Pandora's Bock - Breckenridge Brewery

jdskinns

Illinois

1.43/5  rDev -58.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Cloudy orange/brown color with a very thin white head. Bready, biscuity smell that was pretty offputting given the dirty socks smell that went along with it. This beer had an incredibly sour, infected taste that lead to an immediate drain pout. Definitely will not be buying this one again.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2009 19:03:58 | More by jdskinns

BeerBelcher

Ohio

1.58/5  rDev -53.8%
look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

This is really a good-looking beer; it is too bad the beer doesn't deliver on that good start with a pleasant drinking experience. I got a lot of mercaptan out of this beer, which tastes like compost or rotting vegetables, and that's not what I'm looking for in a beer.

Appearance was a rich red brass color with nice head. The appearance had me primed for a good beer experience, which was sadly not to be. Aroma was a bit sour with lots of mercaptan, which I find a bit revolting. I also got some caramel malt and diacetyl in the aroma. Flavor was distinctly metallic, although I really found it difficult to get over that rotting vegetable smell. Mouthfeel was a bit thin.

I was not impressed by this beer, and I would recommend you choose something else.

I bought this bottle at 3 Cellars in Franklin, WI.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2008 20:26:09 | More by BeerBelcher

FernMaster

Missouri

1.8/5  rDev -47.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Had on tap at the Flying Saucer KC, poured into a pint glass.

When I ordered this beer I already had two thoughts going into it: 1) I love Puns and the name made me laugh. 2) Breckenridge is a company I don't believe is capable of making good beer.

I think I need to expand on point 2. I've had Breckenridge's bock before and it was a competent beer. I enjoyed it. But other than that, I don't think this brewery is very talented. They're like O'Fallon to me. I've never had anything from O'Fallon that I've liked, yet I'll go back to them because they try interesting things that I believe are worth the risk. I never let my thoughts on a brewery turn me off from trying a beer and I'll give props where props are due, I'm not going to just hate on a brewery because that does nothing for anyone and it truly isn't good for our craft beer world.

On to Breckenridge's Pandora's Bock. When this was brought to me, I thought I would enjoy it. For the bock style it looked good, not great but enjoyable. It had almost two fingers worth of head a nice amber, crimson brownish color to it. The head resided quickly though and there was almost no lacing.

Smelling this thing was offensive to my palate. The beer wasn't skunked or bad (by ruination) by any means, it's just not a good beer. It smelled, I kid you not, like the Oriental ramen seasoning packet. This was full on in your face ramen. That was fun and quirky at first, but as I continued to smell it became foreboding. It was like the ending to ssn4 of Mad Men, nothing good is going to happen with Draper looking off in the distance. That's a bad comparison, I love Mad Men, I do not love this beer.

True to the smell, the ramen taste came through in the beer. There was this malty, ramen, toffee concoction with a smidgen of hops buried underneath all the rests of the flavor. When I first drank it, I hated it. Then my mind started playing tricks with me and I started enjoying it. Then I started focusing on the flavor and I couldn't get past this mechanical, oily flavor. Have you ever been in an auto shop or worked on a car/tractor in an enclosed area for a while? You know how there is this oily taste in the area that you can't ignore after being in this setting for an extended period of time? This taste soon overpowers you and it kind of effects your palate? Pandora's Bock successfully captures that phenomenon. It's a terrible feeling.

The mouthfeel really plays up the oily astringency and the ramen is all but prevalent. It's a terribly awful beer that's impossible to finish. NEVER, never before have I not finished a beer that I've ordered at the Saucer, this was the first I never finished. I couldn't tolerate it. This beer is awful and not worth your money. Do not drink this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-25-2011 00:10:27 | More by FernMaster

ViveLaChouffe

Georgia

1.85/5  rDev -45.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Is a clear copper in the glass, with a thin ivory head. Smells of caramel malt and a faint grassiness from the hops.

Tastes of caramel malt followed by a cidery fruitiness and then an odd vegetal flavor in the finish. The vegetal flavor lingers in the aftertaste. Medium bodied and just plain weird tasting. These flavors don't mesh well. Tough to get through this one. Pass.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2008 00:17:47 | More by ViveLaChouffe

KI9A

Illinois

1.85/5  rDev -45.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A: light cola, hazy brown, nice head nice lace.

S: some malts, Slight citrus? A bock?

T: Wierd. Not much malt. A ton of funk. Yuck, like spoiled apple juice funk.

M: Oily bitterness that seems to hang around a bit. Low carbonation. Nasty as hell

D: I love bocks. Won't buy again. Fail as a bock. It's not a bock. Not sure what it is, but, its horrible as hell.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2009 02:56:54 | More by KI9A

beefnbarley

Kentucky

1.95/5  rDev -43%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Was looking forward to a nice beer. Appearance is dark copper and opaque. Residual hops noted in bottom of glass. Sourness and somewhat vinous aroma as it warmed. Malty nose is there as it warms and toasty/breadiness apparent. Very tart and astringent taste that leads one to believe it is a soured bock. Perhaps I received a very old bottle. Light in body for the style and overall was not drinking experience I was hoping for.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2010 01:35:46 | More by beefnbarley

Vancer

Illinois

2.03/5  rDev -40.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Ol' Pandora's Bock (luv the name) pours a clear see-through mahogany brown with a decent tan in the Sammy Adams freebie glass.

The aroma is not good - a sour funk prevails and dominates. And it's present in the quaff also, not a pleasant drinking bock at all. Bits of caramel are there, but that damn musty funk is killing this beer. Finishes with a wet cardboard oil. I've got a sixer of this stuff, if the others are better I'll re-review.

Really surprised at Breckenridge to put something like this out.

Serving type: on-tap

03-13-2009 21:03:15 | More by Vancer

sethcroisant

Nebraska

2.2/5  rDev -35.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.25

A- slightly darker than amber in color. barely any head, but has decent retention.

S- not much going on. slight herbal quality from the hops. tiny hints of toasted malt.

T- medicinal hops overpower the malt a bit. some caramel and toasted malts in the backround, but the odd hop flavors are prominent throughout.

O- generally, i enjoy breckenridge. but, this is a complete miss.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 04:24:56 | More by sethcroisant

JoeST

Indiana

2.25/5  rDev -34.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Wow was I disappointed with this brew. This is the first from Breckenridge that I have not liked. I tried to pull something from it but couldn't come up with a thing. No real distinct aroma or flavor just bland & boring. Reminded me of a BMC in disguise. I tried it along with two friends & none of us could get anything from it. Will not buy this one again.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2009 14:21:15 | More by JoeST

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

2.25/5  rDev -34.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

Appearance - a slight haze to the orange caramel beer. A thin but persistent layer of cream bubbles. A few little hillocks of lace up high.

Aroma - a malty, buttery nose, powdery graininess, something weird and kinda funky.

Taste - a sweet caramelly start. Turns to a buttery, slightly tangy flavor, not too good. Frankly, the beer tastes a little dated. A sourish, old sock kind of swallow.

Mouthfeel - good smoothness for a bock, but it's not near enough to overcome the odd taste.

Drinkability - drank a little over half, then let my drain have the rest.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2009 19:18:41 | More by brewdlyhooked13

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

2.35/5  rDev -31.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1

A - Poured a nice, deep amber colour with a small amount of white head.

S - A significant malt nose with caramel.

T - The maltiest ale I have had. The malt profile is complimented somewhat by a sweetness (slightly caramel-like). No discernable hop presence whatsoever.

M - Medium body with a good amount of carbonation.

D - Not my style of beer. The malt presence is too much and I wasn't able to finish it.

Overall I am unimpressed with this beer. I have found a general lack of liking to Breckenridge's products (3 of the 4 I have tried I would never buy again).

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2010 20:49:56 | More by TheSevenDuffs

Bitterbill

Wyoming

2.45/5  rDev -28.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

This just showed up in Casper.

This pours a clear bright copper with a 2 finger head of foam.

The smell is strange. I get a good whiff of some malt but I also get something very tart and maybe medicinal? Not the best nose out there for the style.

The taste is of sweet malty notes up front followed by big earthy tones and *some* tartness, not as big as in the nose, thankfully, but it's there and it's distracting. Overall flavour is, imho, a real mess...too earthy, too sweet, not too drinkable:^( I'm doubting whether I can finish the bottle. Too bad because it's really a great looking beer in the glass ie good head retention and lacing. No more for me, please.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2009 01:05:50 | More by Bitterbill

IPAnderson

Massachusetts

2.48/5  rDev -27.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

I've never had a beer so similar to Coca-Cola. It looks like many bocks, but has very little flavor and aroma. Coke is just as thin and only a bit sweeter. The hops are almost indetectable and I'm really curious how this dark color exists without much maltiness in the beer. I'm struggling to adequately review this beer because my taste buds are struggling find some flavor. It's very smooth for 7.5% abv, perhaps that's caused by all the sugars instead of the herbal, hoppy aroma and breadiness from the malt I desired. However, this is the only bock I might consider a panty dropper.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2010 03:27:11 | More by IPAnderson

plrooney

Ohio

2.63/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

This was an interesting beer. It poured a very nice clear copper color, and while it did not have much head it looked good and it also had a nice aroma, however, it had one of the strangest tastes I have had in a beer. First, the mouthfeel was almost oily and it seemed to leave a film in my mouth. My friends thought I was crazy, but it tasted like liquid fried chicken. It was not a very pleasant taste, thank goodness this taste was the first taste when the beer hit my mouth and dissipated quickly. The beer did not have a strong after taste. Don't think I would drink this again.

Serving type: on-tap

02-09-2009 21:56:49 | More by plrooney

PatrickJR

North Carolina

2.65/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into pint glass.

A - Nearly opaque brown with a light tan 2 finger head. Decent retention and decent lacing.

S - Caramel and butter, but there's a bizzare grassy smell, maybe vegetables.

T - Rarely have I been as shocked as I was when I took my first sip. A quick burst of caramel leads into an extremely earthy, vegetal, and almost rotten apple flavor. A strange metallic flavor rides over the even stranger flavor. Thankfully the brew finishes clean and this taste isn't left to linger. A really gross and unnatural taste to say the least.

M - Smooth and moderately carbonated. Not bad, but the taste messes everything up...

D - No thanks. It's not the hardest thing to choke down, but it is rather offensive. Very disappointing (and gross) after the rather exquisite Vanilla Porter.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2008 09:26:27 | More by PatrickJR

Mebuzzard

Colorado

2.7/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Ok, so this isn't my favorite style.

A dark caramel, slightly reddish pour. Very small head that didn't take long to go away. Swirls produced very little return head.

No aroma I could detect, save some minimal sweet malt.

Taste is candied Jolly Ranger apple/cherry. Sweet. Syrupy a bit. Semi-clean towards the end. The old sock characteristic i usually get from this style is very weak here, which is good. For the style I guess it's ok. I'm not a fan.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2009 08:05:18 | More by Mebuzzard

cjgator3

Florida

2.75/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle

A- Poured into a pint glass. Pours a dark brownish amber color with an off- white head.

S- The malty aroma is sweet malt and caramel.

T- The taste like the aroma is sweet malt and caramel up front with a touch of hops and alcohol in the finish.

M- The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a lot of carbonation.

O- Overall, not a huge fan of this one. It is not horrible, but is just a little on the bland side.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 02:19:23 | More by cjgator3

hopdog

Pennsylvania

2.78/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz bottle.

Poured a medium and hazy copper color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of caramel, toastiness, some grains, and a little earthy. Tastes of toasted grains, caramel, tart grape skins, and citrus. This one seemed to be all over the place.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2009 02:47:10 | More by hopdog

yourefragile

District of Columbia

2.85/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On tap at Victoria's.

Pours a reddish copper with a minimal white head. Mild, boring aroma of bready malt, slightly sweet, maybe some caramel. Very sweet, malt forward, some grain. Trace hop bitterness in the finish. Creamy body with high carbonation. A subpar bock.

Serving type: on-tap

03-11-2012 19:47:02 | More by yourefragile

beerthulhu

New Jersey

2.88/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Ice-tea pour shows a bubby, washy skim beige head that dissipated rather quickly after the pour. Skimpy thin ring lacing.

S: Nose was unimpressive, some faint apple skins, otherwise indistinguishable, with not much appeal.

T: Apple malt flavor, a bit of spicy character and some crystal malt sweetens things up a bit. Warm apple-skins, some cherry skins as well. Flavor does grow on you a bit, not impressive at first, but sweetens up and becomes managable.

M: Mouthful is creamy, with a spicy dry sweetness. Quiet carbonation with a medium body.

O: Overall an average experience, nothing is gonna jump out at you visually, aromatically, or taste wise. The beer sweetens up as it goes with some toasty caramel. Drinkable, but with middle of the road excitment factor. Single serving recommedation at first.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2012 20:52:25 | More by beerthulhu

homebrewhawk

Kansas

2.9/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz. brown bottle served in a pilsner glass. Poured a clear dark gold with a thin off white head. Nice maltiness in the aroma with a hint of noble hops. That's about as good as it got. Flabby, caramel malt flavor, medium body. Some noble hop bitterness in the finish. Fairly drinkable. No defects, just another weak American attempt at a bock.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2008 00:53:35 | More by homebrewhawk

bruachan

Rhode Island

2.9/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

hmmm...the nose is a little anemic. some bready, some malty. smells like it won't have much spine to it. some pilsy-type scents. the weak head and carbonation could be culpable. no lacing though the color is decent enough (read: "saves the appearance category")

honey, dried fruit, more fruit, prickly heat. not what i am looking for in a bock. no smoothness whatsoever: makes this more like a poorly-hopped amber ale. the hopping, i will dare, is on target, but should be balancing a much smoother, maltier drink than this warm-fermented imposter

it's not a bad drink, but not rely all that super, either. i made a commitment some years ago to be harsher in my criticism. could i drink a sixer of this? yes. but then again, i love beer

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2009 02:37:34 | More by bruachan

secondtooth

Indiana

2.98/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Caramel/toffee brown. Almost no bubbles, and no lace. Hmm.

Aroma is malty, syrupy, maybe some maple. Not really very promising here.

Taste is sweet, and not too complex. Sugary malt-dominated. I rate this one pretty average.

Drinkable enough, but not outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2011 02:11:13 | More by secondtooth

moulefrite

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A pretty average bock! Hazy orange in color with nearly zero head. Aromas favor toffee and sweet cream-some caramel and buttery notes as well. A bit sticky and gooey in the mouth, and at the same time rather dilute. Sticky raisiny sweetness provides a cloying note, and a not so pleasant fruity twang. Long cloying candied finish. Fun to try as long as you don't buy! Thanks for the freebie most gracious distributer. I've a great rep-really!!

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2004 02:32:23 | More by moulefrite

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appears a pale copper hue with fine white head decent retention going on lacing is fine and scattered with each sip. Aromatics bread yeast and caramel notes with mild herbal hops. Flavor sweet bread and caramel grains barely noticeable hop flow but so in the middle. Mouthfeel is medium to light bodied with an even smooth texture. Drinkability is okay but again nothing special.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2008 05:53:16 | More by WVbeergeek