“For golden moments by the fireplace: “Mein Aventinus” – the wholehearted, dark ruby coloured wheat beer, intensive and fiery, warming, well-balanced and tender. Bavaria’s oldest wheat “Doppelbock” – brewed since 1907! Its sturdy body in combination with its sweet malty aroma is an invitation to profound indulgence – an ingenious blend with a strong body.  Perfectly matches rustic dishes, dark roasts and sweet desserts – Schneider Weisse.”

Glassware: 500ml Stein.

Appearance: Deep amber with a faint strawberry red tint. It produces a big three finger head which takes an age to reduce. Healthy lace as it ebbs.

Aroma: Super sweet but balanced by the spicy yeast, wheat grains and doughy malts. Oodles of sugary fruits like raisin, dates and mixed dried fruits. We’re getting banana bread, cola syrup/sarsaparilla, brown sugar, caramels, chocolate bullets and blood plum as well. Almost smells like a Trappist Belgian Quad. Magnificent!

Flavour: A mirror image of the nose – sweet with raisin, dates/prunes, caramels, brown sugar and banana bread yet lightly toasted and flush with yeast esters and apple/pear. Syrupy and cola-like midway then on to a classic German finish of banana runts, clove, sweet malts and dark fruits. Excellent duration.

Mouthfeel: Sticky, gelatinous texture. Medium-full body. Co2 is kinda tight and unassertive. 8.2% ABV is incredibly well concealed.

Overall: For us these guys are up there with the likes of Weihenstephaner and Erdinger..if not better. Especially when it comes to the dark lagers. Brilliant Doppelbock. Can’t fault it.

“Whisky Barrel aged Weizenbock is the second beer comming out of our barrel program. Full of banana, caramel, oak, clove and vanilla notes. You may not think about it but autumn is almost here and this is the perfect beer for it!”

Glassware: 500ml Stein

Appearance: Kind of a burnished copper pour with a short head which rapidly disappears. Not a skerrick of head is left so lacing isn’t a thing.

Aroma: Totally dominated by decadent caramel, toffee and sweet doughy malts. There’s a fairly strong yeasty presence too – clove, pear/apple, subtle banana bread. Something a little off-putting though…we want to say apple cider vinegar but we think it may be the whisky barrels clashing with the yeast profile. Pretty bloody average to be honest.

Flavour: Fortunately there’s a bit more harmony here. Still not 100% right though. The whisky and the yeast are a bit better isolated but they just don’t work together. The apple cider vinegar quality it creates isn’t pleasant. Good thing is the sweet caramels, toffee and doughy malt save it from being a total disaster.

Mouthfeel: Sticky and gelatinous. Medium body, spritzy Co2. 9.1% ABV is reasonably well behaved.

Overall: Not the best way to kick off proceedings with this Spanish brewery. Poorly thought through and average execution. Would have been better off without the barrel ageing. No likey.

“While you were going about your day this past winter, drinking hazies and delicately balancing the thermostat – heavy sweater equation, we put something in tank and left it there. Something big and bold, but also traditional. And it needed time, a lot fo time. But now as winter comes to an end here in Australia, we think our first foray in the bock arena is ready. Allow us to introduce you to our Doppelbock. A darker hued, double lager, that will truly thaw your heart for spring.”

Glassware: Stein.

Appearance: 100% transparent deep amber complexion. A loosely packed three finger head surges to the rim of the glass before rapidly receding. Blotchy lace clings as we go.

Aroma: Hitting everything from the traditional toasty malts and dark fruits (prunes, raisin, dates etc) to salted caramel, plum jam, grape juice, chestnut and a strange hint of either blackcurrant or blackberry. That quintessential bready character we find among most German styles is also here too. Promising start.

Flavour: Malt forward…leaning towards the classic toasty, nutty and bready Munich malts. A slight hint of herbal hops shifting in to the sweeter and almost cloying notes of toffee apple, plum and grape juice midway. A bit of a dry patch late in the piece as it finishes with a bit of a syrupy sweetness which lingers.

Mouthfeel: Nice and thick, a bit syrupy but it dries out mid swallow. The 9.5% ABV comes through a little but it’s otherwise well behaved.

Overall: Gotta hand it to Deeds here…we are a bit over their flooding of Hazy beers so it’s great to see them break the mould with this complex and somewhat left field Doppelbock. Not a bad crack either.

“It’s the year 2120, your brain has been transferred to a T1000 looking like Robert Patrick and there’s a blistering (nuclear) storm going on outside. But you don’t want to get your metal wet. So what better way to spend the afternoon than to pour yourself an ‘I’ll be bock’, lay down the rocket launcher for a moment and sink into the couch while enjoying the subtle flavours of toasted caramel and good ol’ fashioned German hops. Don’t worry, you’ll be bock.”

Glassware: Half Stein.

Appearance: Chestnut brown with mahogany hues. It only manages a short head which collapsed and struggled to produce any lacing.

Aroma: We can smell it as it sits stationary on the table. Absolute sweetness overload with caramel, toffee and butterscotch leading out. Plenty of support from a swathe of dark fruits like raisin, dates/prunes, blood plum, cherry and blackberry. A bit of a fruitcake accent that opens up more as it settles. Brown sugar, honey, cookie dough and brioche for extra measure. Damn fine aroma.

Flavour: A little bit more yeast coming through on the palate…subtle spice, fruitcake and brioche. Obviously the big and sweet overtones (caramel, raisin, butterscotch) dominate but it’s balanced with a hint of black tea, toast and roasted grains which carry in to the nicely drawn out finish.

Mouthfeel: Pretty well balanced. Smooth, creamy, some warmth from the 6.5% ABV. Mild-moderate Co2. Medium body.

Overall: We had no idea what we were in for with this very little known Dutch brewery but the risk has certainly paid off! Very traditional German style Bock executed with pin point precision. Brilliant.

“This Doppelbock, or “Double Bock”, is a dark, extra full bodied lager after the best Bavarian tradition. Such beer was created by monks for the tough fasting period of Lent. They called it “liquid bread”. Look for flavor notes of chocolate, candied fruit and roasted malt.”

Glassware: Stein.

Appearance: Pours a deep ruby red with a huge four finger head. It rapidly reduces and settled to a bubbly overlay with minimal lace left behind.

Aroma: Gorgeous display of toasty and nutty malts, sweet dark fruits and tangy orange marmalade. Sweet and sticky caramel/toffee and cognac, aniseed/cola, peanut, molasses, chocolate, yeast esters (banana, clove) and a somewhat dark bready presence like pumpernickel or rye. Jeez there’s a lot to unpack here but it’s so worth it. Absolutely superb aroma.

Flavour: Wow. Like the aroma the taste buds are in a frenzy. The stand out flavours are obviously the delicious dark fruits like raisin and prunes/dates but there is also a heady presence of caramel and lightly burnt toffee, nutty malts, toast, yeast esters and slightly pithy orange marmalade. Toasted pumpernickel or dark rye develop late and move in to a slightly dry finish with tonnes of residual sweetness clinging to the back palate.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and gelatinous. A little syrupy but the booze (8.6% ABV) and mild bitterness cleans that up nicely. Low Co2. Medium-full body.

Overall: Very elegant. Complex too! But the main thing is the balance as it’s super sweet but so well countered by the additions of marmalade, rye breads and bitterness. Excellent interpretation of the style.

“Long ago, in a small German town in the depths of winter, a tired young brewer left some barrels of bock to the elements of the brew yard instead of rolling them in to the cellar. By morning the kegs had partially froze. Upon tasting the remaining rich liquid the brewmaster’s horror turned to delight and a legend was born.”

Glassware: Goblet.

Appearance: Dark brown which reveals mahogany hues when held near the light. Hardly any head whatsoever with little lace as it subsides.

Aroma: Super malty. Just full of booze-fuelled caramel, toffee, dark fruits and lightly smoked malts. As it settles in it opens up with figs, bakers chocolate, banana split, plum jam, ginger bread and yeast esters. Every now and then we get a fleeting hint of peated whisky. Holy moly that is one good way of opening up the nasal cavities!

Flavour: Proper malt bomb…everything from caramel and toffee to toast, roasted nuts, dark fruits, dark chocolate and smoke. Then backfilled with figs, choc-coated banana, espresso coffee, peated whisky and ash. And let’s not forget the sweet sweet taste of pure alcohol! The length on this bad boy…ooph it just goes on for days.

Mouthfeel: Thick, chewy and almost like cough syrup. It would be rather smooth and silky if it weren’t for the burning booze (16% ABV) but hey at that number you have to kind of expect it.

Overall: A freakin massive beer but they’ve done a marvellous job of keeping it within reason. We reckon it would go well as an after dinner aperitif. It would also do well after quite a long stint in the cellar too. So if you have deep pockets and good patience the jump on it!

“Brewed only once a year on December 6. Samichlaus is aged for 10 months before bottling. This beer is perhaps the rarest in the world. Samichlaus may be aged for many years to come. Older vintages become more complex with a creamy warming finish. Serve with hardy robust dishes and desserts, particulary with chocolates, or as an after dinner drink by itself.”

Glassware: Stemmed tulip.

Appearance: It hits the glass with a deep ruby red glow. It only manages a short beige head that collapsed to a halo but still works a wavy lace as we imbibe.

Aroma: Extreme indulgence. Unbelievably rich and complex with booze-soaked dates and raisin, Christmas cake, toffee, spice, cognac, residual sugars, gluhwein, fig jam and glazed cherries. We could practically sit here all arvo and pick out another half a dozen or so but we’ll move on. Absolutely superb.

Flavour: Holy moly! It’s nearly edible. The progression of flavours is next level, opening with Christmas cake, stewed cherries, cognac, residual sugars and toffee then flowing in to super sweet caramelised malts and a crescendo of burning alcohol. It develops a nutty flavour early in the ultra sweet, sugary and yeasty finish. The length is incredible too, really sitting on the tongue.

Mouth feel: Sticky and saturated. Full body and low carbonation. 14% ABV… What can we say, it’s quite vigorous.

Overall: Simply amazing. It’s straddling that line between beer and aperitif. It could be very slowly quaffed, enjoyed with a good Cuban cigar or as a digestif after dinner. Really impressive.

“There are pioneers among us who have set the wheels in motion for today’s burgeoning beer industry. This Annual limited release is a tribute to these Forefathers. For this year’s Forefathers brew, Willie and Brad were inspired by a German Doppelbock. With a rich malt flavour that hints of chocolate and dark fruits, lagered for six weeks to make sure the finish is super smooth.”

Served in a Stein glass. The cola coloured pour struggles to provide much head as what is managed disappears almost instantly. Just a thin ring is left with hardly any lace work as it recedes.
All is forgiven once we take in a good whiff of this aroma. It’s actually quite complex with doughy malt and cashews leading out. The deeper we go the maltier it gets…toffee, caramel, fig, carob, subtle spice and raisins present with muscle. Excellent concealment of the 7% ABV as well, we hardly noticed it.
The beer holds a nice weight in the mouth. Medium-full body with a slick and mildly chewy texture. Nice frothiness from the Co2, adding that effervescence to an otherwise dense feel.
Getting a delicious burst of dark fruity sweetness that marries up with those chewy caramels so well. Lovely bready malt encompassing it all as it’s introduced to some nutty and chocolate notes that carry in to a yeasty, fruity and somewhat toasty finish.
It’s a shame we don’t see more Aussie breweries having a crack at this style. Going off this superb interpretation there’s obviously a knowledge of them already here. Is it the Willie Simpson factor? Must be the combination of the two great minds behind the delicious brilliance. Top shelf stuff.

“Personal tastes differ; for some people Erdinger Weissbier Pikantus ‘dark bock beer’ is a delicacy for the colder months. However, for many lovers of strong beer the season for Pikantus lasts a whole twelve months. At 7.3% alcohol, this specialty wheat beer has a considerably higher alcohol content than other varieties produced by Erdinger Weissbru. The dark bock beer owes its sharp and full flavour to the use of selected dark wheat and barley malts and a significantly longer maturing process.”

Served in a weizen glass. The chestnut pour reveals a deep crimson edge when held to the light. It generates a massive tan head that takes all four fingers before it gradually peeled back to a collar. Didn’t lace too well.
Lovely aromas of dark fruit, chocolate and fruit cake mix in with hints of caramel and fig. We also detect a yeasty pear and or apple note. Not really getting much of the traditional weizen characters like banana runts, clove or bubblegum though. They all seem restrained and happy to let the rich malty notes to do their thing.
The mouth feel is incredible. So smooth and creamy in texture with the 7.3% ABV basically non existent. Good uplift from the Co2 as well, providing that vital effervescence. Very palatable.
The taste follows the nose with a strong delineation of dark fruits, caramel, fig and prunes on the fore. A lot of similarities to a Belgian dubbel actually. Although this takes a different route with an earthy chocolate malt in the middle that delivers a sweet nutty finish with suggestions of yeasty pear/apple on a length.
Whilst we weren’t completely bowled over this weizenbock still offers plenty of character. A little light on the weizen notes but that’s more than made up for in rich sweet malts that provides a Belgian Trappist quality. Good….but not great.

“The base recipe came from another Great American Beer Festival award winning Portland Pub brew called Wowzenbock. In this Strong Dark Ale, presence of Willamette hops are subtle against Vienna and Munich malts and Wheat. Aged in Spanish Rum barrels for 16 months gives this beer flavors and aromas of toasted caramel, sweet rum spice, tropical fruit, light coconut and banana esters and finishes with light oak tannins.”

Served in a Stein glass. The cola pour aroused a short khaki head that collapses instantly. After a few seconds it’s bereft of any foam, exposing the alluring dark liquid beneath. Not even an inkling of lace in sight!
Ooph, the nose is potent and seriously intricate. Our first thoughts are thick, syrupy and rich with molasses, raisin and figs spiked with a heady alcohol warmth. A suggestion of musty, oaky and dank cellar room provides the segway between the rich syrupy aromas and the somewhat lighter, wheaty and straw-like notes to come in over the top. There’s no escaping it though, this is one hedonistic little number.
The texture is oily and in a way kind of light but it’s pulled down by the monstrous 12% ABV. It certainly isn’t trying to mask the astringent warmth it provides as a slight sparkle adds a nice touch to the overall feel. Kind of drinks like a lightly sparkling red wine.
Flavour wise its rich, super sweet and warming with this recurring dry and oaky wine tannin. As it settles the rum flavours begin to seep in with hints of sherry, dark fruits and glazed cherries backing it up. It drops in to a spicy, plummy chasm before it’s lifted back out and finishes on a dry, spicy, fruity and somewhat straw-like ending.
Geez this beer packs an almighty punch. It certainly has some cloying characters but it’s so unbelievably moreish and flavoursome that it’s hard to dislike. Our main criticism would be that the 12% ABV is a little too prominent, becoming too overwhelming once it warms. Other than that it’s full on but quite enjoyable. Not bad at all.

“Our light-coloured, spicy single-bock, “Vitus” is saturated with fine yeast and a creamy foam. It is a specialty with a round character based on the extra long storage time. The fruity smell of dried apricots joins aromas of citrus, cloves and hints of banana. Full-bodied and sparkling with an effervescent mouthfeel. Thus, the Vitus does not taste like a typical Bock beer but more like a noble, fruity wheat beer. Perfect with red meat, strong cheese and also able to guide desserts. Brewed according to our centuries-old brewing tradition on the Weihenstephan hill.”

Served in a Weizen glass. Poured in true German tradition with a monstrous four finger head that takes an age to reduce down. It eventually settles to about a two finger overlay and weaves a healthy lace as we imbibe.
Very yeasty on the nose this one. All of those heady spice, fruit and super sweet Weizen notes are working over time here, our olfactory’s pick up the typical banana runts, clove/star anise, pepper, bubblegum, golden syrup, coriander, orange peel and honey. We aren’t the biggest fans of Weizen and Witbier but the nose on this is superb – fresh, spicy and fruity. Very traditional.
Incredibly smooth for a beer weighing in at 7.7% ABV. The texture is quite dense and creamy but it’s still surprisingly palate friendly. There’s some good lift from the Co2, really working to lighten up the overall weight.
The front palate sees a burst of yeasty banana, spice, bubblegum and candied oranges. A subtle salinity carries forward through a malty sweet middle. A little hop dryness is introduced as hints of banana bread, golden syrup, bubblegum and fresh pear completes this taste sensation.
Brilliant drop. For us, as heavy critics of wheat beer, to say this is top shelf should say a lot about the mastery of the brewers. Even as extreme hop heads we can still appreciate the complexity of this beer. Solid offering.

“Our Korbinian, the full-bodied, dark Doppelbock with light brown foam, wins beer-lovers over with a balance of fruity hints of plums and figs, a dark malt aroma – reminiscent of toffee, nuts and chocolate. Its roasted flavour goes well with smoked meat and fish as well as venison and poultry. Brewed according to our centuries-old brewing tradition on the Weihenstephan hill.”

Served in a Stein glass. This doppelbock flaunts a lovely mahogany complexion with a bubbling two finger head forming on top. It maintains its height pretty well but eventually reduces to a wispy film with moderate lace on the way down.
Quite rich, syrupy and nutty. Very traditional doppelbock aroma…as expected. We find these to be very similar to Belgian Quad’s with their moreish dark fruit, toffee and toasty malts. We also get a fair amount of spice, chocolate, fruit cake and apple pie that adds layer after layer of complex malty goodness. Intermittent wafts of booze come in and out as well. Sensational aroma.
Nice and dense in the mouth, really putting forward a good consistency. Super smooth in texture, mildly carbonated and effortless in the swallow. The 7.4% ABV is completely hidden. Amazing.
Upfront the palate is treated to a dark fruity sweetness that makes way for a lightly toasted malt to pick up a trace of bitterness as it passes over the mid. The malt turns doughy and sweet before it finishes on a mild roasted note that draws out hints of coffee, cocoa and nuts in the tail. Excellent length.
Geez that’s a superb drop! In this day and age it’s all too easy to forget about breweries like this who’ve been pumping out quality beers for almost a thousand years. It’s not only humbling but an honour to sit here and enjoy the same kind of beer that the Monarchs of Germany would have been drinking back in the 11th century. Mind blowing. Top shelf stuff.

Keith already brews a brilliant all year round Bock but once in a while he will brew a bigger and meaner version – hence the name ‘The Grocer’ or the ‘Grosse’ Bock in German (translating to ‘the big bock’). Keith’s idea of a play on words! It’s brewed with 100% German ingredients. Lassen sie uns stecken in!

Once again our big old Stein glass gets a run. She pours a gorgeous chestnut brown with a short khaki head forming on top. It quickly retracts to a ring with scarce lace left on the glass. The nose is quite rich and complex – we get a syrupy molasses character with freshly cracked grain husks, dried figs, prunes, raisin, slight medical notes and a crusty/bready malt backing. Very traditional aroma, a certain nod to the 100% German ingredients. In the mouth it’s full and well rounded with a chewy and viscous texture. A good Co2 level provides a much needed boost of buoyancy while the well hidden 8.6% ABV offers a subtle all-round approach. A super sweet concoction of dark fruits, molasses, sweet malts and toffee plays out on entry while a caramelized brown sugar sweetness cuts down through the middle and continues across the mid. She then drops a massive malt bomb on the palate which fires hints of cocoa, rum & raisin, fig and doughy malt through to the sweet and fruity finish. We have to make note of the excellent length as well, she really goes the distance on the back end. Really good drop this one. If you were to try the core range Bock you would then get the gist of why this Doppelbock is so good. It is literally the bigger, ballsier big brother. Solid offering.

“Once brewed with a holy purpose, this beer packs a punch so strong that Beelzebub himself drops to the floor and quivers at the mere sight of it. This double-down deal with the devil crams in so much super-rich Munich malt flavour it can sustain a monk through months of fasting, and enough contemporary hops to smother the hot fires of Hades. The monks of old believed that liquid cleansed the body and the soul. Amen brothers and sisters, redemption is here.”

We dusted off the old Stein glass for this drop. She presents an attractive crimson complexion with stunning clarity. Just a short head forming on top which recoils to a fine sheet and minimal lace. Our first observation of the aroma is this sharp piney hop note that cuts through these sweet and sticky malts. Kind of has that red IPA character to it with its nicely balanced hop to malt ratio. We certainly detect a good heady dose of tropical stone fruit but as quick as our olfactory’s pick it up and injection of caramelized toasty malts and toffee move on to balance it out. An ingratiating aroma. Really smooth mouth feel, the malts provide a silky texture initially before the 40 IBU introduces a mild hop bitterness. Mild-medium in body with an incredibly well hidden ABV of 7.5%. A surprisingly approachable number thus far. Taste wise we get a hop forward blend of citrus and pine the work in to the toasty and sweet malt base upfront. The bitterness begins to ramp up in the middle as it takes on a somewhat resinous approach. The sweet malts return for a short cameo just before the well drawn out bitterness in the finish. Ultimately it’s a very well brewed beer. The balance on the nose doesn’t carry through to the flavour as much as we’d hoped as the hops do dominate a bit too much for a doppelbock. Aside from that it’s a fun, tasty and enjoyable beer.

“Up until the 1940’s, Aventinus was shipped all over Bavaria in containers lacking temperature control. Consequently, the precious drink partially froze during transportation. Unaware that the brew was concentrated by the separation of water from the liquid. People were baffled by this unique version of Aventinus. By chance, the first Aventinus Eisbock was created. Well aware of this story, Hans Peter Drexler, brewmaster of the Schneider brewery, decided to recreate this classic “mistake” in a modern controlled facility. Thus, the Aventinus Eisbock is reborn sixty years later … Prost!”

Served in a wide rimmed tulip. This elegant looking drop pours an attractive light mahogany hue with dark copper edges. It’s topped with a fine wispy head that doesn’t waste time as it reduces to a bubbling island in the middle. Laced poorly. The sheer depth and complexity on the nose is incredible. It has lots of similarities to a Belgian Quadrupel with its big impression on rich fruit cake, banana bread, toffee, stewed plums, clove, figs/prunes, alcohol and an earthy truffle-like character. Once it warms the boozy aspect intensifies imparting in-your-face wafts of rum and brandy. Superb! It’s like a Dubbel, Tripel, Quadrupel and Weizenbock were all blended to create some kind of new super strong beer. Simply brilliant. In the mouth it’s uber smooth. Beers that weigh in at 12% ABV shouldn’t be allowed to be this smooth! It’s dangerous! The creamy texture, low Co2, plump body and pure decadence demands this be slowly sipped to really bask in the complexity it has to offer. Our palates are scrambling trying to isolate the inundation of flavour. Everything from port, raisin, clove, brandy and banana to toffee, straight alcohol, molasses and even a kind of syrupy muscat-like flavour that is impossible to explain. This beer is that rich and heavy that it could easily be subbed for an aperitif or cognac. It is absolutely amazing how complex and multilayered it is. Words just won’t do it justice…..If you see it on the shelf don’t think twice just bag it. Phenomenal stuff.

 

“This richly flavored, dark amber wheat beer features fruity and spicy aromas galore. Significant strength underlies the pleasant citric appeal of this bock beer. Brewed with over 50% malted wheat, this is a traditional Bavarian weizenbock. Full of the flavors of harvest fruit, this is the perfect Autumnal elixir.”

Served in a weizen glass. The slightly pale amber pour is further clouded with a fine suspended sediment that refuses to settle. Covering it is a fizzy three finger head that eventually collapses to a thin film that’s maintained by a steady flow of ascending bubble. Looks good. Fruit esters, yeast and spice work brilliantly in to the dark, chewy malts and toffee initially. The profiles of wheat and dark lager are again presented on a deeper level with scents of banana runts and savoury apple pie combining and setting the olfactory’s alight. There’s an even further fruity undertone to it, maybe figs or raisin. There’s definitely something port-like. Interesting aroma here, quite complex actually. The texture in the mouth is dense and sticky with the body definitely on the fuller side. It’s actually well carbonated but the smoothness does counter it a little, one that would thicken as it warms. The 8.7% ABV injects a slight sting to the tongue but it’s contained and doesn’t overwhelm. Great overall feel. What we’ve noticed so far is this recurring fusion between the yeasty banana and the raisiny/sherry-like crystal malts that blend together beautifully. Hints of pear and the underlying warmth of the booze carry across the mid. A somewhat residual sweetness leads to an extremely sweet, plummy, raisiny and caramelized finish. A touch of dryness over the tongue adds that touch of balance needed to polarize the rich sweetness. Quite potent this one, definitely one to sip on. Considering the sweetness and its sherry-like flavours we reckon this beer would go perfectly as an after dinner drink. An acquired taste is necessary here but there is a lot to offer to the right drinker. Fine offering.

“This unique seasonal product is the world’s only Trappist bock ale. Brewed exclusively with natural ingredients, this ale post-ferments slightly in its bottle. It has a deep red colour, an intensely rich taste, and a malty aroma. Aromatic hop varieties and types of burnt malt render this ale its delicate bitterness that blends surprisingly well with its slightly sweet undertone.”

Served from a caged and corked 750ml bottle in to a wide-rimmed tulip glass. The elegant appearance displays a rich mahogany with burgundy highlights. A creamy three finger head is formed but it casually ebbs to a thin overlay with a tonne of wavy lace trails following it down. Looks good. As to be expected the aroma is rich, moreish and pretty complex. The initial scents exciting the olfactory’s include toffee, caramel, brown sugar and dried fig. There are malts a plenty but we can definitely detect a nutty malt along with a chocolate malt aswell. Dark fruits also come through, there is a plummy and or raisiny sweetness that works beautifully in to this savoury apple pie/stewed pear fragrance. Trust these Dutch masters to nail the aroma. Absolutely divine! In the mouth it’s full and creamy with low Co2. So smooth and velvety, it literally coats the whole mouth as it travels down effortlessly. No bitterness whatoever as the rich malts snuff out any alcohol (7%) burn there would possibly be. Superb. The flavour profile opens with a copious malt sweetness. Molasses springs to mind as does prunes/raisins and ripened cherries. A subtle peppery/oriental spice joins the fray as a doughy malt bridges the mid. As it progresses forward the sweet caramel/toffee notes return and deliver a sweet, malty finish with a lingering dryness on the rear palate. Again, so complex and layered. We knew this was going to be a great drop. These Trappist monks of La Trappe have mastered their art and produced the world’s one and only Trappist Bock. Titles aside, this brew is perfectly complex. it’s rich full bodied and packed with flavour but here’s the clincher….They’ve brewed a traditionally German beer better than most German breweries! Gotta love the Dutch eh?

Every now and then we come across a brewery like this where it’s core range leaves a bit to be desired. Although what separates this Victorian brewery from the norm is its seasonal and limited release range. Beers ranging from your Belgian blond’s all the way through to their delicious imperial stout, complex brews such as their Christmas ale and to this Weizenbock. OK let’s get in to it.

Served in a beer tulip. The deep crimson pour reveals some even deeper hues of mahogany when held against the light. A modest finger of khaki foam is generated before it rapidly reduces to a halo with basic lace trails. The nose is offering decadent aromas of banana, chocolate, clove, toffee, alcohol, bubblegum, molasses and fudge. Terrific, really complex as it displays that perfect fusion German Weizen aromas with the toasty, caramelly features of a bock. Kind of reminds us of a good Dubbel. Very nice. The texture of the beer is velvety and surprisingly smooth. A slight alcohol warmth (7.9% ABV) adds a little heat as a slightly prickly bitterness reveals itself. The flavour profile opens up with caramel, banana and clove. As it progresses forward the alcohol really lights it up as it crescendo’s through the mid. A delicious toastiness develops as the initial flavours peter out, finishing with a slightly dry, roasty, caramel malty flavour on the rear palate. Well we’d have to say we are quite impressed. It’s not exactly on the level of Ayinger, Scneider Weiss or Weihenstephaner but it’s pretty damn good for a small Australian micro brewery. Decent offering.