Beer of the Weekend #231: Trader Joe's Hofbrau Bock
The beer of the weekend is a little treat I picked up last Friday when I was in the central part of the state: Trader Joe’s Hofbrau Bock, brewed by the Trader Joe’s Brewing Company of San Jose, California (though we all know it is brewed on contract by Gordon Biersch).
Ah, yes: Trader Joe’s. Though the locations in Batavia and West Des Moines do not stock a few of my favorite things (most notably the eggplant wrap with tahini dipping sauce), they were welcome, west coast affiliated oases. I stocked up. Having drank the sixer of Stockyard Stout I picked up in the western burbs of Chicago, I bought another in WDM and this sixer of Hofbrau Bock. It was something I never saw before and did not want to pass it up.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. The “BEST CONSUMED BEFORE” date printed on the back is indecipherable because it is smeared and also connected to what appears to be a batch code. (Way to go, Trader Joe’s!)
Appearance: Straight pour into a pilsner glass. The color is a deep gold with hints of amber. One finger of eggshell-colored head dissipated to leave a thin, web-like lacing and thin ring around the edge.
Smell: Sweet caramel, toffee, and grassy/floral hops. It is tinged with an alcohol edge, making it a combination helles and bock.
Taste: It just about mirrors the smell. Lots of sweet malts up front (caramel and toffee), and has a substantial grassy/floral hop presence afterward. There is also a mild fruitiness to it; for whatever reason, it makes me think of prunes.
Drinkability: Pretty decent, except for the headache it is giving me. (Maybe that has more to do with the four beers I had earlier.)
Fun facts about TJHB:
-Style: Maibock/Helles Bock, which is fitting for this time of year. (Which is why it is available right now. Duh.)
-Price: $5.99/sixer at the Trader Joe’s on Mills Civic Parkway in West Des Moines. The area around the Jordan Creek Town Center gave me awful flashbacks of pedestrian unfriendly Orange County, especially Irvine. Yuck.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 7 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends Italian cuisine, German cuisine, nutty cheeses (Asiago, Colby, Parmesan), fish, shellfish, and salmon.
-As with all “Trader Joe’s” beers, Hofbrau Bock is shrouded in mystery. However, there is this bottle nerdiness printed on the back label:
“Hofbrau” in German means “the brew of royalty.” Trader Joe’s Hofbrau Bock is a fine example of the regal brewing tradition still found in Germany today. This outstanding bock is golden in color, very rich and moderately hopped.
-IBU: 22.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B-.
Ah, yes: Trader Joe’s. Though the locations in Batavia and West Des Moines do not stock a few of my favorite things (most notably the eggplant wrap with tahini dipping sauce), they were welcome, west coast affiliated oases. I stocked up. Having drank the sixer of Stockyard Stout I picked up in the western burbs of Chicago, I bought another in WDM and this sixer of Hofbrau Bock. It was something I never saw before and did not want to pass it up.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. The “BEST CONSUMED BEFORE” date printed on the back is indecipherable because it is smeared and also connected to what appears to be a batch code. (Way to go, Trader Joe’s!)
Appearance: Straight pour into a pilsner glass. The color is a deep gold with hints of amber. One finger of eggshell-colored head dissipated to leave a thin, web-like lacing and thin ring around the edge.
Smell: Sweet caramel, toffee, and grassy/floral hops. It is tinged with an alcohol edge, making it a combination helles and bock.
Taste: It just about mirrors the smell. Lots of sweet malts up front (caramel and toffee), and has a substantial grassy/floral hop presence afterward. There is also a mild fruitiness to it; for whatever reason, it makes me think of prunes.
Drinkability: Pretty decent, except for the headache it is giving me. (Maybe that has more to do with the four beers I had earlier.)
Fun facts about TJHB:
-Style: Maibock/Helles Bock, which is fitting for this time of year. (Which is why it is available right now. Duh.)
-Price: $5.99/sixer at the Trader Joe’s on Mills Civic Parkway in West Des Moines. The area around the Jordan Creek Town Center gave me awful flashbacks of pedestrian unfriendly Orange County, especially Irvine. Yuck.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 7 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends Italian cuisine, German cuisine, nutty cheeses (Asiago, Colby, Parmesan), fish, shellfish, and salmon.
-As with all “Trader Joe’s” beers, Hofbrau Bock is shrouded in mystery. However, there is this bottle nerdiness printed on the back label:
“Hofbrau” in German means “the brew of royalty.” Trader Joe’s Hofbrau Bock is a fine example of the regal brewing tradition still found in Germany today. This outstanding bock is golden in color, very rich and moderately hopped.
-IBU: 22.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B-.
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