St. Nikolaus Bock Bier - Pennsylvania Brewing Company

beergeek279

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in the 12 oz. bottle. The color is a very dark amber with a wispy white head. The smell is a plumy malt sweetness. The taste is plum sweet...very nice maltiness, with a slight hint of the Hallertau, and the aftertaste features the cerealish taste that makes this a bock. Mouthfeel is smooth. Drinkability-wise, could definitely have a few of these.

Probably the finest offering from Penn Brewery, and sadly only a holiday offering. A delicious beer, with a nice sweetness, and something I'll be having plenty of (considering I just got half a case).

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2003 03:59:36 | More by beergeek279

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.47/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Deep and slightly murky crimson. Small tan head recedes to a collaring in less than a minute. Really nice bready malt nose. Smells like I'm in for a meal. Some slight dark fruits are noticeable as well. This bock agrees with my palate tremendously. . Carmelized sugars, raisin and prune, molasses, some wood and a firm maltiness are accented by a ghostly herbal and dry hop character. Very pleasing. The body is damn near full and the mouthfeel is quite luscious. Nice Bock. I'd drink a lot of this in March if it were available here.

Thank you beergeek279.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2004 05:25:31 | More by Bighuge

numenor1

North Carolina

4.47/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear orange hued light brown with a fluffy white head that leaves lots of lacing behind. Smell is malty sweet and deep, with some fruitiness and a deep aroma of brown sugar with a dusting of cinnamon. A slight noble hop character as well. Upfront it's initially sweet then widening with a caramel, slightly plummy flavor, becomes very spicy into the finish with brown sugar and slight diacetyl(which i find very nice) emerging. Again a stab of cinnamon. All of this happens within a framework of vague nuttiness, which becomes more assertive through the finish. There's a slight tartness to the whole flavor parade which lets everything linger on the palate nicely. Very very nice. Mouthfeel is exactly what i want in a bock, perhaps could be a touch beefier. Excellent carbonation and scarily drinkable. One of my new favorites, though I have no access to it. After the second bottle I can say this is absolutely the best beer I've had yet in 2006, and that's saying a hell of a lot.

Thanks to beerbeing for this bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2006 16:49:01 | More by numenor1

tgbljb

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured a cloudy reddish-brown color with an initial tannish head. Head rather quickly fell to a thin coating with only sparse lacing to be found. Smell is richly malt with a nice touch of cinnamon present. I usually do not like cinnamon, but in this beer it compliments the malt nicely.Taste is fruity, spicy, malty and supremely enjoyable.Leaves a nice full and fruity mouthfeel. This is one of the finest beers I have had in a long time. Even though i am drinking it a hot spring evening, it really hits the spor. I am sorry I only bought one of these.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2006 01:22:22 | More by tgbljb

eze153

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: A very dark beer I would say a midnight black appearence, when poured the head is about an ince thick which dissapates rather fast but leaves a thin layer of lace on the top.

Smell: There is a lot of fruit in the scent, it reminds me of christmas in a way also I find that the smell of roasted oats is ever pervalent in the mix.

Taste: The taste is amazing, you can't even taste the alcohol, being that it is around 7.5% The major componet is the roasted oats but there is a subtle flavor of the fruits, mostly in the aftertaste which is plesently refreshing.

Mouthfeel: Smooth yet, tingly after the first quaff, if you let it sit the tingle sensation becomes very intense.

Drinkability: It is very refreshing though, having too many can tend to leave a bad after taste, unless it is with food. Pesonally, I only like to drink one by itself and the rest are with something to eat.

Overall this is another great seasonal beer by Penn. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a little warmth around the holidays! Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2005 18:40:44 | More by eze153

jasonjlewis

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a huge 3 finger head with great retention and lacing. Nice full brown color. I can barely see my fingers through the glass.

The smell is of caramel malts with some graininess.

Taste is a strong malty falvor of caramel malts with some chocolate malt presence. Some fruit notes are underneath as undertones. Some booziness comes out. The thickness of the malts balances this out as the beer warms.

Nice creaminess on the palate. Very smooth

Easy to drink. I haven't had many bocks, but this one is awesome.

Thanks to MuenchnerKindl for the sample.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2007 00:18:13 | More by jasonjlewis

sponberg

New York

4.55/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Anybody seen my stocking?

Pours a dark russet with a thinnish, but pretty persistent, head. An aroma like I opened my Christmas stocking and Santa dumped a truckload of malt in it - as it should be!!

Very malty and round - pushes all of my "malt" flavor buttons in a big way. Big and chewy decoction-like flavors and some background butterscotch give way to more chocolate like notes in the finish, along with some hop spiciness and well controlled alcohol that balance this baby out nicely. No spices and it doesn't need any.

First time I've tried this, and it's well up into my top 10 holiday brews.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2003 12:14:31 | More by sponberg

irishevans

Alaska

4.55/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

a mighty fine bock, but you should expect that of Penn Brewery. mellow hoppiness at first and a little more bitey on the finish, another great apres ski(or better yet snowboard) beer, and one of the many things i miss about pittsburgh this time of year, worth your while for certin

Serving type: on-tap

12-15-2007 10:41:00 | More by irishevans

muskiecf

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I am not normaly a darker beer fan...but this is the bomb. Smooth with a roasted carmel sweetness, not too sweet, just right in my book. I dont have many other bocks to compare it with as most I've tried I didn't much care for. This brew is something special. Thanks to Tom Pastorius for bring the Penn Brewery back to greatness. This brew will make for a great holiday season! lol If you enjoy lagers that aren't pussy beers...try this, it just might surprise you.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2010 01:38:08 | More by muskiecf

aaronh

Pennsylvania

4.6/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This dark brown beer pours with a thin, tan head that is very creamy and leaves a nice lice on the glass. The aroma is primarily malt, with a touch of spiciness. The taste is strong on roasted flavors, with a touch of sweetness and nuttiness. Nice hop bittering on the finish cleans the palate. This beer is creamy on the tongue, with just a touch of alcohol. This beer finishes rather clean, and is very appetizing. It would be easy to knock back a few of these in short order. Another great brew from an oft overlooked brewery.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2002 15:30:41 | More by aaronh

dungledauf

Pennsylvania

4.6/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Case purchased on November 11, 2007 with a best-by-date of May 8, 2008.

Appearance - Dark, chestnut brown in color. Very clear with a slight head, nice lacing, and light carbonation.

Smell - Very malty including roast and burnt malts. Very slight hop aroma. The malts definitely dominate.

Taste - Full-bodied lager. Malts dominate and hops balance the sweetness nicely. Also, one of the smoothest bocks I have had. Not bitter at all.

Mouthfeel - Very sticky & full-bodied

Drinkability - Outstanding. Very smooth bock that is easy to drink. Another winner from Penn Brewery.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2007 16:27:41 | More by dungledauf

MmmIPA

Pennsylvania

4.7/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured into a Warsteiner pils glass.

Very clear red body with a thick off white head and tons of bubbles streaming to the top.

Very malty and some carmel smells.

I taste some dark fruit then roasted nuts then some chocolate and it finishes very clean.

It seems like the carbonation is heavenly and is perfect.

Thanks Joe! This stuff is worth buying a case of.Very tasty and a sipper for sure.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2007 13:55:20 | More by MmmIPA

cooch69

Pennsylvania

4.88/5  rDev +22.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a nice deep mahogany with some ruby red highlights. The head on this one is really tiny. Less than a quarter inch of off white/tan head which leaves a nice ring around the edges for the length of the drink.

Nose on this one gets the senses going.
At first dry and roasted followed by nuts, mostly filberts. A nice dose of caramelized and brisk malt snapiness. Some brown sugar caps it all off for a wonderfully complex nose.

I've had this one two years ago as I could,nt find it last year. So I knew what to expect when I poured this one. Just a rediculious amount of goodness is contained in this bottle. My first sip almost brought me to my knees.

Really dry roasted and nutty at first. This one turns out to be semi-sweet with flavors of caramel, brown sugar, cocoa powder and even a slight bit of banana.

The mouthfeel on this one is a solid medium. The carbonation was perfectly in sync as well.

This is the definition of a winter session beer. For the colder months of the year, especially here in the good old northern US of A this beer has a nice solid body and tons of delicious flavor, yet is so drinkable at 7.5% abv. it is dangerous.

Enjoy this one in front of the fireplace and forget the rest of the night.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 04:26:22 | More by cooch69

thebighungry

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +23.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I'm already on my second case of this beer since it was released this season, so that is one indication of how much I enjoy this beer.

This is a very tasty beer. Make sure it has warmed up a bit; I usually let it sit for a couple minutes after removing it from the fridge.

It holds a good head and is a nice deep amber in color. I have been feeding this beer to everyone I know. I'm sure there are more detailed reviews for this beer. All I know is that I love it and you should support this brewer!

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2007 00:48:26 | More by thebighungry

GoodKnight1220

Ohio

4.9/5  rDev +23.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from a bottle to a big thick mug.

A - deep copper red with a thick frothy head

S - Rich heavy malt and a hint of sweet caramel

T - Easily the best Bock brewed, this is my favorite beerand look forward to it every year. Taste is a monderfull sweet malt.

M - Smooth and velvety, good carbonation and goes down easy.

D - Could throw a few of these back, but not too many b/c of the ABV. You can't even begin to taste the high ABV, this brew is perfect.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2009 01:40:13 | More by GoodKnight1220

VOW22

Pennsylvania

4.93/5  rDev +23.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured into a tall pilsner glass from a 12oz.brown long neck bottle.

Pours beautiful clear ruby red color,thick/rocky tan head.Good retention with lots of lace sticking on the sides of the glass,lots of strings of tiny bubbles racing towards the top of the glass.

A delightful fruity and spicy aroma,woody,very malty with a sweet carmell/roasty/light burnt,smoke and hints of chocolate,very complex and inviting. Addicting nose. Can't seem to keep my nose out of this beer. Ah.

A delicious,complex taste,malty and sweet carmell/toffee tastes, also
chocolate,a bit nutty,a nice tartness,finishes crisp,clean with a lingering spice.

A medium mouthfeel,very creamy and a treat for the palate.
Very tasty and enjoyable.I will drink this all nigh, but will have to watch the ABV does not sneak up on me. This beer gives me something to look foward to every Christmas season. A built in X-Mas gift for anyone looking to purchase something for me this holiday season. This is a must try for everybody. You need to try this Seasonal Christmas Superstar from Penn Brewery.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 01:37:19 | More by VOW22

RBorsato

Virginia

5/5  rDev +25.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Clear dark brown (auburn to light source) with a low light brown head. Malty aroma - Chocolate and biscuity notes. Chewy, rich, smooth malty flavor with chocolate and dark caramel tones. Medium bodied (leans full) but deceptively strong.

One of my favorite, if not my favorite, non-hoppy winter brews !!

Label states: "Bavarian Hallertau hops"

ABV: 8.4% per the book "Best American Beers".

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2003 08:14:50 | More by RBorsato

jcdiflorio

West Virginia

5/5  rDev +25.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured into a tall slender pilsner glass from a 12oz.brown long neck bottle with crimped-on cap. 20 years on top label.

Beautiful clear ruby red color,thick/rocky off-white towards tan head.Good retention with chunks of lace sticking on the sides of the glass,lots of strings of tiny bubbles racing towards the top of the glass.

A delightful fruity and spicy aroma,woody,very malty with a sweet carmell/roasty/light burnt,smoke and hints of chocolate,very complex and inviting.Can't seem to keep my nose out of this beer.

A delicious,complex taste,very malty with sweet carmell/toffee tastes, also
chocolate,a bit nutty,a nice tartness,finishes crisp,clean with a lingering spicy/woodyness.

A medium mouthfeel,very creamy,slightly cloying a treat for the palate.
Very robust,tasty and enjoyable.Could drink all night,and have done it many times over the last 20 years. The beer gives me something to look foward to every Christmas season. Here's to another 20 years.
Everybody need to try this Christmas jewel !!!!

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2006 03:57:11 | More by jcdiflorio

StretchZep

Ohio

5/5  rDev +25.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I love this beer. It is unbelievably smooth and rich with just the right amount of tartness to keep it from being a chocolate smoothie! I love this beer so much that I find myself only having 1 or 2 at the most when I feel I am actually worthy of the reward. It is that good trust me. "-) Makes winter here in Ohio a little more bearable!

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2010 14:23:22 | More by StretchZep