Schell's Bock - August Schell Brewing Company

bcpriess

Minnesota

2.3/5  rDev -39.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

This is my first review here. I'm skipping 1 and 2 (my sense of smell is pretty bad).

Taste: If you like malt, you'll like this beer. For my tastes, a little too sweet and chocolatey/banana-ey (?). The fundamental beer flavor seemed to be masked. The malt content is definitely high, and you taste it. To me it tastes unfinished and syrupy, almost like drinking malt straight from a homebrew kit - as if the yeast were unable to process all the malt.

Mouthfeel: Chalky and thick. There is a dryness to this beer that is at odds with its thickness. The flavor makes me expect something sticky and wet feeling, but as it is on my tongue, I can feel something chalky - particulates? - and a general thickness that adds to the already oppressive maltiness of this beer.

Drinkability: Low. A few sips of this stuff, and I feel full and my mouth feels saturated with unwanted sweet.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2010 18:03:50 | More by bcpriess

Soilworker

Idaho

2.9/5  rDev -24.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: Dark amber with one finger off white head.

S: Sweet caramely malts with somewhat off-putting, perhaps canned corn aroma, at least that's what I get. Grassy hops play a balancing part.

T: Big caramely malts and some slight herbal hops. Kind of rough off-putting bitterness that unfortunately lingers on the tongue.

M: Full bodied and relatively highly carbonated.

D: I personally could not put more than one of these down. There was too many offputting flavor such as the canned corn and the rough bitterness on the tongue.

Notes: Don't think I would buy this one again. Nothing terribly great and I didnt think they did a great job on this one.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2010 04:10:19 | More by Soilworker

plfahey

Minnesota

3.28/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle poured into a tulip glass.

Appearance-Mahogany red in color with ruby highlights and brilliant clarity. Moderate light tan/beige head with decent retention.

Aroma-Caramel and toffee malt with lighter notes of bread and toast. Malt profile is decent, but not excellent.

Flavor-Similar toast, toffee, and caramel flavors, with some butterscotch (tastes like light diacetyl). Slightly sweet up front, though dries out a bit in the finish. Not bad, but just not terribly complex.

Mouthfeel-Medium body, moderate carbonation. Smooth.

Goes down easy, but I find this one to be relatively blah. It's a bit too one dimensional and lacks the malt complexity to keep me interested. It's also not tasty enough to be an easy-drinking, sessionable bock. Not bad, but falls flat in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2011 05:35:26 | More by plfahey

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.28/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from session notes.

A. Ruddy brown in color, good clarity, receding foam collar for a head with minimal lacing left behind.

S. Biscuit malt aroma with some ester fruitiness present on top of brown sugar. No hop aroma is detectable.

T. Mostly burnt sugar flavor with a semi-toasted component working in tandem. Breadiness only appears as a garnish on the finish for me. Hops (noble or otherwise) are MIA and it feels out of balance because of it, a little gentle hopping would have gone a long way towards making this brew exceptional.

M. Smooth medium bodied with a hint of oiliness, but carbonated just well enough to counter balance it. Still, it could have used a slightly higher level of carbonation to lighten it up a bit.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 02:57:49 | More by WastingFreetime

schellsbeer

Minnesota

3.43/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to KeefD for the sample bottle.

Schell's Bock is back!!! Here is the Review.

A - Dark malt brown with little head. Very nice beer to look at. Excellent color. Almost a dark purple to dark brown. Some dark carmel colors.

S - Malt and barley. Heavy on the nose. Good. Not as fresh smelling as the Snowstorm 2008 but good. This is a Minnesota beer....not for the weak. Looks like the lumberjacks would drink this. Little baby girl beer drinkers, please don't even bother.

T - Once again, heavy on the malt and barley. Strong taste but not over done. Bitter....not here. Very little hops noticed. A little sweet taste is noticed as the beer goes down. Again...nice but not as good as the Snowstorm 2008.

M - On the thick side. 1 of these and I will be looking for a different texture beer just to wash the layer off of my tongue. Burnt sugar and molassas. I really like the finish as the beer slides down.

D - Ok. I will search out other Schell's before this one again but still worth of the Schell's name.

Nice try Schell's. You can still impress.

Serving type: bottle

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2009 02:33:34 | More by schellsbeer

iLovehops23

Minnesota

3.43/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

IHad this at bockfeast in New Ulm.Pours amber brown with an off white head that dissipates fast. Aroma is sweet and malty as expected from a d bock. Caramel with a light undertone of hops. Some roast in the aroma as well. Medium body with light carbonation. Hops come through in the finish with a slight bitterness which offsets the sweet malt profile nicely. Very drinkable, sessionable at that. I enjoy the nice hop bite on the finish. Good.

Serving type: on-tap

03-20-2011 20:50:18 | More by iLovehops23

jjanega08

Minnesota

3.45/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A= a darker color but you can still see light through it when held up to the light. No head forms and no lacing is evedent
S= smooth dark chocolate, and grainy malt
T= not a whole lot here. Chocolate and grainy malt come in but not too much else. Not bad but not special
M= smooth and kinda suprisingly crisp not bad
D= pretty decent. Ill prolly drink a lot of these this spring for the price and the smooth regular taste.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2009 03:26:48 | More by jjanega08

Mdog

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Dark amber, fading head.

Smell: Caramel sweetness, toast.

Taste: Moderate caramel, toffee, feels quite bready, earthy undertone.

Drinkability: Not really bock season anymore, might be good to revisit in colder weather.

This is a pretty good beer other than the flat appearance. Good flavor profile with plenty going on.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2009 01:57:47 | More by Mdog

jsprain1

Minnesota

3.55/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours a reddish-amber. Head is two and a half fingers, lasts well at one and a half. Minimal lacing.
S- Smell is mild, mostly a brown sugar, slightly roasted malt aroma.
T- The taste is a bit more developed. Still initially sweet flavors, a brown sugar and caramel flavor. There is a dark fruit as well as a noble hop presence.
M- Mouthfeel is a bit lighter than I like, but the carbonation is pretty spot on.
O- A pretty good American made bock. Enjoyable and worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2011 20:02:39 | More by jsprain1

bluHatter

Michigan

3.6/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Real nice foggy dark amber color with a 2 finger big bubble head. Descent lacing.

S: Strong caramel, some apples, yeast, some pine

T: Very mellow malts, caramel and nuts. Very understated in contrast to the nose.

M: Nice smooth medium body, good carbonation.

O: A nice mellow bock, that almost feels like a nut brown.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 23:11:09 | More by bluHatter

mooselvlt

Wisconsin

3.73/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle into a pint glass

A - Pours a clear copper with a finger's worth of beige foam.

S - Smells of roasty malts and biscuits. Not a huge nose, very subtle

T - Nice roasty malts followed by a slight bit of hops. Malts are nice and bready.

M - Thin to medium, well carbed, and a touch dry. Nice and clean finish. Its a drinker.

O - Really liked it. I usually pass over Schell but I threw this one in a mixer. Glad I did!

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2011 02:44:39 | More by mooselvlt

Arenbeer

Connecticut

3.78/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From Notes

12oz bottle into a snifter glass

A- Pours a dark dark reddish brown with a thin off white 1 finger head.

S- Roasted malts, molasses, and dark fruits.

T- Roasted malts, dark fruits, burnt sugars, and a slight coffee background.

M- Medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation and a slight bitter finish.

SkÅL!

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2011 00:05:24 | More by Arenbeer

katan

Colorado

3.83/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12 oz into a pint

A - Pours a full bodied, but still clear, deep amber to almost mahogany color. Head formation is strong, breaks down to a decent film.

S - Caramel, malt, toffee, very sweet scent. Some yeast notes in the background.

T - Starts off with a solid smooth malt flavor, dominated by some light caramel sweetness. Some grainy edge. Midstream is rather dull, but does get a little more bitter. Finishes with a clean, malt yeast note. Aftertaste is more potent, with more caramel coming through. Almost has a belgian candy sweetness that I would detect in a dubbel.

M - Moderate beer body, strong carbonation bite. Finishes pretty cleanly.

D - Easy drinking. ABV is potent, but manageable. Moderately filling due to its carbonation. Flavors are light, not overwhelming. Seems sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2010 03:58:26 | More by katan

MinnesotaRIS

Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A- dark amber, low transparency, no cloud.

S- pleasant, sharp hops, slight fruity, bock.

T- lager taste with strong hops. Woodsy and warming on the aftertaste.

M- Slight tart. Hoppy and drawing. Pleasant.

D- worth it. If enjoyed, it cannot be drunk fast and with vigor.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2011 02:24:53 | More by MinnesotaRIS

Wasatch

Utah

3.85/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks goes out to Buebie for this one.

Pours a nice clean/clear dark golden brown color, nice carbonation, nice little fizzy tan head, with some nice sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, with nice caramel notes. The taste is sweet, malty, nice caramel touch. Medium body. Drinkable, a nice brew.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2009 00:30:27 | More by Wasatch

mbrasi

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours amber brown with an off white head that dissipates fast. Aroma is sweet and malty as expected from a d bock. Caramel with a light undertone of hops. Some roast in the aroma as well. Medium body with light carbonation. Hops come through in the finish with a slight bitterness which offsets the sweet malt profile nicely. Very drinkable, sessionable at that. I enjoy the nice hop bite on the finish. Good.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2009 02:43:28 | More by mbrasi

shadow1961

Minnesota

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

August Schell Bock pours a big tan head over a deep amber/coffee colored brew. Active carbonation- lots of little bubbles. Nose is clean- toasty malts, pretzel maybe, and lager yeast. The flavor is very much like I remember their '08 Snowstorm was/is like- dark toasty malts and an herbal hop off the back. Maybe dialed back a bit- not so much rye as I remember, hop a tad more aggressive. Mouthfeel is light and clean, finishing dry dry dry. Nice. This is about as fast as Schell's moved one of their Snowstorms into regular year-round production- as of this writing (February '09), both Snowstorm and the new Bock are both in the shops. The only downside is the new Bock replaces their Caramel Bock, which I was quite fond of. But by all means, take the opportunity to compare 'em for yourself- there's some good solid stuff here!

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2009 07:15:11 | More by shadow1961

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Cheers to mothman for this one, thanks Ben!

Pours a ruby-flecked brown with 2 fingers of tan head. No head retention or lacing, the only detractor in an otherwise good bock

S: Brown bread & a touch of leafy hops

T: Brown bread, a smidge of ginger bread & plummyness up front. As this warms I get brown sugar & dryness. Finishes fruitty with leafy hops & more brown sugar dryness

MF: Medium bodied/chewy with fairly assertive carbonation up front.

Drinks easy, a pretty nice bock, hides the ABV fairly well

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2009 02:35:48 | More by russpowell

tmcelvain

Minnesota

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Mahogony color with almost no ead out of the tap. Very sweet malty smell.
Tastes of sweet, sweet malts, but the sweetnes that hits you up front does not linger. Nicely balanced with a bitter hop finish to keep from beeing coyingly sweet. Flavors are caremel and toffee malts as well as a pumpernickle, cinnamon bread.
Mouthfeel os well balanced. Could benefit from an even lower ABV to make this good beer truly sessionable.

Serving type: on-tap

03-21-2011 19:11:21 | More by tmcelvain

CHSLBrew

Minnesota

3.93/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass.

A-Clear, dark copper beer. Tan head receded quickly to nothing.

S-Thick and rich caramel with some biscuity malts. Very malt-centric aromas, crisp.

T-Enjoyable and big caramel flavors with hints of toffee. Some light toastiness. Hop bitterness is appropriately quite low.

M-Medium-high carbonation seems to pull some weight into this medium-bodied brew. Very smooth and clean over my palate.

D-Nice drinkability. As a new addition to the Schell's line-up, I think this will be a success. It's got some nice bock characteristics, and it really left me wanting another one.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2009 22:05:32 | More by CHSLBrew

BeenJammin

Kansas

3.93/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This bock has a rich caramel color with a nice fluffy tan head. Has a toasty and nutty character to the aroma. It is full of caramel and grains. It has a slight floral hop finish. Smooth and clean feel to it and it really goes down good. I am impressed by this beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2009 03:34:49 | More by BeenJammin

dmadsen

Minnesota

3.93/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First time drinking this beer.

Great color, deep red hue. Apparent bubbles, but not too fizzy. Doesn't have an overpowering head or leave large traces on the glass.

Nice scent, but nothing overpowering or that stands out significantly.

The flavor is good. Balanced, some fruit, some bread, nice light bitterness on the end.

Good overall mouthfeel. Slightly bubbly, very drinkable, stays with you.

Overall a very solid beer, good for the season. I think I'll have another.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2012 02:28:51 | More by dmadsen

ThePeskyDingo

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured a 1 finger light tan head that dissipated at a medium rate. Beer color is a clear deep amber color.

Smells of malts, caramel and dark fruits.

Tastes of sweet malts, caramel, a hint of chocolate and faint hops.

Mouthfeel is smooth. Medium carbonation. Has a sticky finish.

Very easy to drink, very sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2009 04:26:36 | More by ThePeskyDingo

objectivemonkey

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Into a pint glass, pours a surprisingly light copper color. And by surprisingly light copper color, I mean that I thought I was pouring a Schell Stout. So then, lovely color, a nice and thick, fluffy off-white head of a half inch and good staying power. Some lacing, but doesn't stick to the glass until the end.

The aroma has nice caramel and toffee tones, some toasty and faint hoppy notes too. Taste is similarly centered on sweet malt, caramel, toffee, some toastiness, some hops. The body is medium full, good carbonation, and it dries up toward the end. In all, an enjoyable enough beer to drink, doesn't quite stand up to the great ones, but is quite drinkable nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2009 22:30:15 | More by objectivemonkey

jera1350

Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Brown color with nice head. Some lacing.

S- Big roasted malt and caramel.

T- Malty with some sweet caramel to finish. Nice and crisp.

M- Medium bodied, smooth with good carbonation.

D- Very drinkable. Refreshing. This would make a nice cool weather session.

This is a very nice beer from a local brewer. I would have again.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2009 21:55:57 | More by jera1350