I love brewing bocks. It might be because when we think of lager, we tend to think of pale ones such as pilsner and helles. Then we go down the lager rabbit-hole and learn about festbier, schwarz, and dunkel, and odder things with odder names—including a few that seem to have something to do with goats. Thus, we discover the bock family.
Somewhere between hefty doppelbocks and pale heller bocks, the traditional dunkles bock (or dark bock) is like the family’s middle child. It doesn’t get the attention of the other two, but this dry, malty strong lager is one you’ll want in your fridge year-round.
Style
One way to think of this style is as a kind of strong märzen. It has a lot of the same flavor characteristics: richly malty, plenty of toasty melanoidin-derived flavor, bitterness to balance, and a dry finish. However, this is a stronger beer, typically checking in between 6 and 7 percent ABV. That alcohol adds some sweetness of its own, and I’ve judged many in competition that lacked enough bitterness to balance it. We’ll be intentional with our ingredients here and shoot for a strong, warm, malty, dry, medium-brown lager.
