Try?
Some people
think I get too excited about beers made by big breweries, and that I’m a
little too generous with them. That I rate them a little more easily than I
should. Well, that might be a little true, but I can’t help it: I like beer
in all its shapes, sizes, and colors. I do love bold and flavorful brews
most of all, of course, but when I see one of the bigger breweries making
something that’s leaning in the direction of craft beer, I get excited. So
sue me.
You see, we beer geeks can be a cranky lot. We complain a lot about how the big breweries (especially the megabreweries like Bud and Miller) reduce our choices and just basically give us really bland and boring beer. But when they try to give us something with a little more character, we often pooh-pooh it and say it’s not any good.
You can’t have it both ways. That’s why I like to see the big guys doing beer styles that are a step out of the ordinary for them. Hey, Sam Adams can sell a lot of beer styles (18 I think) and be a pretty big brewer, so why can’t the rest of them? One of the bigger guys to at least try that is Highfalls Brewing of Rochester, New York. Highfalls is what beer people call a regional brewer, because they’re a lot bigger than a micro but not really one of the huge national players. They’re most famous for their JW Dundee’s Honey Brown Lager , of course, but they also do a few beers under the JW Dundee label, including a credible American Pale Ale . They have more on the way, too, with a hefeweizen, IPA, and Scotch porter on the menu soon.
The other day, I saw a new entry in the field at the supermarket, JW Dundee’s Pale Bock. A pale bock also goes by the name of Heller Bock, Spring Bock, Maibock, Blonde Bock-this is a beer with a lot of names. Basically, it’s a strong malty lager that is golden in color rather than the reddish brown color most bocks come in. Gordon Biersch Blonde Bock is a very good example of this style.
And the Dundee isn’t bad either, though it wasn’t really quite as good as I thought it might be. Let’s pour a glass together and see what we think.
JW Dundee Pale Bock pours to a bright golden color with a slight tint
of yellow. A very light spritzy head forms atop the liquid upon my pour, and
quickly recedes to almost nothing. The nose is sweet and honeyish, promising
flavor and telling you right away this is not an average big brewery beer.
The first sip reveals a beer of medium body, richer to be sure than most megabrews but less robust than I expect for the style. I am getting some rich sweet malt and some rock candy like notes, along with biscuity fresh malt and honey. Not bad really, very drinkable but still with some flavor. The beer finishes slightly sweet with a touch of alcohol warmth and the gentlest kiss of bitter hops. The malt does thin slightly in the finish, too, and that’s a distraction.
Still, this ain’t bad, and at about five bucks a six-pack you really can’t complain. It’s a great beer to wean your non-craft brew drinking friends on (and telling them it’s made by the same brewery that makes Honey Brown lager can’t hurt either). Dundee Pale Bock is thinner than and not as full as other Maibocks out there, including the Gordon Biersch version, but it leans in the right direction. Worthy of three and a half stars, but I’ll be kind and round up to four. I do have a soft spot for those big brewers, after all.
You see, we beer geeks can be a cranky lot. We complain a lot about how the big breweries (especially the megabreweries like Bud and Miller) reduce our choices and just basically give us really bland and boring beer. But when they try to give us something with a little more character, we often pooh-pooh it and say it’s not any good.
You can’t have it both ways. That’s why I like to see the big guys doing beer styles that are a step out of the ordinary for them. Hey, Sam Adams can sell a lot of beer styles (18 I think) and be a pretty big brewer, so why can’t the rest of them? One of the bigger guys to at least try that is Highfalls Brewing of Rochester, New York. Highfalls is what beer people call a regional brewer, because they’re a lot bigger than a micro but not really one of the huge national players. They’re most famous for their JW Dundee’s Honey Brown Lager , of course, but they also do a few beers under the JW Dundee label, including a credible American Pale Ale . They have more on the way, too, with a hefeweizen, IPA, and Scotch porter on the menu soon.
The other day, I saw a new entry in the field at the supermarket, JW Dundee’s Pale Bock. A pale bock also goes by the name of Heller Bock, Spring Bock, Maibock, Blonde Bock-this is a beer with a lot of names. Basically, it’s a strong malty lager that is golden in color rather than the reddish brown color most bocks come in. Gordon Biersch Blonde Bock is a very good example of this style.
And the Dundee isn’t bad either, though it wasn’t really quite as good as I thought it might be. Let’s pour a glass together and see what we think.
JW Dundee Pale Bock pours to a bright golden color with a slight tint
of yellow. A very light spritzy head forms atop the liquid upon my pour, and
quickly recedes to almost nothing. The nose is sweet and honeyish, promising
flavor and telling you right away this is not an average big brewery beer.
The first sip reveals a beer of medium body, richer to be sure than most megabrews but less robust than I expect for the style. I am getting some rich sweet malt and some rock candy like notes, along with biscuity fresh malt and honey. Not bad really, very drinkable but still with some flavor. The beer finishes slightly sweet with a touch of alcohol warmth and the gentlest kiss of bitter hops. The malt does thin slightly in the finish, too, and that’s a distraction.
Still, this ain’t bad, and at about five bucks a six-pack you really can’t complain. It’s a great beer to wean your non-craft brew drinking friends on (and telling them it’s made by the same brewery that makes Honey Brown lager can’t hurt either). Dundee Pale Bock is thinner than and not as full as other Maibocks out there, including the Gordon Biersch version, but it leans in the right direction. Worthy of three and a half stars, but I’ll be kind and round up to four. I do have a soft spot for those big brewers, after all.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
