Written by It isn’t too often that I go out of my way and buy a beer to try based on other beer reviews, but this is an exception! The Brew Club has been reviewing a bunch of Winter Seasonal beers, as well as some traditional Christmas beers, but I’ve been reading an awful lot of good things about the Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock Limited Edition. I just had to try it. I’m not really sure that the Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock is a wintertime-only brew, but its a good choice for the season. I’ll make it fit!
So, I ventured out to my regular place and sure enough they had a few boxes of Chocolate Bock on display, ready to go. Great! I grabbed one, but before I did I noticed that the black bottle with special label cost $11.99! “Holy crap!” I thought to myself – but then I remembered that this was for science and research and not enjoyment per-se. I convinced myself it was alright to purchase this beer, and scratched the stupid milk and apples and eggs off of my shopping list instead.
Once I got home and chilled the bottle a bit, I removed with great anticipation the foil-covered top to begin! The beer pours into the glass a very, very dark color which appears black. In the light, one can see it is an extremely deep reddish color – and it produces quite a nice dark-beige head of foam that does not linger for too long. You’ll be able to get to drinking this one quickly I think!
The smell, I will confess, is somewhat less than I would have expected. Inhaling deeply, I can pick up on some malty smells, and indeed the chocolate is in there, but not too much else. Very mild, and nothing really jumps out.
Now, the taste is really quite different than anything else I’ve tried! Let me see if I can explain it by first revealing to you the contents of the little tag that was attached to the Chocolate Bock bottle. The little tag states that the beer contains Noble Hops from Bavaria, uses an ancient brewing process called ‘Krausening’, and then the beer is aged on a bed of ‘chocolate nibs’ (not sure what they are, chocolate nibs) from ‘Felchlin – a renowned Swiss chocolatier’. Apparently, the Chocolate nibs go to Switzerland all the way from Bolivia for this very special beer to be aged on. Sounds like a heck of a process to me! (Probably why is costs so much!)
So, the taste turns out to be spot-on in regards to the little tag. You taste a lot of malt, and there is some nice sweetness that comes through – mostly chocolate, but lingering in the aftertaste is a bit of sweet honey. This is really an interesting beer, and in my opinion is just about PERFECT for the cold months of the year. Don’t get me wrong, you are not going to drink this beer and confuse it with Yoo-Hoo, but you will definitely pick up on the chocholate taste especially in the finish. It is very nicely done.
The Sam Adams Chocolate Bock definitely has a thicker feel to it, medium to heavy body I would say, but it’s really a smooth sipper – no sting, no bite, and I can’t really pick up on much of an alcohol taste at all. This is a 5.5% ABV beer, so it isn’t too strong in that regard anyway.
So, I’m happy I tried this Sam Adams Chocolate Bock, and now I know what all the fuss is about! Was it worth the $11.99+tax? I would say so. Winter is but once per year, and I could easily see this becoming a yearly tradition for myself. Go out and try it!
Rating: 
$11.99!? Man, I feel ripped off… I paid $15.99 for my bottle. Still, however, really looking forward to cracking it open during the holidays — especially after reviews like this!
If I recall correctly, Krausening is ‘kick starting’ a brew mid way through the brewing process, often by adding additional sugar – the Belgians tend to add cane sugar to ‘beef up’ the strength of their ales… while Chocolate Nibs are small pieces of raw cacao, the source of chocolate.
I’ve never seen or heard of an ale quite like this, but will be making a trip to my local beer specialist tomorrow.
Even with the weakness of the pound against the dollar!
Thanks for giving us some props on your review of the beer. For anyone who sees this beer it is a must. Like I’ve said on our site before I’m not much a fan of spiced, fruit, or otherwise “enhanced” ales; but this beer is a must.
Mike’s last blog post..Drink with us everyday: Reindeer’s Revolt English Christmas Ale
No problem – I’ve read several good reviews on the Chocolate Bock, but yours was the one that compelled me to get out and find it. I think its going to be a yearly tradition for me. I really liked it, and I agree with you on the ‘enhanced’ beer issue. Merry Christmas!
That’s about $30 odd bucks our money, (Aussie Peso’s). For one beer! Geez, it’s a bit of a poser when I can almost buy a carton for that. I know the saying of quality over quantity but I do like to feel a little inebriated (read ‘blind drunk’) for my dollar. Maybe I’ll try it when the stock market recovers.
WOW! This brew is the nectar of the Gods. The mixture of elements (and there are several) will haunt the discriminating pallate. I cannot say enough about the flavor and the multiple layers of intrigue. Talk about smooooooth! Would that this one could be attained at a more pedestrian price tag. Still the splurge was well worth the elavated experience. A very special treat!
I still have last years I never drank. I think i might break it out at my next beer club tasting in Jan as a “surprise”. Wonder how well it holds up over a year+. (mine says drink before April 09)
.-= Simply Beer´s last blog ..Avery duganA Double IPA =-.
@Simply Beer – that makes a good surprise! I bet its OK to drink now but I’d be curious too as to how it aged. Please stop back and let us know!
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Home Brew Kits – The Final Review =-.