Hansa Urbock

Brewed by Namibia Breweries
Style: Dunkler Bock
Windhoek, Namibia

Dark red-brown, hazy, tan head. Rich aromas and flavours of roasted malt, toffee, and dried sweet fruits (prunes, raisins). Full bodied and flavourful, a pleasant surprise from Namibia!

Had this one recommended to me by the boys at the Int’l Beer shop, W. Leederville, and after tasting it I would personally recommend it to anyone that I meet. Poured into a stumpy tulip, very fine carbonation raised a short pillowy tan head atop a clear, deep copper-amber body. Head was retained for the most and left a little legs down the glass. Rich and almost pungent pulped dark fruit aroma, cherries, plums and red grapes, with a mix of molasses and toffee, and an odd nutty note that came in long into drinking it. Similarly rich in the mouth and more intense than the light body would suggest. Sweet toffee and burnt sugars upfront, bready and doughy toasted grain and strong fruity esters mid-palate, through to a fruity and dry back that followed long into the malty and almost vinous swallow. Well rounded, intense yet sufficiently light in body and carbonation, this one was a great Bock and made for an excellent sipping beer. Pleasantly surprised by the flavour and balance of this one, held it’s alcohol well and managed to end my day on a good note. It’s definitely found a new place in my beer fridge. Lovely!!!

I like. It pours a slightly hazy reddish-brown body with a thick and dense tan head. The aroma is of toffee and juicy fruits (grapes, cherries, plums...) withy a handful of crushed nuts. Thick and creamy in the mouth, the flavor seems to have a brandy-like quality to it. It tastes like buttery toffee with a little fruity tartness and a definite hint of alcohol. The finish is sticky, warm, and buttery. U.S. breweries should do as decent a bock as this Namibian company.

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This beer was exceptionally good for a lager made in Namibia. QUite complex, something I wouldn’t expect, has some sourness to it, hints of grapes. Very good, recommended it is.

Appearance: bright, and deep rubyish color, redder than I’d I’d figure for a bock, with a very nice, soft, pillowy tannish head. Aroma: quite nice, sticks out well from the glass before I even raise it up for a sniff..Mmmm! Darkly fruity (cherries, grapes, dates, prunes), richly sweet, leathery, and exuding intensive alcohol notes, putting one in mind of brandy or cognac, or at least a pungent port. Quite impressed with this nose, a real treat! Taste: Mmmm, lush and fruity, those same suggestions of darker fruits recurring on the palate, with a syrupy, near-cloying sweetness on the ’buds, but never too long, with a medium body, and an attractive, sunny, very irridescent flavor, that shines and shines. Yum...did I say that yet? ...very welcome on this tongue, a very flavorful bock that stands above many other lackluster varieties that have passed by these lips before! Cheers to the fine German-style beer coming out of Southern Africa!

Hazy red/brown. Sweet nose, with some toffee, cider, wine, and cocoa. Light flavor, with some cider/wine notes, chocolate. Seems more reminiscent of an old ale than a bock. Nice, but somewhat light.

Bottled. 2004 vintage named "Urbock". Ruby colour with amber highlights. Moderate yellow tinged white head, that decays quickly. Aroma dominated by caramel, chocolate, molasses with a touch of yeast. Flavour reflects the aroma - chocolate malt, caramel, sweet molasses, mild hoppiness. Hides its "voltage" (abv) very well. Pleasant thickish mouthfeel. Dry finish with a touch of bitterness. A pretty good bock. This beer is in an entirely different league compared with other Namibia Brewery and the South African SAB offerings, that are commonly available around here (South Africa).

Dark amber/brown. Average head formation and retention. Aroma is semi-sweet chocolate, slight smoke and burnt pot roast. Some cinnamon and freshly cut grass as well. Flavor is very round, floating malt chords with a salty, undulating staccato of levity. Fades into a soft sort of sourness and wisps of vague roastiness. Lots of alcohol in this finish, and a slightly obnoxious, uproarious bitterness. Pretty good, but not up to the level of the Dreher sampled immediately prior. Funny how they go, these ratings.