Ralphie's Christmas Bock - Port Brewing Company / Pizza Port

rand

California

4.28/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From growler to pilsner glass

A: Pours dark amber in color, clear, with a small but sudsy head. Little patches of lacing quickly cascade down glass.

S: Wow, big bouquet of holiday spice up front. This smells really Christmas-y, and with the yeasty quality, reminds me of freshly baked cinnamon bread or sugar cookies.

T: And the taste follows with obvious layers of spice at the front of the palate - cinnamon, sugar, clove and a touch of drying paprika. Caramelly sweet with strong notes of ripened fruit - banana, raisins. This ale might be "outside the lines", but everything works well, nicely balanced. Surprisingly, the sweet finish doesn't linger.

M: Given the rest of the flavors, you'd expect something oily, chewy, but this is pretty light in complexion. The beer definitely has the body of a bock.

An aptly named beer that was brought back for Christmas in July. It might stray from a traditional bock style, but the beer works for what it's trying to do. Really tasty, and going down pretty quickly for a hot summer night.

Serving type: growler

07-18-2011 06:04:09 | More by rand

DCon

Missouri

3.88/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed on-tap @ Pizza Port Brewing in Carlsbad, CA for $5. Tapped from the Black Non-Labeled Tap Handle into a Pint Glass and split with Ralph(wouldn't you guess?).

Aroma- Starts with a rich, spicy start and ends with a light/blended malty aroma. Very strange for this style, but I'll take it.

Appearance- Received with a 3 finger head that is off white and stays around for a bit. Deep Copper/amber color body and can't really make out if it is clear or not. Leaves great amount of lace.

Flavor- Very complexed from the start... Has tons of spice again but then the malts come into play once again. Sweet finish with quite a bit of hop. Have to say I'm digging this beer!

Mouthfeel- Medium bodied, Medium Carbonation, Smooth, and Leaves spice on the palate.

Overall Impression- Seems like a very familiar holiday beer! Great amount of spice, sweet but strong, and such a great bock. The drinkability was medium and appropriate. I'm a huge fan of this brewery now!

Serving type: on-tap

07-16-2011 06:21:56 | More by DCon

HopHead84

California

3.5/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

2/13/2011

On tap at Pizza Port Carlsbad. 

A: Deep brown with a crimson tinge and a light brown head.

S: Big gingerbread aroma, with some brown sugar. Christmas spices are bold, mostly nutmeg and cinnamon. Molasses is light.

T: Strong gingerbread dough profile carries through to the flavor. Hey, this tastes like Christmas! Some nutmeg and a little cinnamon. Some evident molasses. Light grape notes accompany date and plum. A touch of booze. Dry finish.

M: Upper medium body with moderate carbonation. Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy.

Overall: Not really bock-like, but a tasty spiced holiday beers, in small quantities of course.

Serving type: on-tap
@ Pizza Port Carlsbad, 571 Carlsbad Village Dr., Carlsbad

02-14-2011 03:21:21 | More by HopHead84

womencantsail

California

3.9/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on-tap at Beachwood BBQ. I didn't initially post my review because the beer tastes almost exactly like Christmas Saves Ernest, and thought there was a mistake. Upon further investigation, this beer is just very similar to Christmas Saves Ernest.

On to the review...

A: The beer pours a dark brown color with a finger or so of khaki colored head.

S: Smells quite spicy and perhaps even herbal. I get a lot of gingerbread type aromas such as molasses, ginger, and toffee. There's a bit of a dark fruit aspect to it and perhaps some chocolate.

T: The flavor is very similar to the nose with a big emphasis on the ginger notes. Molasses, toffee, and winter spices make up a lot of the flavor profile. Sweet, but not overly so. Really different...

M: The body is medium with a moderate level of carbonation.

D: Definitely not what I was expecting from a Bock, but I guess it is a "Christmas Bock", though that really didn't mean anything to me.

Serving type: on-tap
@ Pizza Port Carlsbad, 571 Carlsbad Village Dr., Carlsbad

02-01-2011 17:48:41 | More by womencantsail

Gobzilla

California

3.2/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: poured a dark brownin color with brown highlights and had a thin bubbly head leaving plenty of lacing sticking to the glass.

S: Lots of herbal spice upfront on the aroma with molasses, toffee, caramel, and some nutty notes.

T: The herbal chracter was way more apparent on the palate with toffee, molasses, caramel accents but has a touch of spice as well.

M: The brew was medium in body with a fair amount of carbonation which had a herbal, spice, and sweet finish.

D: I thought it drank decent but was way too earthy for me to be a bock style brew.

Serving type: on-tap
@ Pizza Port Carlsbad, 571 Carlsbad Village Dr., Carlsbad

01-23-2011 21:33:44 | More by Gobzilla

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

2.05/5  rDev -43.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

On tap at beachwood.

Served with 1 finger of khaki head. Some lace left. Color is an amber mahogany brown.

Aroma: Sweet with caramel and vanilla. Fairly malty. Syrupy with caramel. Some spices. Kind of big. Too much for a bock.

Taste: Fruity esters and spice. Caramel sweetness. Some vanilla. Pretty malty. Again, too much.

Mouthfeel: Creamy and spiced. Medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends dry with more spices.

Overall, this was too much for a bock. Not very good. I would have never guessed this to be a bock.

Serving type: on-tap
@ Pizza Port Carlsbad, 571 Carlsbad Village Dr., Carlsbad

01-18-2011 23:29:53 | More by mothman

Halcyondays

California

3.98/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Beachwood BBQ, brewed by Port Carlsbad,

A: Pours a deep brown with a moderate white head, light lacing.

S: Standard bock malty notes, hint of spice.

T: Very malty, but there is a light hop balance. Good flavours, noticable cinnamon and winter spice.

M: Medium-bodied, well structured, firm mouthfeel. Crisp biting carbonation.

D: Solid bock, I like the winter aspect, very much a winter lager.

Serving type: on-tap
@ Pizza Port Carlsbad, 571 Carlsbad Village Dr., Carlsbad

12-23-2010 00:56:50 | More by Halcyondays