Beer of the Weekend #105: Schokolade Bock
Happy holidays, everyone. If you’re traveling anywhere inside the Hawkeye State, drive safe. The weather’s pretty crazy.
Tonight is a special Christmas Eve version of BotW. All the presents have been opened at my house and it’s time to drink a little beer. But before I move on to this weekend’s brew, I wanted to write about the beer I tried last night. Tom, of Churchill’s Cigar, invited me over for some “shenanigans,” and he had a sixer of Vanilla Porter brewed by the Breckenridge Brewery of Denver, Colorado. (Why it’s not located in Breckenridge is beyond me. I could look it up, but I’m feeling too lazy right now.)
I tried a bottle and jotted down all the vitals. They’re transcribed here. (Note to self: carry a small “beer” notebook whenever you go drinking.)
Serving type: One 12-ounce bottle.
Appearance: Deep black. Not quite opaque because light gets through. An off-white, tan head develops and slowly dissipates to a leave a nice, billowy lacing on top and ring of foam around the edge.
Smell: Cocoa and a hint of vanilla. Maybe a little fruit — raspberry and plum. (Is plum fruit?)
Taste: Cocoa malts. A little like hot chocolate. A little vanilla and the plum comes through as well. Not as “stout” as I usually like.
Drinkability: Tom made the comment that it was not as thick as many stouts and porters, and I agree. It was smooth drinking, and tasty, but it didn’t offer anything truly spectacular. Flavorwise, I don’t think it is as unique as it’s made out to be.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
~
Wow — a meta-tasting. I’m not counting it as an official tasting because I didn’t take a picture of the full pint. A pic of the beer in all its glory (or lack of) is vital for documentation. But, nonetheless, it’s another notch in my beer bedpost.
The beer tonight is a local brew: Schokolade Bock brewed by the Millstream Brewing Company of Amana, Iowa.
I bought SB at Dirty John’s yesterday. I wanted to get a stout, specifically Anchor Porter, but I couldn’t find it in the walk-in fridge, so I decided to buy local.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles.
Appearance: Nice pour. The color is an attractive ruby/amber brown. Two fingers of head developed and slowly dissipated to leave a spotted lacing and foamy ring.
Smell: Maybe my nose isn’t working tonight, but the aromas are very faint and hard to decipher. What I could get was toasted cocoa malts and maybe a touch of coffee. Smells like a hybrid stout/brown ale.
Taste: Very tasty. The toasted cocoa is prominent, and is complimented by coffee and caramel malts as well. A slight bitterness offers a satisfying bite.
Drinkability: Another great brew from Millstream. Schokolade Bock melds the best qualities of stout, brown ale, and amber ale, and makes for a very enjoyable drink.
Fun facts about Schokolade Bock:
-Price: I don’t remember. I think it was around $7-8 for the sixer.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5.2 percent ABV according to Millstream, 5.7 percent ABV according to BA.
-Food pairings: From the Millstream website:
“Chocolate deserts,” eh? (Typo!)
-SB is one of Millstream’s winter beers. Along with Colony Oatmeal Stout (which I might have to try), SB is available from November to March.
-According to the Millstream website, SB is lagered in the brewery’s cellar for a month.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
Tonight is a special Christmas Eve version of BotW. All the presents have been opened at my house and it’s time to drink a little beer. But before I move on to this weekend’s brew, I wanted to write about the beer I tried last night. Tom, of Churchill’s Cigar, invited me over for some “shenanigans,” and he had a sixer of Vanilla Porter brewed by the Breckenridge Brewery of Denver, Colorado. (Why it’s not located in Breckenridge is beyond me. I could look it up, but I’m feeling too lazy right now.)
I tried a bottle and jotted down all the vitals. They’re transcribed here. (Note to self: carry a small “beer” notebook whenever you go drinking.)
Serving type: One 12-ounce bottle.
Appearance: Deep black. Not quite opaque because light gets through. An off-white, tan head develops and slowly dissipates to a leave a nice, billowy lacing on top and ring of foam around the edge.
Smell: Cocoa and a hint of vanilla. Maybe a little fruit — raspberry and plum. (Is plum fruit?)
Taste: Cocoa malts. A little like hot chocolate. A little vanilla and the plum comes through as well. Not as “stout” as I usually like.
Drinkability: Tom made the comment that it was not as thick as many stouts and porters, and I agree. It was smooth drinking, and tasty, but it didn’t offer anything truly spectacular. Flavorwise, I don’t think it is as unique as it’s made out to be.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
~
Wow — a meta-tasting. I’m not counting it as an official tasting because I didn’t take a picture of the full pint. A pic of the beer in all its glory (or lack of) is vital for documentation. But, nonetheless, it’s another notch in my beer bedpost.
The beer tonight is a local brew: Schokolade Bock brewed by the Millstream Brewing Company of Amana, Iowa.
I bought SB at Dirty John’s yesterday. I wanted to get a stout, specifically Anchor Porter, but I couldn’t find it in the walk-in fridge, so I decided to buy local.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles.
Appearance: Nice pour. The color is an attractive ruby/amber brown. Two fingers of head developed and slowly dissipated to leave a spotted lacing and foamy ring.
Smell: Maybe my nose isn’t working tonight, but the aromas are very faint and hard to decipher. What I could get was toasted cocoa malts and maybe a touch of coffee. Smells like a hybrid stout/brown ale.
Taste: Very tasty. The toasted cocoa is prominent, and is complimented by coffee and caramel malts as well. A slight bitterness offers a satisfying bite.
Drinkability: Another great brew from Millstream. Schokolade Bock melds the best qualities of stout, brown ale, and amber ale, and makes for a very enjoyable drink.
Fun facts about Schokolade Bock:
-Price: I don’t remember. I think it was around $7-8 for the sixer.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5.2 percent ABV according to Millstream, 5.7 percent ABV according to BA.
-Food pairings: From the Millstream website:
Bitter Chocolate flavors, such as Mole sauces. Cajun "blackened" dishes. Grilled sausages, Ham, pastrami, and dark breads. And of course Chocolate deserts. Try a glass with a 55% Dark Chocolate bar!
“Chocolate deserts,” eh? (Typo!)
-SB is one of Millstream’s winter beers. Along with Colony Oatmeal Stout (which I might have to try), SB is available from November to March.
-According to the Millstream website, SB is lagered in the brewery’s cellar for a month.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
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