Beer of the Weekend #228: Maibock
The beer of the weekend is Maibock, brewed by the Summit Brewing Company of Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. There is a cryptic batch code printed on the label, but I cannot make heads or tails of it as a freshness date.
Appearance: Straight pour into a pilsner glass. The color is a light gold that has a light amber tint. One finger of eggshell-colored head dissipated quickly to leave a bubbly and spotted lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: The aroma is very weak; it is almost undetectable. There is something there — a floral, toasted, and light citrus scent — but it is very faint.
Taste: Flavor — what a concept. Somewhat disappointed by the lack of aroma, the taste jumped right out: toasted and floral malts, a light lemon citrus, and, at the end, a hop bite that lingers on the cheeks and tongue.
Drinkability: Crisp and clean, it has a nice zip to it. I am not too familiar with maibock, but this version pales in comparison with its German ancestor.
Fun facts about Maibock:
-Style: Maibock. Duh.
-Price: $7.99/sixer at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: The beer’s page on the Summit website suggests serving Maibock at 45-50ºF in a pilsner glass, pokel, or stein. (Speaking of beerware, I bought a sexy new weizen glass at Dirty John’s tonight. It was on sale and I could not resist. Actually, I bought two: one for me and one for my sister as a birthday present. Damn my obsession with beer glasses! It will debut on BotW sometime when weizen drinking begins.)
-Alcohol content: 6.5 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: Summit suggests “[p]retzels, white cheddar, sausage, ribs, pork and smoked meat.”
-IBU: 40.
-Gravity: 15º Plato.
-Color: The Summit site says Maibock is 9º Lovibond.
-According to Summit, maibock is the style of beer monk’s drink during their Lenten fasting.
-While on a VIP tour of the Olde Main Brewing Company in Ames yesterday, I asked the brewer about the importance of neck labels. I, personally, think they are worthless. However, he said they have at least one practical purpose: to hide the varying fill levels of each bottle. Not every bottle is filled perfectly to the same level, so a neck label conveniently hides the discrepancies in every six-pack.
The Quiet Man’s grade: C+.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. There is a cryptic batch code printed on the label, but I cannot make heads or tails of it as a freshness date.
Appearance: Straight pour into a pilsner glass. The color is a light gold that has a light amber tint. One finger of eggshell-colored head dissipated quickly to leave a bubbly and spotted lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: The aroma is very weak; it is almost undetectable. There is something there — a floral, toasted, and light citrus scent — but it is very faint.
Taste: Flavor — what a concept. Somewhat disappointed by the lack of aroma, the taste jumped right out: toasted and floral malts, a light lemon citrus, and, at the end, a hop bite that lingers on the cheeks and tongue.
Drinkability: Crisp and clean, it has a nice zip to it. I am not too familiar with maibock, but this version pales in comparison with its German ancestor.
Fun facts about Maibock:
-Style: Maibock. Duh.
-Price: $7.99/sixer at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: The beer’s page on the Summit website suggests serving Maibock at 45-50ºF in a pilsner glass, pokel, or stein. (Speaking of beerware, I bought a sexy new weizen glass at Dirty John’s tonight. It was on sale and I could not resist. Actually, I bought two: one for me and one for my sister as a birthday present. Damn my obsession with beer glasses! It will debut on BotW sometime when weizen drinking begins.)
-Alcohol content: 6.5 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: Summit suggests “[p]retzels, white cheddar, sausage, ribs, pork and smoked meat.”
-IBU: 40.
-Gravity: 15º Plato.
-Color: The Summit site says Maibock is 9º Lovibond.
-According to Summit, maibock is the style of beer monk’s drink during their Lenten fasting.
-While on a VIP tour of the Olde Main Brewing Company in Ames yesterday, I asked the brewer about the importance of neck labels. I, personally, think they are worthless. However, he said they have at least one practical purpose: to hide the varying fill levels of each bottle. Not every bottle is filled perfectly to the same level, so a neck label conveniently hides the discrepancies in every six-pack.
The Quiet Man’s grade: C+.
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