Much of the Maibock

Over the past few weeks I've had chances to try two of the local maibocks. A while ago a growler full of Straub Maibock fell into my hands by chance. Over this past weekend I ordered a glass of Penn Brewery's Penndemonium Maibock while on one of my Blue Dust excursions.

I think that both brews were diverse in nature given the way the style of beer is. Maibocks are traditionally a spring beer, tend to be a bit darker than bocks  and have a hop character that's a bit more noticeable.

The two local ones I tried were at two ends of the spectrum, though. Straub's was really strong. The hop bitterness was intense as was the alcohol presence. It was a bit of a struggle. On the other hand, the Penndemonium was subtle and pleasant. There was a sweet maltiness that was present and mixed well with the above-average hop bitterness. It was just right.

One could make the argument that the Penndemonium might not fit under the Maibock category due to it's lighter hop content. Don't forget who's writing this, though. You know how I am when it comes to that. While I'm talking about Penn Brewery.

You might remember an older post about the new Summer Berry Weiss they brought out. I also found myself a bit of that. The wheat presence was very strong and provided that backbone that reminds me of a well-baked pie crust. Oh yea, and there was some tasty berries.

Beer Review: Appalachian Brewing Anniversary Maibock

Serving Type: Draft

ABV: 7.2 percent

Appearance: Appalachian Brewing Company's Anniversary Maibock pours a deep golden color. It has a very thin layer of creamy and foamy head that fades fairly fast. Don't expect to much lacing as you drink the beer. Carbonation doesn't seem to be too present either. I wish there was more of a head on this beer, but the color was fairly impressive.

Smell: This beer emanates a strong aroma of alcohol, as evident by the fairly high ABV. If you can get behind the booze, you can sense some attractive aromas such as caramel and honey.

Taste: The honey and caramel tastes are very complementary to the alcohol that is present in this brew. There is also a surprising hop character on the back of the tongue upon drinking this beer.

Overall Rating: 

Anniversary Maibock has a beautiful color and a very interesting, yet fun taste. Would definitely have again. The only downsides were the lack of head and intense aroma and taste of alcohol.