Yuengling Bock - Yuengling Brewery

Fish113d

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured chilled into a pint glass, it pours the color or maple syrup with some haziness & about a finger-thick tannish dense head.

Caramel Malt base on the nose with some yeast & biscuits also. Nothing very flashy or exciting.

Sipping reveals a pleasant brown maltiness with some butterscotch flavor if I'm not mistaken. A quick shot of sweetness hits right on the swallow along with some bittering hops on the finish to help balance out the sweetness. Not bad...

Medium-bodied brew with excellent balance between smoothness & carbonation, but fairly watery finish.

Overall, this is a solid offering from America's Oldest Brewery. Although I've found their product a bit lacking in quality over the past 10 years (due to expansion), this is a solid bock...not what I was expecting.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2010 00:32:15 | More by Fish113d

AgentMunky

Alabama

3.53/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into an old-fashioned glass.

A: A beautiful dark amber with high clarity and a light head. Bubbles rise from the bottom.

S: Smells a lot like a beery lager, but with heavier malt.

T: Slightly above average. The malt character is not overpowering, but lends a roundness to the main taste. Hops are present, balancing well. The aftertaste is hoppy, drying, and bitter.

M: Fizzy, sweet-smooth, then dry-bitter.

D: Very good! This is an interesting beer and, to my mind, one of the best beers made by Yuengling brewery. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2010 23:55:06 | More by AgentMunky

jadpsu

Georgia

4.15/5  rDev +22.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours dark brown with a brown head with good lacing that remains throughout.
Malty, with a light chocolate aroma, licorice, a little sweet, creamy - very nice, especiall at the price.
Very drinkable, a high value brew at $5.99 a six pack (here in Ga.).
IMO this beer carries characteristics that you rarely get at this price point
Best beer Yuengling makes

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2010 21:11:39 | More by jadpsu

alleykatking

Indiana

2.85/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from 12oz bottle. Thanks to Justin for this six pack. Didn't think I was going to try this one.

A- Pours a color that looks more like a clear ice tea color. Light tan one and a half finger head. No real lacing except for soapy sheets that fall back into the beer itself.

S- Big biscuty malty aroma. Hops are not really apparent in this but I didn't expect them to. Light metallic aroma in this as it warms.
Nothing really else aroma profile wise.

T- Bready malts in the front of this with a slight darker fruit hint. Metallic tinge to this from the front all the way through. Hops are lightly bitter in the beer but still hard to pull out overall.

M- Light mouthfeel. Carbonation is good to a little much for the style. Bready malts and metallic hints are left on the palate with more metal notes in the aftertaste. Flavors were blended but nothing really of great balance.

D- A lackluster bock beer from the oldest brewery in America. I have only had one of these so I'll update if needed. Thanks Justin once again cause I really wanted to try this beer out!

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2010 20:13:36 | More by alleykatking

beerman207

Kentucky

3.68/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Good dark beer - decent for the style.

S: Chocolate malt, coffee is faint but there, also a bit of skunk? - think it's a yuengling thing.

T: Chocolate malt, hops (faint), some bitter in there and just a nice flavor overall

M: Creamy, mild, easy to drink

D: Very good - could have a few of them without a problem

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2010 02:59:34 | More by beerman207

Genghis22

California

2.35/5  rDev -30.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A - Pours a caramel colored brown. Looks like iced tead. Tan foamy head. Very clear, completely see through.

S - Biscuit maltiness. No real hop presence. There is a sharpness that I cannot quite pinpoint. It doesn't smell as sweet as other bocks I've had.

T - Tastes like a lager, with a twangy sharpness. Very one dimensional. Sort of malty, but very lackluster.

M - Medium body, yet some what water like. Leaves the tongue dry.

D - Meh. No thanks. There are so many great bocks out there, this one is not worth repeating.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2010 23:22:54 | More by Genghis22

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.23/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This was the best of a bad selection at the local IGA in NC

Pours a chestnut color with with 2 fingers of tan colored head

S: Bready notes, slight fuittyness, some metallic notes once warm

T: Some breadyness, a touch of apricot, herbal & metallic hops up front. A touch more fruittyness, then herbal & metallic hops as this warms. Finishes with apricot, brown bread, a hint of molasess & more metallic hops, the real detractor in this

MF: Okay body, but a touch wateryness creeps once warmish

Drank alright, would take this over say a shiner bock, but still nothing to get worked up about. Drink ice cold for better drinkability IMO

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2010 13:46:50 | More by russpowell

erosier

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

L: Pours a nice dark brown-amber-red color with a medium sized and medium bodied tan colored head that laces the glass a bit on the way down.
S: Smells of sweet roasted and toasted malts, hints of caramel, toffee, and chocolate.
T: Tastes of sweet roasted malts followed by flavors of caramel, toffee, chocolate, and a hint of coffee that is most likely from some burnt darker malts.
M: Smooth, rich, lighter bodied than it looks, perfect amount of carbonation, refreshing.
D: Very drinkable, nice mix of the flavors and not too high abv makes it pretty session-able as well.

Serving type: on-tap

06-22-2010 10:41:58 | More by erosier

ffking18

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +20%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

This is a beer that I never thought that I would like. I had a few sips off my buddies one night at a local tavern and ended up buying my own bottle.

The smell was very earthy and clean. No skunk or bitterness. Tasted great. Again very clean to the palate with no real aftertaste and a little watery but very tasty. This beer was not an "In your face" beer. Very laid back and different. I am not a fan of Yuengling Black and Tan and can barely drink a Yuengling Traditional. Its a different change in pace for a college kid throwing back miller lite and keystones all the time. I am a mainstream macro kinda guy.. and this was a delicious beer. The mouth feel was again not in your face and the drink ability was fair.. maybe a little heavy. I think that 1 or 2 of these would be good with a nice dinner or calm night. Its a good beer to cherish and drink for taste. I will definitely be seeing this beer again in my future and I will recommend it to those who want to break out of the Macro League. Its definitely different but a good different.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2010 23:19:08 | More by ffking18

bundy462

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Nice and dark, especially for the style. Nice caramel head and lacing that stuck around.

S: Malty, chocolate malts at that, coffee hint. Deeper aroma than most bocks that I've had.

T: Very good, chocolate malt with a hint of hops in the middle. Black coffee hint going down with a black licorice aftertaste.

M: Crisp yet creamy, medium body, about perfect for the style.

O: Very good, I can drink these all night.

I wish that this was easier to find in bottles for at home. I've only been able to get this at bars and restaurants in the area (I live 10 miles from Pottsville, where it's brewed). It's awesome to pay $1 for a 16 ounce draft of such a good beer just because it's local. This beer is only available for about 2 months a year, next year I'll be sure to pick up a few cases, especially at about $17 a case locally.

Serving type: on-tap

05-23-2010 04:03:04 | More by bundy462

Bung

North Carolina

2.9/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz. Very dark amber pour, a little over a finger of very frothy off white head. Laces ok. Not a bad looking brew.

Subdued aroma has some malt and caramel, some tea and herbal notes.

Taste is a bit off from what it should be. Some malt, bread, more herbs, grass, lots of tea. Finishes with herbal tea. Meh.

If you can get by the mediocre taste, it drinks fine and has a nice lighter mid body.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2010 23:06:17 | More by Bung

carlspeed

Florida

2.7/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Good beer! I liked it very much. I am going to pick up some more next time I go to the store. It's just a nice change, a little darker a little richer, kind of like a stronger Yuengling Porter. If you are in the mood for it, it will taste even better!

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2010 22:05:50 | More by carlspeed

mralphabet

Virginia

3.13/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle poured into pint glass

A: Brown to Copper in color, about a fingers worth of head that settles to a ring with a little lacing.

S: Nutty roasted malt, slightly sweet and bready. Just a little ripe fruit mixed in.

T: Close to the nose... the roasted malt is here but it is balanced with some floral hops, ending on the bitter side.

M: Smooth, slightly crisp from carbonation.

D: Not a bad little brew... Low in ABV and very drinkable. But there is something about the bitterness in the aftertaste that is not quite sitting right with me.

Good to see Yuengling brewing some different stuff...

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2010 04:39:58 | More by mralphabet

undeadozzy

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

I'm not going to go into details, but I was quite surprised when I had this beer. It's unbeatable for the price. I got it at Andy Gavin's in Scranton, PA. $1.50 for a pint, or $6.00 for a pitcher. Unbeatable price and it tastes surprisingly good!!

Serving type: on-tap

05-08-2010 05:01:07 | More by undeadozzy

TMoney2591

Illinois

2.95/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served in an Ayinger Celebrator doppelbock glass.

Continuing the bock mini-kick, the Celebrator glass (after a nice rinse) welcomes the characteristic amber brown of the Yuengling Bock. The sweet, caramel- and toffee-loaded nose also reaches par. Things go downhill once the tongue insists on getting involved. Now, call me crazy, but I expected something akin to the nose (and every other bock ever brewed). Unfortunately, what hit me was some strange combination of leather and flat cola. This isn't to say that the brew was flat; indeed, it was not overly effervescent, but carried enough bubbliness to get by. Rather, it had the same flavor that a flat cola would have following about an hour in the car during some sunny July afternoon. Am I a fan? Nope. The rest of the brew worked out fine: a nice, smooth feel with a fairly dry, but still somewhat pleasant finish. If only that unsatisfactory taste hadn't been there...

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2010 03:44:24 | More by TMoney2591

Shaw

Florida

3.6/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a deep ruby in color with a fizzy off-white head that quickly reduces to a ring and an island in my glass.

A nice aroma of molasses and bread with a hint of hops.

The taste is malty, with light toasted and roasted flavors ending with a slight bitter twang. There's plenty of flavor to this bock.

Body has some substance to it with a nice amount of carbonation.

Overall a nice, inexpensive lager. It's not watery, but it's also not a big malt or hop bomb. Almost a session beer, but just a bit too strong.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2010 03:53:09 | More by Shaw

drtth

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Duvel glass. Glass of cold water on the side to sip from periodically.

Appearance: The beer pours out a rich dark copper, almost brown, color with a ½" thick light tan head filled with lots of different sized bubbles. The head soon recedes to a thin layer of foam and a small ring around the glass. Sipping produces lots of interesting lacing with a sheet and rings on one side of the glass and scattered speckles on the other. This persists for most of the beer.

Smell: While faint the aroma contains some rich caramel-like bready malt with a trace of roasted character and a hint of dark fruit.

Taste: The flavor is clean, mild and pleasant. There is a touch of tart cherry/chocolate in with the lightly sweet malt. The bitterness here is quite restrained and there is also a slight metallic character that I believe comes from the hops. Initially I thought this a somewhat simple beer but the more I sip and reflect on it, the more complexity I think I'm finding.

Mouthfeel: The mouth feel is medium bodied with a slightly prickly feeling from the active carbonation. The finish is medium long and nicely balanced between sweet and tart, and then between sweet and dry but with the dryness winning out in the end..

Drinkability: I'm liking this beer as a possibility for having again and for entertaining friends who think they don't like beer. I'm looking forward to next year and having this again.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2010 01:25:21 | More by drtth

beertunes

Washington

3.33/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Yet one more from orcasteve. Poured into 16oz glass. Poured a clean, clear medium brown color with an inch of medium khaki head that had decent retention and lacing.

The aroma was the typical malty sweet scent of the style, but not as sticky smelling as some. The flavors were also fairly typical for this style. Slightly grainy and a touch sweet, there's a touch of hops on the finish.

The body is a bit on the thin side for a bock, I've found most to be a bit chewier. Drinkability was excellent, as this beer is only 5% it's a little lower in ABV than most examples, thus you could drink a bunch of these smooth brews.

Overall, a very nice beer. Nothing special perhaps, but certainly worth a yearly visit.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2010 21:04:09 | More by beertunes

bamadog

Kentucky

3.15/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Review is from notes taken on 4/18/2010 and poured from the bottle to a pint glass.

Appearance: Pour is a deep coppery brown with ruby highlights; starts with a light tan head that is 1 and 1/2 fingers deep that becomes pock marked as it eventually fades to a full, but very thin skim; body is very clear and shows strong carbonation; very nice washes and spots of lacing hold fast to the sides of the glass.

Smell: Some toasty grains, a bit of a mild malt backing; doesn't smell too far off from the standard Yuengling lager, but it's a bit mustier and not especially appealing.

Taste: Light and toasty grains right up front and at first, it's very much like the standard lager offering from this brewery, but the grains are followed by a moderately sweet maltiness to make it a little more bock-like, but certainly not a stand-out bock -- the bottle says it "Tastes Good," but perhaps it should say, "Not Bad."

Mouthfeel: A little thicker and chewier than the standard lager; nice and strong carbonation that avoids being sharp; a fair and dry coating is left on the roof of the mouth.

Drinkability: Meh, not bad. Flavors are alright, doesn't sit heavy and the ABV is certainly more than manageable, but overall, it's a pretty average-at-best offering.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2010 01:49:47 | More by bamadog

CBlack85

South Carolina

3.03/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a pilsner glass

Pours a crystal clear deep brown/mahogany with a moderate amount of tan head. Leaves a fair amount of lacing.

Toasted bread, and sweet malts are both evident but fairly mild. Not really much there

A little light in the flavor dept. There are some bready notes, and some caramel sweetness, also a strange metallic flavor. Has a slightly bitter finish. Light bodied and crisp with a moderate amount of carbination.

Not bad, tastes alot like a bigger version of Yuengling Lager. Not really what I would consider a great beer, but it is a nice alternative to BMC products

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2010 03:24:48 | More by CBlack85

OneDropSoup

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip pint: Translucent brown with deep amber highlights. 2 fingers loose, fluffy, khaki head that drops to a half-finger.

Smells lightly toasty, lightly caramel. A thin smell, with just a little of the musty quality I've come to appreciate in Yuengling.

Taste is not bad -- lightly toasted malt, a nuttiness that, combined with sweetness, brings to mind Honey Nut Cheerios, but really toned down. A kind of cola sweetness as well, with a slight grassiness from hops. Something likening it to the lager that I can't identify (Apples? Paper? Seltzer?)

Medium-bodied, a little fizzy with some lingering sugariness.

Not bad at all -- I can tell it's in the same family as Yuengling Lager & I like that, but it has its own character. Very drinkable, good for sessions.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2010 11:59:56 | More by OneDropSoup

oberon

North Carolina

3.63/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This "small" bock is really nicely priced,I think a good value.Poured a rich amber with a nice creamy-like one finger head that settled into a creamy mass.Mainly caramel in the nose,slight roast as well.Flavors are caramel accented with some roasted nut notes,a sweetish bready malt flavor comes in as well.Not bad,its modest but decent in my mind.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2010 21:40:37 | More by oberon

confer

Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Medium brown and crystal clear. Lots of carbonation and an off white cap.
S- Malty with strange metallic smell.
T- A very light bock taste and a watery finish.
MD- I have been wanting to try this for a while and was looking forward to it coming out this year. Turns out it is okay but really nothing special. It's a good beer for the price, and it really is an easy drinker.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2010 14:53:48 | More by confer

aubuc1

Florida

3.35/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured in to a tulip pint glass.

Pours a clear light brown with a thick, steady off white head.

Smell is a bready sweet but not very much.

Taste is a very nice sweet bready with a light hop balance.

Mouthfeel is a little thin.

Drinkability is pretty good.

A nice beer from yuengling.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2010 21:26:43 | More by aubuc1

mooseisloose

Florida

2.88/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Yuengling, America's oldest brewery with an old world style, bock,. Let's give it a whirl. Popping the bottle top reveals a fresh malty smell with a hint of black licorice. Poured into a pint glass the brew has a dark root beer color with a big multi-sized bubble head. Taste is starts out slightly metallic, then has a bitter maltiness that continues metallic and hints of black licorice come through. The beer has good body and the carbonation is good. The flavor is spot on for a bock. The metallic taste drops the flavor rating a bit. All in all a bargain beer for the price.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2010 23:40:06 | More by mooseisloose