8.1

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

12 ounce can into tulip glass; no can dating, but is a recent release. Pours crystal clear deep reddish brown color with a 1-2 finger dense light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toasted brown bread, nuttiness, herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/bready malt, chocolate/cocoa, and light earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toasted brown bread, nuttiness, herbal, light pepper, and roast/toasted earthiness. Light herbal/spicy hop and cocoa/roast bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toasted brown bread, nuttiness, herbal, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt, chocolate/cocoa, and light earthy hop flavors; with a great roast/hop bitter/sweet balance, and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Very clean on lager flavors; with zero yeast notes present. Light dryness from lingering hop/roast bitterness, lightly increasing through the glass. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready/grainy, and lightly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is nice. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 5.8%. Overall this is an excellent flavored traditional bock! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt, chocolate/cocoa, and light earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink. Very rich and complex on malts for the ABV; with balanced chocolate/cocoa flavors. A really enjoyable and delicious offering.