Wachen Bock - Harriet Brewing

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Harriet Wachen Bock. Traditional German-style bock bier. 6.9% ABV.

Took me about a minute to figure out the name for this one. I won't spoil it for you, you go figure it out on your own.

Clear, dark brown color, small head.

Caramel malt nose, sweet, but balanced.

Taste: More of the same in the mouth. Dark malt flavors, caramel and a touch of cocoa, a little nutty, with just the requisite amount of hops to hold it all in check. Medium bodied, nice roasty flavor coming through, long, tasty malt finish. Great drinking, despite nearly 7% ABV.

This brew is an anomaly in the local craft brewing scene. I can't think of anyone doing a regular bock. It's doppelbock, maibock, and nothing else. We're way too hop-obsessed, and a bit too trend-happy, in some cases, to entertain a brew like this. We'll, good for Harriet in bucking that terrible trend.

Serving type: growler

02-26-2013 09:24:53 | More by feloniousmonk

zeledonia

Minnesota

3.8/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

First to review this? I'm surprised. On-tap at the Birchwood Cafe in Minneapolis, on a very snowy Sunday.

Pours a deep reddish amber. Quite clear. One finger of yellowish head. Good retention and excellent lacing.

Smell is faint toasty malts, with herbal, slightly spicy hops. It's fine, I just wish it were more potent.

Taste is solid. Toasted bread, slightly buttery, with a little hop zing to liven things up and add a touch of bitterness. Finishes crisp and dry.

Mouthfeel is good. Medium-bodied, plenty of carbonation, and a crisp prickly dryness in the finish. Nice.

Many of Harriet's beers have a very similar Belgian-y taste (due to the yeast strain, I'd guess), so I'm delighted that this one has a very different character. A clean malty lager, just like a bock should be. Something about it feels very German to me. Doesn't blow me away, but I like it.

Serving type: on-tap

12-09-2012 23:39:54 | More by zeledonia