Miasmatic Review

1888 Bock.

Okay, I know I normally do the beer reviews on Wednesday, but that didn’t happen, and I wasn’t about to let it go three weeks without one. This is a beer that was given to me by Petey of Petey’s Powderhorn. He really wants to be the first enabler to hit 24 beers donated! HAHAHA! He had given me a box filled with various beers to try. The reason I selected this one tonight was because at Winter Camp Petey and the rest of the gang from his neck of the woods showed up with cases of it. I did a quick evaluation of it up there, but I held off on a full review until I got home. Tonight I’m reviewing the 1888 Bock by the Leinenkugel’s Brewery in Chippewa Falls, WI.

It came in a standard 12 oz brown bottle. The label is green and yellow and it’s hard to tell, but it appears to be a stream running along the edge of a forest, or in a clearing, or something. It’s hard to tell because the name of the brewery and the beer take up most of the label.

There is a nice dark reddish brown/burnt amber coloring to it. It’s clear and light passes through it easily. Yet it is dark enough that you can’t make out images on the other side. The head poured was about a quarter inch thick. It was made up of fine white bubbles, and faded to a film on the top of the beer. Minimal lacing formed on the edge of the glass.

The smell is a basic combination of caramel roasted malts with a slight toasted nut scent. A very mild fruit scent can also be detected. The taste has a thin taste of roasted caramel malts with a hint of a hop bitterness. You can also detect a bit of a grape like fruitiness to it in the finish. The aftertaste is a bit of a week bitter fruit combination.

It’s got a thin body to it. There is no coating to the mouth. There is a mild carbonation that fits this style of beer.

Overall, I’m less than impressed with this Leinie’s creation. A lot of their beers are pretty good, and this one is not bad, but it’s not what I would expect from them. It’s a sub-par beer for them. It’s not a bad beer, but I just don’t think I’d go out of my way to grab one. If you are a leinie’s fan, then I would recommend trying one, if not… I’d avoid this one. I give it 4 out of 10.