Robin Shepard
The area’s best bock beers were offered Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Great Dane Pub and Brewery’s Bockfest. It was the third time the event has been offered at the brewpub’s Hilldale location, and the first time featuring other local brewers with their versions of bocks and doppelbocks.
Bockfest drew around 300 people, a gathering still intimate enough that beer enthusiasts had a chance to talk directly with the brewers. Many of the beers that were served were made just for the event. As host, the Great Dane provided 14 different beers, which included a range of bocks, doppelbocks, eisbocks and a special firkin of its Vintage Ale that made my best of 2015 beer list. The Dane certainly didn’t disappoint by rolling out its Über Bock, a 2012 Great American Beer Festival gold medal winner; an Eis version of it quickly became one of the most talked about beers of the day. However, the beer that I enjoyed most was the Great Dane’s Rauchbock, a smoked doppelbock with smooth caramel and chocolate sweetness gently accented by peat-smoked malt. That’s definitely a beer to watch for at the brewpub’s downtown taproom in the weeks ahead.
Other surprising beers of the fest included a one-off batch of Karben4’s King Topper, a strong doppelbock with lots of caramel and toffee notes. It was a beer made just for bockfest and isn’t likely to turn up even in Karben4’s own taproom.
Next Door Brewing has recently been making pilot batches of its first lagers. Until a few weeks ago Next Door had only made ales. Brewmaster Bryan Kreiter unveiled Stupendinus, his first weizenbock. It’s made with a nod of admiration to one his favorite beers, the highly respected Aventinus from Germany’s G. Schneider & Sohn Brewery.
Among the special bock treats from Wisconsin Brewing Company’s Kirby Nelson was his newest release, Dark Something, a combination of doppelbock and porter that’s deep black in color, rich in chocolate malt, and assertively hopped with East Kent Goldings. It recently appeared on local shelves in the brewery’s Conspiracies Series of four-packs. Among Nelson’s other special offerings was his “Box Lunch,” a beer that grew out of a happy accident in the brewhouse. Seems Nelson was involved in making a batch of his Wiskator doppelbock when he had difficulties in making the wort for the beer. This turned an otherwise normal brew day into a 17-hour struggle — or argument, as Nelson describes it — with his lauter tun. What could have been a disaster became one of my favorites on the day, with its rich caramel flavor and a modest 6.6% ABV.
Traditional German bocks were also among the highlights, including Kulmbacher Eisbock and Weltenburger Kloster. Both are seldom found on tap locally, so when offered on draught at the Great Dane there was a lot of buzz from the fest-goers.
The bock season is now in full swing. Capital Brewery’s Annual Bockfest takes place Feb. 27 in Middleton, at which it will release of its seasonal Blonde Doppelbock.
