Sam Adams Chocolate Bock

[SewerRanger]

Oh Mr. Jim Koch, you do so love teasing us with your variety of special brews (anyone else excited about the new Imperial line?) and your limited releases. The Sam Adams Chocolate Bock is no exception and shouldn’t be passed by. There’s no pretension’s with this brew. They set out to create a chocolate beer and that is what they’ve done. Packaged in a black 750 ml bottle with a silver label, the beer pours coal black with little to no head. An instant aroma of chocolate hits you in the face along with hints of vanilla and a barely noticeable hoppy earth smell. It pours out thickly, but is actually a pretty light bodied beer that comes in at only 5.5% ABV. The taste is just like the smell – chocolate. There are no complicated flavors or unusual taste here. It’s simply a creamy sweet honey and vanilla flavor backed with a pronounced chocolate bittersweet finish. The sweet beginning nicely accents the bittersweet chocolate ending, while the vanilla flavor adds a nice bit of variety. This beer is easy to drink and best served slightly warmer then fridge temperature. Uncomplicated flavors may turn some people off, but if you just want something a bit different – something with a chocolate twist – then this beer is for you.

 

[Jay Hemingway]

i have been eyeing one of those bottles up for a while now.

i really don't drink that much anymore (when i do it's scotch) but that choco bock has me thinking.

thanks for the review.

 

[NASTY]

I saw this in a store one day and picked it up. I wasn't too impressed. It tasted like a flat Guinness...and I'm a big Guinness drinker, so I guess that messed it up for me.

 

[bfreebern]

I bought a bottle last month and from what I can remember, I enjoyed it.

 

[Franco593]

I saw this in a store one day and picked it up. I wasn't too impressed. It tasted like a flat Guinness...and I'm a big Guinness drinker, so I guess that messed it up for me.

me too and for $14 a bottle it's not that worth it to me. I think Mr.Koch got greedy with this one

 

[tsmckenney]

What's up with Sam Adams? They're like Don Pepin, only I've yet to have I enjoyed.

 

[amateuraficionado]

I was really hoping this would be better than it was. At $14 a pop, just not worth it imo..... maybe at half the price. I guess I was going into it expecting it to bare some semblance to stouts I have enjoyed bearing the "chocolate" descriptor, and it didn't. But, it is after all a lager.

 

[in2xshp]

I bought a case of this stuff just before Thanksgiving (I paid less than $13/bottle), I'm down to one bottle left and I guess I'm going to have to order another case. I found it better if you drink it at a little below room temp, about 55 degrees, It's a little more stout at that temp. This is an enjoyable beer.

 

[tsmckenney]

I was really hoping this would be better than it was. At $14 a pop, just not worth it imo..... maybe at half the price. I guess I was going into it expecting it to bare some semblance to stouts I have enjoyed bearing the "chocolate" descriptor, and it didn't. But, it is after all a lager.

That is funny. Last weekend I had the opportunity to try Surly's Bourbon One. This is a dark lager aged in bourbon barrels. Phenominal beer. Very complex; a little sweet with some hints of vanilla, wood, and of course the bourbon. Definitely a winner (and so it did, win the best of MN's WinterFest, that is).

add: I tried a Blueberry Lager at WinterFest as well, which was pretty good. It was very subtle, just on the finish really.

 

[CasaSoho]

Agreed the price was a little high if this were regularly available on shelves, but not bad for a special release. I found the beer enjoyable. I also enjoy a Young's Double Chocolate Stout, which is widely available and priced right for year round consumption.

 

[SewerRanger]

Agreed the price was a little high if this were regularly available on shelves, but not bad for a special release. I found the beer enjoyable. I also enjoy a Young's Double Chocolate Stout, which is widely available and priced right for year round consumption.

See and this is $13/750ml whereas Youngs is $12/500ml so you're actually paying more for Young's (at least around here). I'll agree that it's not an every day sort of beer, but I like it as something to go for when I'm in the mood for something different.

I found it better if you drink it at a little below room temp, about 55 degrees

Agreed. It's much tastier if you let it warm up a bit, but then looses flavor again around room temp.

 

[CasaSoho]

$12, ouch! I've seen from $4-5 here in Tampa and back in Western Massachusetts. A downtown bar has the bottle available for $7-8.

 

[SewerRanger]

Damn, I think I'm getting ripped off. It's about $13/bottle in the bar and around $12 in the store.

 

[amateuraficionado]

I was really hoping this would be better than it was. At $14 a pop, just not worth it imo..... maybe at half the price. I guess I was going into it expecting it to bare some semblance to stouts I have enjoyed bearing the "chocolate" descriptor, and it didn't. But, it is after all a lager.

That is funny. Last weekend I had the opportunity to try Surly's Bourbon One. This is a dark lager aged in bourbon barrels. Phenominal beer. Very complex; a little sweet with some hints of vanilla, wood, and of course the bourbon. Definitely a winner (and so it did, win the best of MN's WinterFest, that is).

add: I tried a Blueberry Lager at WinterFest as well, which was pretty good. It was very subtle, just on the finish really.

Just to clarify, I didn't mean it didn't live up to my expectations because it was a lager, but rather that in my mind, I went into it with preconceptions it would be similar to some of the chocolate stouts I've enjoyed. With stouts being ales and bocks being lagers, I now realize my expectations were completely off to begin with.

 

[carmike24]

I loved this beer. I tasted a little bit of coffee when I had mine. Of course it could have been the cigar, but awesome smoke overall. $13.99 here in Atlanta, GA.

 

[Nicklor]

I bought a case of this stuff just before Thanksgiving (I paid less than $13/bottle), I'm down to one bottle left and I guess I'm going to have to order another case. I found it better if you drink it at a little below room temp, about 55 degrees, It's a little more stout at that temp. This is an enjoyable beer.

They sell the stuff around here for $19 a bottle and my one friend who lives in King of Prussia paid $25 for his, but it is hands down one of the best Bock's I've ever had, a good substitute for SA Choc. Bock is St. Nikolaus Bock by Penn Brewing if you can find it.

Nick