Marc's Chocolate Bock

Marc's Chocolate Bock
Brauerei Gebr. Maisel Bayreuth (Link in German)
750 ml 7,5%

This family run brewery which is currently operating in the fourth generation (They are mainly known for their Weissbier Maisel's Weisse) recently started producing a line of high quality craft beers aimed at people like me.... the 750ml bottle costs around 5€ which is an OK price for me, but when you consider that you can get a 500ml can for cheaper than a Euro in any supermarket in Germany, it does put things into perspective.

This is a short interlude to the Dr. H. series as this was brought to me by my brother who already gave me an Indian Pale Ale from the same series, alas I was lazy and didn't blog about it.

The nice bottle looks well worth the money. It has a normal cap and not a cork like the bigger Belgium ones which miiight make it look a tad bit less worthy but seriously I don't care that much about it. The 2 part labels are classic and a bit minimalistic with the rear one offering taste descriptions. (Which I tend to evade as I'll auto-magically start tasting what I read...) It also shows the printed signature of whoever in an attempt to make it look more ... I dunno what. :P.

With the 7,5% of it and the effect the small Chimay had on me a few days back I expect to end having a nap later on :P. I do like my Chocolate Stouts so I'm looking forward to this Chocolate Bock.

I chose a 0,4 l Pils 'Tulip' glass for this, simply as I have no idea what glass would be fitting for it.
Likewise I was unsure what a good temperature would be for it... so I had it first in the fridge at around 8 C and then put it outside for 30 min at 1C... I chilled the glass as well as I realized that the same beer often has more than one taste sensations when tried in different temps.

It pours very oily and the very light caramel colored head is very fine and also very long lasting.
Fine bubbles from below fuel it and I wonder how the carbonation shall be. I noticed a nice warm smell already while pouring though now that the foam is covering it, the olfactory sensation isn't the strongest. I catch distant tones of dark chocolate, roasted malts and very faint hints of berries. A soft sweetness that reminds me of slightly burned caramel.

As the head still hasn't faded I'll enjoy a little beard in addition to my Movember one..

Dark chocolate and cacao are also what sticks out taste wise. The carbonation is good, maybe a bit too strong for me but that might also stem from the fact that I just smoked a pipe.
The taste is very full and rich and lingers on the tongue for quite a while, in which softer nuances mix into it like the burned caramel I mentioned before.

As in with the Chimay I can't taste the alcohol which always is a good thing, though I can feel a warmth in my tummy that must stem from either the percentage or the chocolaty goodness.

One of the best Chocolate themed beers I have had. It stays beer without aiming to be liquid chocolate... something other Chocolate beers fail.

I must say I am a big fan of the craft line Maisel is producing!

RateBeer seems to like it too.

The brewers themself say the following: http://www.maiselandfriends.com/en


Thanks to my brother for carrying the bottle to me.

Prost!

DMW