Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock

Brewer: Samuel Adams
Style: Bock
ABV: 5.8%
Country: USA, Massachusetts

Still working through the winter ales from Sam Adams. Seeing how its a good time to overindulge on anything chocolate related, I figured the chocolate bock would be a good choice to guzzle down. A bock is a style of strong German Lager. Usually they are malty and lightly hopped. At only 5.8% this is a bit lighter than typical bocks which clock in at the 6-7% range.

Poured a dark porter like color. Mostly black body that carried some caramel coloring around the edges when held up to a light.

The aroma contains plenty of chocolate all over the place. Absolutely delicious smelling. This is up there with Founder's Breakfast Stout when it comes to great aroma. This smells like dark chocolate with a hints of alcohol and coffee, similar to a mocha liqueur, beautiful.

Lots of sweet malts upfront containing plenty of chocolate flavor. A medium body and light carbonation make this an easy beer to savor. A light bitterness gave way to a nice silky finish. This was a very delicious desert beer for a chocolate lover. Yummy! B+

Samuel Adams Winter Lager

Brewer: Samuel Adams
Style: Bock
ABV: 5.6%
Country: USA, Massachusetts

Being that we are still in the grips of winter, I've picked up the Samuel Adams Winter assortment. 12 bottles of six different beers, hopefully there will be some good brews in here. First up will be the classic Winter Lager. This is classified as a bock (by Beeradvocate) which is a type of strong lager though at 5.6%, this is at the milder end of the bock spectrum.

The beer poured a dark, ruby caramel. This is a beautiful color for this kind of beer. A nice white head settles into a wispy, lingering lace.

Aroma is mostly faint. What scents are there are sweet, a little bready and a hint of orange.

Medium-light body, nice carbonation. Sweet malts. Smooth slick mouth feel. Goes down easy with light bitterness. Toasted, buttery bread finish. I tried to find the spiciness that the bottle claimed, but couldn't find any. Best characteristic of this beer is the creamy mouth feel, quite a treat. Beyond the body, the beer is lacking otherwise. I'd had this several years ago and I seem to remember more spiciness so I wonder if the recipe has been changed since. More holiday spice presence would certainly be a plus. Overall though, this is still a nice beer that I would have again. B-