Anchor Bock Beer

Brewed by Anchor Brewing Company
Style: Dunkler Bock
San Francisco, California USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Snifter

Aroma of chocolate, butterscotch and caramel. Appearance is dark brown with creamy tan head. Flavor similar to nose with cherries and confectionery sugar. Palate is bubbly and creamy. Another wonderful offering by Anchor.

Anchor Bock pours a beautiful shade of nut brown, a dark mahogany highlighted with maroon and mocha. The head is substantial and leaves good lacing. The aroma is sweet with some nuttiness, like a good, heavy pumpernickel or dark rye bread with a sprinkling of caramelized sugar. The malt is definitely the star. The beer really smells like bread; there’s even a baker’s yeast flavor lurking. The flavor is a bit sweet for my taste, but it’s far from bad. It’s an aggressively malty beer, more of a bread in a glass style beer than most American bocks.

Pours a deep dark brown. Aromas of roasted malts, smoke, and hints of fruit. Flavors of the roasted malts, some fruit, with a coffee aftertaste.

A 12 oz. bottle yields a clear, dark rosewood colored beer with a decent tan head and minimal lacing. The nose is dark roasted malt with some alcohol peeking through. This is a fairly sweet beer, rich with dark dried fruit, caramel, chocolate and coffee in the mid-palate. The beer is well-hopped and finishes quite dry.

12oz bottle from Whole Foods Los Altos. Can’t believe I hadn’t tried this one yet - it’s the last of Anchor’s lineup I had left to try. Pours a pretty clear dark ruby-chestnut color with a large tan head and good lacing. This sure is a "dunkel" one. Aroma is really excellent: caramel, chocolate, and toffee, as well as dark fruit (raisin) notes. Complex. Flavor is also nice. Dark fruits - caramel and plum - are present, as well as chocolate, toffee, roast, and a little booze. Medium-bodied with a smooth mouthfeel, very clean. This is surprisingly good for a German-style American brew from a brewery that doesn’t get enough fanfare for its quality lineup. Will definitely revisit this one.

Pours cola brown with a huge late head. Aroma is faint coffee with toffee into malty sweetness. It smells like a delicious piece of chocolate. It is tight in the mouth with a pronounced maltiness rolling over the tongue. It is easy to drink. Welcome Spring.

Serving: 12 oz. bottle from Total Wine Sterling It pours a tea like color with a huge, pillowy, light tan head. There is excellent head retention and nice lacing left behind. The nose is filled with malt and a nice resiny hop note. The taste is a mix of pale malt, a little alcohol, some spice, and a touch of spicy hops. A little caramel and soap come out as the beer warms. The mouthfeel is medium with medium carbonation and a short finish. I really like this brew! It’s light enough to have a few but tasty enough to satisfy.

12 oz. bottle pours dark ruby, light tan head that fades quickly. Great sweet molasses aroma as well as light roasted coffee. Good rich sweetness, with a nice dry light roasted coffee bitterness and a chocolate aftertaste. A little buttery mouthfeel with light carbonation but solidly drinkable. Good example of the style.