Robin Shepard
Capital brewmaster Ashley Kinart-Short with the traditional German bock beer that will be released March 6 in the brewery's taproom.
This bock, one of Capital Brewery’s original beers, has been off the roster for more than two decades. It’s releasing its new version of the beer on March 6 in its taproom.
What is it? Bock by Capital Brewery of Middleton.
Style: The traditional German bock is a lager with moderate to strong malty aroma and flavor. Some light toasted tones from the malts are also common, but they shouldn't be overly burnt or roasted. Hoppiness is low and there for balance against the sweetness of the malts. Bock beers are copper to dark brown in color, medium-bodied, and range from 6 to 7.5 percent ABV.
Bocks have historically been associated with special occasions and religious festivals such as Christmas and Easter and used to be released seasonally, between those holidays. However, with the proliferation of craft breweries, they are much more common.
Background: In developing the recipe for Capital Bock, brewmaster Ashley Kinart-Short had very little to go on. The original recipe had been lost for the past two decades. “This beer was such a part of our roots at Capital, but without any records I had to spend a lot of time researching and reverse engineering the recipe to the general idea of a German bock,” she says. Kinart-Short also drew on her brewery training in Germany where the style emerged.
Capital’s bock features a pleasant malty profile from Melanoidin, Munich and chocolate malts. It’s lightly hopped with German Hallertau Mittelfrüh and fermented with a lager yeast. The beer was made on the brewery’s seven-barrel system. Kinart-Short made a test batch about a year ago and has been tweaking the recipt leading up to the current release. She expects the bock to be a regular seasonal offering from the brewery.
Kinart-Short says the original bock stopped being offered in the mid-1990s, in favor of the brewery’s richer and stronger beers — its blonde and dark doppelbocks.
Capital Bock finishes at 6 percent ABV and an estimated 24 IBUs. It is a draft-only beer and will likely turn up in a handful of Madison bars and taphouses throughout March and April. It will be available starting Friday, March 6 in the brewery’s Bier Stube for $6/glass.
Tasting notes:
- Aroma: Light, with touches of breadiness and hints of roasted chocolate malt.
- Appearance: Deep orange-copper color with a bubbly tan head.
- Texture: Medium-bodied with softness.
- Taste: Smooth clean, bready-malty sweetness. Nicely balanced with a touch of herbal bitterness from the Hallertau hops.
- Finish/Aftertaste: Clean, with a light, smooth, chocolate maltiness.
Glassware: Capital serves this bock in the standard bar pint. Given a choice, I prefer a glass with a slight inward taper near the lip, such as a footed pilsner or Willi Becher, to focus the inviting malty aroma.
Pairs well with: slightly sweet stews and roasted meats, especially pork.
The Verdict: This is an approachable amber lager. The Munich and chocolate malts lend subtle sweetness, yet overall it remains balanced and clean. This is a very nice medium-bodied beer with brilliant copper color and light layers of sweetness with breadiness, caramel and hints of chocolate. It is flavorful while remaining clean and easy drinking.
