Born in the town of Einbeck in central Germany, Bocks have been brewed and lagered for weeks on end since the 14th century. The payoff is a beer with a clean lager finish, a warming ABV, and a big malt bill that serves up toasty, nutty goodness.
When the style wandered south into Bavaria, dialect did what dialect does and twisted the pronunciation. ‘Einbeck’ got warped into something closer to ‘ein Bock’, which means ‘a billy goat’ of all things. Thus, thanks to this Bavarian blunder, Bock beers became forever linked with goats. If you’ve ever wondered why Bock labels are full of horned farm animals: blame linguistics.
Most Bocks fall into three main lanes: Helles Bock/Maibock (pale, springtime vibes), Dunkels Bock (richer and darker), and Doppelbock (bigger warmth, bigger flavour, bigger everything). In terms of ABV, Helles and Dunkels Bocks sit comfortably above regular lagers in the mid-6% to low-7% zone, while Doppelbocks tend to climb higher to 7-10%.
Then there are the fun cousins of these three classics: Weizenbocks and Eisbocks. Weizenbocks can really fit into any of our other Bock categories, but having an addition of wheat brings that classic weizen flare of banana and clove.
Eisbocks are where things get properly unhinged. They typically start life as a doppelbock (or in the case of Schneider Weisse’s Aventinus, a weizen-doppelbock), then go through freezing cycles where ice is removed after each cycle, leaving the beer more concentrated, cranking both flavour and alcohol up to 11 (or even higher!). Some versions go nuclear with truly insane ABVs, like Scottish Brewdog and German Schorschbraü collaborating on a 57.8% ABV monster during COVID!
The best part is there’s a Bock for basically any season. They’re perfect for when you’ve had enough of the latest oat-cream-hazy-double-IPA with a side of hops slapping you in the face, and you just want a beer where malt gets the limelight for a change.
Germany’s beer history is long, rich, and up there as one of the most influential… but honestly? In the wide world of beer, it’s hard not to wonder: is Bock Germany’s GOAT?
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Explore our range of Bocks!
