The Great Dane Pub and Brewery-Hilldale will celebrate the seasonal release of the bocks this year from noon to 5 p.m. on Feb. 20 with its Bockfest. It’s expanded this year with the addition of 10 other local brewers for a broader festival atmosphere: Vintage, Wisconsin Brewing, Capital, Lakefront, Karben4, Next Door, House of Brews and Metropolitan Brewery and Break Room of Chicago are scheduled.
The event originally grew out of a Boxing of the Bocks challenge between Great Dane brewmaster Rob LoBreglio and Wisconsin Brewing’s Kirby Nelson. This year, the Hilldale pub will offer at least 14 different bocks of its own, and 16 or more other bocks and doppelbocks will be on hand from others, along with a few oddball IPAs and Scotch ales.
Serious fans of the bock will appreciate the presence of Freiburg Gastropub. They’ll be tapping Kulmbacher Eisbock, considered among the best of the eisbocks on RateBeer and Beer Advocate. The Great Dane’s Velvet Hammer Bock fares well on those sites too, at number 14 on the BeerAdvocate’s best bock list. Tickets ($35) are available via Eventbrite. More details at info@greatdanepub.com.
