The Bockbier is a firm part of the Bavarian and Franconian tradition, it belongs to the genus of the strong beers. Wonderfully strong and sweet to drink, it usually has an alcohol content of over 6% vol., the Doppelbock is even more than 7% vol. For comparison: a normal full-bodied beer has an alcohol content between 4% vol. and 5% vol. To be allowed to call a beer Bockbier, the original wort must be at least 16 °P. Indeed: Originally the bock beer was called "Einbecker Bier" and was the beer of the town of Einbeck in Lower Saxony. A good, expensive and above all long-lasting beer. The names Bock & Doppelbock were then derived from the Bavarian dialect, in which Einbeck beer became "Ainpöckisch Bier", shortened to "Ainpöck" and finally to " ein Bock", i.e. Bock beer. Also with the Bockbier naturally bottom-fermented and top-fermented beers can be distinguished. Traditionally, the vast majority of strong beers are bottom-fermented, but many wheat beer producers now have wheat bock and in some cases wheat double bock and even wheat ice bock in their product range. The taste of Bock beer can be described as full-bodied. It is not a beer with a hop accent, the latent hop aroma results from the moderate use of bitter hops. However, the bitterness of a Bock beer is on average rather weak, especially in comparison to the Pilsner.

Bock & Double Bock?

Basically every Doppelbock needs a base. The Bock is, so to speak, the basis for any kind of Bock beer. As mentioned above, the Bock usually has an original wort of about 16 °P and an alcohol content of 6%. In this context, the Doppelbock is the strongest beer among the Bock beers with a original wort of about 18 °P and an alcohol content of 7-10% vol. The strong Doppelbock served mainly in monasteries as a food substitute during Lent and was often called "liquid bread". Over time, monasteries began to brew beer not only for their own consumption but also for the public. The pioneers here were the Paulaner monks, who were the first to make their beer available to the population. Thank God!

The Bock beer: strong & seasonal

In contrast to the normal Franconian beer styles the Bockbier is usually not available all year round. The bock beer season in Franconia is from November to May. That fits, because after the beer garden time one longs for a warming strong beer in front of the crackling open fire. In many places in Franconia there is an exceptional atmosphere at the start of the bock beer season, because the annual tapping of the mother barrel has been celebrated in high spirits for many years. There are some brewers who offer their Bock all year round, including some in our beer assortment. Dunkelbock, Festbock (Christmas buck), Doppelbock, Maibock (also called Frühlingsbock or Heller Bock), Weizenbock. The different types of Bock beer vary in color, maltiness and, of course, in strength, depending on the type of Bock. There is something for every beer lover both during the season and during the year. But even more than with other beer styles, the enjoyment of Bock beer is even more important: Enjoy beer consciously!

The legend: The Icebuck

Legend has it that in the winter of 1890, a Franconian journeyman brewer accidentally left kegs of bock beer outside. Of course the delicious brew froze overnight, which the master was not very happy about. As punishment, the Geseööe had to break the block of ice and drink the remaining liquid. The result: The liquid was extremely tasty, the journeyman extremely drunk. The birth of the iceblock!

But why all this? First of all, an already strong beer was frozen due to the low temperatures. However, it must be emphasized here that it was not the whole beer that froze. Pure alcohol, or ethanol, has a freezing point of -114°C. Under normal freezing conditions, the diluting water takes on a solid form, while the higher percentage alcohol-sugar mixture remains liquid and can be extracted. Basically, the taste of the Bock beer is filtered out of the frozen block of ice in combination with alcohol, which makes the Bock an even stronger brew than the Bock beer already is. Of course, you can also do this yourself at home by filling a Bock beer into a plastic bottle and freezing it. Afterwards one puts the frozen bottle upside down into a glass and waits patiently for the result. Just try it and be surprised, PROOST!