There are times when training wheels make sense. However, there is a corresponding argument for throwing your timid Lite-weight arses into the deep end of the beer panoply, come what may.
It’s a broken record I play yearly around this time. Amid the early days of better beer consciousness, Bock often was the gospel’s first inkling. That’s probably because Bock is a clean, crisp malt bomb; liquid bread, when the bread is pumpernickel or rye, whether or not those monks ever intended it to be a dietary supplement amid Lenten fasting.
The Munich custom of Starkbierzeit (strong beer time) in March places the focus squarely on Doppelbock, the amped-up variant. The Beer Judge Certification Program offers parameters.
Doppelbock
Overall Impression
A strong, rich, and very malty German lager that can have both pale and dark variants. The darker versions have more richly-developed, deeper malt flavors, while the paler versions have slightly more hops and dryness.
40-odd years ago, Paulaner Salvator was available from a Southern Indiana beer wholesaler (I can’t remember which one). Michael “Beer Hunter” Jackson wrote about it; filled with anticipation, I ordered a case (20 x 16.9 oz) at Scoreboard Liquors, promising the owners that if it didn’t sell, I was good for it.
It sold. I was allowed to continue acquiring beers no one wanted, and they kept selling.
My annual “Bock’s back story” screed will not be updated for 2026. For what I hope are obvious and trying reasons, the month seems to have gotten away from me. But be aware that the NuLu Business Association’s annual NuLu Bock Fest takes place this year on Saturday, March 28 from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Hip Hops: Bock’s back story includes Vitus and NuLu Bock Fest, but NEVER steel wool
Experience teaches visitors to Germany that regional customs vary. This can come as a mild surprise to foreigners who imagine that “Germany” and “Bavaria” are synonyms. An instructive example is the institution of the colossal beer hall, like Munich’s fabled Hofbrauhaus.
Actually, drinking venues of this size seldom occur in Bavaria outside the city of Munich, much less in Germany as a...Read more
