Home > Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock Brewed By the Boston Beer Company
Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock Brewed By the Boston Beer Company
Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock Brewed by the Boston Beer Company
To create Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock, the brewers at Sam Adams wanted to
take the flavor beyond the taste of dark roasted malt. For this year's brew
they worked with a blend of cocoa nibs including Ecuador nibs from TCHO®, an
artisanal chocolate maker in San Francisco. They started with hand selected
Noble hops from Bavaria and combined them with a complex selection of
carefully roasted malts. This dark beer has a big, malty character with the
added sweetness of chocolate. They slowly age the beer on a bed of rare dark
cocoa nibs, the primary ingredient in chocolate. Known for their quality,
these cocoa nibs harvested in Ecuador, impart complex aromas and flavors
from chocolaty to fruity, nutty, earthy, and citrusy.
History
Beer and chocolate have a much more complicated history than most people
realize. In fact, recently it was discovered that the origins of chocolate stem
from a brewing process. Mesoamericans, who flourished in Central America before
it was colonized by the Spanish, developed chocolate as a by-product of
fermenting cacao fruit to make a beer-like drink called chicha still brewed by
South American tribal people.
Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock Stats:
ABV: 5.8%
Calories/12 oz.: 237
IBUs: 11
Malt Varieties: Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend, Caramel 60, Carafa, and
Munich 10
Hop Varieties: Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops
Special Ingredient: cocoa nibs from Ghana, Ecuador, and Madagascar
Color: 75 SRM
Beer Reveiw by Beer Advocate: Appearance: Crystal clear with dark ruby highlights when held up to a light,
but otherwise looks completely black. A very thing tan head and a little bit of
lace on top.
Aroma: A definite sweetness that I would not say is chocolate except for the
label.
Taste: Chocolate milkshake, with some extra chocolate syrup on top. I am
somewhat amazed at the amount of chocolate character they got in this beer.
There is a slight bitterness that seems to be hop driven vs. roasted malts, I
think I would like a little bit of roasted malt or some black patent, basically
I think I would like this more as a porter/stout. Very rich, but not cloying.
Mouthfeel: Crisp and creamy at the same time, tingly carbonation.
Overall: A very good beer, kind of regretting I did not drink/review this one
earlier, but not really a summer beer. The very distinct chocolate is great,
makes me want to try to brew a porter with cacao nibs. A great addition to the
winter variety pack, I need to check the store soon. Very worth trying. An
excellent dessert beer.
Beer Review by Beer Advocate
Appearance - Molasses black in color, the beer seems to pour just about as
thick, topping off with a tall but short-lived tightly packed mocha foam. Specks
of lace ride the side of the glass in a Calvin and Hobbes toboggan ride-like
zig-zag.
Aroma - Merry Mischief smells like opening a Christmas tin of ginger snap
cookies combined with a pumpkin pie; ginger and molasses notes with big clove,
nutmeg, and cinnamon. Roasted malts give the beer a singed pie crust nose
followed by a pinch of mocha and hint of espresso coffee grounds. Lactose
sweetness doesn't appear quite so strong but seems to bury the malt aromas a bit
on the finish.
Taste - Forward spice reiterates the classic ginger snap cookie flavor while the
other aforementioned spices pile on memories of the recent fall desserts;
pumpkin pie! Lactose sweetness and soft wheat withhold the more aggressive
attributes of the "stout" side of this beer. Roasted malt, molasses, and coffee
peek through but this beer remains approachable even for it's boastful alcohol
percentage.
Mouthfeel - Smooth, robust and full-bodied, Merry Mischief is a playful beer
that combines soft wheat and a round sweetness feel with sharp spice, gritty
roasted malt, and mellow alcohol for a satisfying and warm, soothing finish.
Overall - With a nicely blended, not over-the-top, mélange of spices and full
base of roasted malt, Samuel Adams Merry Mischief puts a welcome spin on an
imperial stout that's not so imperial feeling. If you find yourself spending
extended time in the cold this winter season, trade in your mug of hot cocoa for
a delectable Merry Mischief when you get back inside.
Boston Beer Company Story
The Boston Beer Company began in 1984 with a generations-old family recipe that
Founder and Brewer Jim Koch uncovered in his father's attic. After bringing the
recipe to life in his kitchen, Jim brought it to bars in Boston with the belief
that drinkers would appreciate a complex, full-flavored beer, brewed fresh in
America. That beer was Samuel Adams Boston Lager(R), and it helped catalyze what
became known as the American craft beer revolution.
Today, the Company brews more than 30 styles of beer. The Company uses the
traditional four vessel brewing process and often takes extra steps like
dry-hopping and a secondary fermentation known as krausening. It passionately
pursues the development of new styles and the perfection of its classic beers by
constantly searching for the world's finest ingredients. While resurrecting
traditional brewing methods, the Company has earned a reputation as a pioneer in
another revolution, the "extreme beer" movement, where it seeks to challenge
drinkers' perceptions of what beer can be. The Boston Beer Company strives to
elevate the image of American craft beer by entering festivals and competitions
the world over, and in the past five years it has won more awards in
international beer competitions than any other brewery in the world. The Company
remains independent, and brewing quality beer remains its single focus. While
Samuel Adams is the country's largest-selling craft beer, it accounts for only
about one-half of one percent of the U.S. beer market.
