Rail House Bock Beer

Brewed by Rail House Restaurant and Brewery
Style: Dunkler Bock
Marinette, Wisconsin USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Snifter

Thanks to Bob for the bottle! Poured medium coppery-amber with a fine, creamy cap of beige head. The aroma picked up toasted darker caramel and anise notes accented by spicy floral and earthy hoppage.. warmth brought out interesting alternative grainy character. The flavor had caramel, almonds, and nutty character at the core with dry, spicy floral and earthy bitterness again at the edges.. sweet candi sugar and yeasty notes were laced throughout.. slight buttery notes and light oxidation came through on the finish. Light-medium bodied with higher carbonation and a decent feel on the palate.. warmer than it probably should’ve been on the finish, but still aiight.

Bright umber color with a hint of ruby. Moderate, somewhat diminishing dark canvas colored head. Aromas of dark caramel, wood fiber, dark currants, sorghum and touch of buckwheat. Interesting, but not quite engaging scents. Quite sweet with lots of caramelized sugar and dark Belgian candi and some light spice. Seems too sweet, but does not come off as worty or under-attenuated. Finish and linger have a mild nuttiness. I can see this being an early example of this style. I enjoy it for that.

On tap at the brewery. Light orange/amber body, off-white to buff head. Toasty, somewhat burnt caramel roast aroma, light at cold serving temperature. Unique body, with a dirty, dusty, woody fruitiness reminiscent of a Flemish Brown Ale, in addition to the more traditional burnt caramels and toast. Very strange beer. Alcohol punch is surprisingly strong for 5.6% ABV. A tad harsh, but worth a try.

This bock beer is available even during the summer on tap or in bottles at the brewpub. Unlike most dark bock beers, this beverage pours a semi-hazy caramel amber brew with a fast dissolving off white head. Aroma is light sweet caramel, toasted malt and a touch of vegetable hops. Taste is smooth, creamy, with taste character of caramel and toasted malt. Finish is a good balance of sweet and bitter tastes which then changes to sllight bitter after the finish. The beer bottle label is an interesting story. The label design is a replica of Menominee-Marinette’s stock bock beer label that was used between 1938 and 1941.