans and butter, and all of the flavor combinations were superb! 

Rauchbier goes extremely well with bold, full-flavored foods, real BBQ, and smoked foods such as smoked ham, smoked pork, smoked salmon, smoked sausages or smoked cheeses.  The smoky flavors in the beer and food complement each other perfectly! Rauchbier is also great with Mexican food.

Breakfast Pairing 080411

Recently, while enjoying a Samuel Adams Chocolate Cherry Bock at Hawthorne's Cafe on 11th St in South Philly,  I was chatting with the owner, Chris.   He said, "Can you image how great it would be with our French Toast on a Saturday morning?"  I decided that imagining or holding off simply would not do, so I ordered another beer and the French Toast right away.

Mind you, this was not your everyday French Toast, it's the real deal.  The edges of these 2 huge triangular slices of bread had an excellent caramelized crust that was extra crispy in spots, while the inside was rich and moist.  Sprinkled with powdered sugar, served with fresh fruit, and butter & syrup on the side.

The Chocolate Cherry Bock and the French Toast were both great on their own, but when they came together it was pure magic!

The sweet malt worked nicely with the powdered sugar, while latching on to the caramelized portions of the bread, melding with the bready center.  The roasted malt was absolutely perfect with the super crispy edges.  And in tandem with the hops and mild carbonation, it cut through the fat and cleansed the palate, making every bite as good as the first.

Although the French Toast was awesome on its own, I tried it with butter, syrup, and then both.  The Chocolate Cherry Bock worked with every combination, but it was hands down the best with both!

Additionally, the sweetness and tartness of the berries paired well with that of the chocolate and cherry in the beer, making the pairing a huge success!

Check out the Samuel Adams Chocolate Cherry Bock Review below

Samuel Adams Chocolate Cherry Bock

Reviewed By: Rick S.
Style: Bock
State/Country: Massachusetts
ABV: 7.0%
Serving Type: On Tap @ Hawthorne's

Look: 9.5
Black color with reddish hues, thick creamy tan head with great lacing.

Smell: 8.5
Dark chocolate, roasted malt, and lots of cherry

Taste: 9
Blast of cherries and chocolate up front, balanced by the hops and roast in the middle, and finishing with chocolate and cherries.  Flavors are linear, which is typical for the style

Mouthfeel: 9
Medium-heavy body with low carbonation, and a slick finish

Drinkability: 9
Decadent!

Overall Score: 9

Value: 7
Cost/12 oz serving: $5.50

Overall Impression:
It was like drinking Cellas® dark chocolate covered cherries.  Deelish!

Food Pairing:
As I was drinking this I was thinking how great it would be with ANY type of chocolate desert with or without cherries strawberries or raspberries, cheesecake again with or without fruit, and vanilla ice cream.  I paired my second one with food...here is the review

Anchor Bock

Reviewed By: Herr Mike

Style: Bock
State/Country: California
ABV: 5.5%
Serving Type: 12 oz Bottle

Look: 9
Mahogany color, big tan head, nice lacing

Smell: 9
Malt, chocolate, caramel

Taste: 8.5

Up Front: Big malt, coco, nutty, dark bread, raisins. Finish: Sweet with a little hops present

Mouthfeel: 8.5
Creamy and sticky

Drinkability: 8.5

Smooth, slightly chewy

Overall Score: 8.8

Value: 9

Cost/12 oz serving: $1.78

Overall Impression:
Another solid brew from Anchor! If you like the style, you’ll love this beer!

Yuengling Bock Beer

Reviewed By: Herr Mike
Style: Bock
State/Country: Pennsylvania
ABV: 5.1%
Serving Type: 12 oz Bottle

Look: 8
Medium amber color, big fluffy head, light lacing

Smell: 7
Slight malt, sweet, yeast

Taste: 6
Up Front: Malt, caramel, soda. Finish: brown sugar, bread

Mouthfeel: 6
Slight sweetness and dry

Drinkability: 6
Its low ABV makes it a session beer. Just make sure I’m not drinking in on that session! Just kidding! I’ll drink with anyone of our fanz!

Overall Score: 6.6

Value: 8
Cost/12 oz serving: $1.25

Overall Impression:
Yuengling is America’s oldest brewery and they have been around 180 years, making them almost as old as Herr Rick (He is immortal ya know!) So I have a lot of respect for the brewery itself, it just is a weak beer for the style. Just not for me. But someone who is on a tight budget may consider this beer before moving up the ladder to "actual" Doublebocks!