Hill Country Bock - Real Ale Review
German roots run deep in Texas, and particularly in the Hill Country. And with that comes a great affinity for beers from the old country. Oktoberfest dominates the fall season with steins full of festbiers and pots full of sausages and sauerkraut, but one beer dominates the rest of the year here in Texas, the goat of them all, the Bock beer.
Bock literally means ram in German, and most breweries have their own interpretation of the Deutschland classic. This week, we’re taking Hill Country Bock from Real Ale out of Blanco, TX, for a spin up those windy Hill Country roads (not literally, of course, don’t drink and drive), and we expect a lot from one of Texas’ original craft breweries.
Hill Country Bock comes in at a pleasant and sessionable 4.9% ABV and 15 IBU, and Real Ale describes it as “... a malt forward, easy-drinking amber lager with notes of light toast and freshly baked bread.”
The Bock is a well-known style, but imitations always have the potential to fall short, so let’s see how this one stacks up.
First Impressions:
On the Eyes--Hill Country Bock pours a clear dark amber and is topped with a khaki colored head. Off to a good start.
On the Nose--Malty and bready, as expected, with a confident lager crispness and straightforward aroma. Smells of German malt and toasted caramel.
On the Palate--Lighter than I was expecting, almost like a festbier in flavor and aroma with quite a strong hoppiness that offers floral and spice flavors and balances the sweet malt. It is light in the mouth and medium-bodied, but the finish is clean and dry with no lingering sweetness or toastiness from the malt.
Food Pairings: With German-style beer, always go for German food. Sausages and krauts, schnitzel and spaetzle. It’s hard to go wrong with those combinations.
Final Thoughts:
I think one of Real Ale’s comments about their Hill Country Bock sums it up perfectly: “Intentionally simple and purposely timeless, this beer is the perfect representation of all things that make the Hill Country so special – simple and straightforward without putting on airs, full of character yet approachable and generous in spirit. We think our beer is a real taste of Texas.”
I couldn’t have put it better myself, and I don’t intend to. When you leave the cities and get out amongst the winding roads and fields of oak trees, you realize how special the Hill Country is. It’s simple, in all the right ways, just like this beer. Hill Country Bock is sessionable and sweet, with the right hop balance for the style. It’s a beer you can drink anytime of year, but I suggest drinking it under an oak tree with a field of bluebonnets stretched before you and the perfume of the Texas Mountain Laurel drifting by. That’s a piece of Hill Country heaven.
Cheers!
Mr. Brew