Red Brick Red Bock
Review Date 5/14/2005
Try?
Re-buy?
It hasn’t been long since my favorite Georgia
microbrewery, Dogwood, went under, yet seemingly the other two major players
are already picking up the pieces. Sweetwater has rolled out Summer Hummer,
a Belgian styled Wit that was the style Dogwood brewed as its summer beer.
For its part, Atlanta Brewing Company has introduced Red Brick Red Bock
as its spring brew (and perhaps less than coincidentally, Dogwood brewed up
an excellent bock as its own spring offering).
Dogwood’s bock was exceptional, so I had high expectations for that of Atlanta Brewing. Their beers are very good for the most part, with the richly malty Red Brick Ale, chocolaty Winter Brew, and superbly balanced Peachtree Pale Ale all laudable efforts. For the bock, there will be no bottling, and it can be found only on draft.
Red Brick operates an alehouse at Atlanta’s Hartsfield airport, and this is a good place to find some of the rarer draft-only brews Atlanta Brewing Company makes from time to time. If you happen to be flying through, it’s a great place to stop for a brew and a bite to eat.
This is supposed to be a “local interpretation” of a classic bock beer. I found it to be a decent enough brew, though it did not live up to the standard that Dogwood set with their version. While it was a nice enough malty red lager, it lacked that extra “oomph” I expect from a bock.
My glass of Red Brick Red Bock was a burnt ruby red in color, not too far away from the bright orange-red hue of the ubiquitous Georgia clay which has become a local hallmark. Likely that notion was not far from the brewer’s mind when the beer was named.
A light creamy head floated atop my glass, and the nose was pleasant with sweet malt aromas. The beer has a good firm mouthfeel and a fair amount of chewy caramel flavor. I did get a little of the nutty, chocolaty Munich malt/decoction flavors I’m looking for in a bock, but only a little. A good bit more would be needed to make this a better than average bock beer.
The finish is slightly sweet. A bit of grassy German hops keep it from being too cloying, but the malt ultimately wins the struggle. To be sure, I have no problem drinking this one and would select it again, I think, if my other options were not exceptional. But it is, I think, an average effort in the final analysis.
Dogwood’s bock was exceptional, so I had high expectations for that of Atlanta Brewing. Their beers are very good for the most part, with the richly malty Red Brick Ale, chocolaty Winter Brew, and superbly balanced Peachtree Pale Ale all laudable efforts. For the bock, there will be no bottling, and it can be found only on draft.
Red Brick operates an alehouse at Atlanta’s Hartsfield airport, and this is a good place to find some of the rarer draft-only brews Atlanta Brewing Company makes from time to time. If you happen to be flying through, it’s a great place to stop for a brew and a bite to eat.
This is supposed to be a “local interpretation” of a classic bock beer. I found it to be a decent enough brew, though it did not live up to the standard that Dogwood set with their version. While it was a nice enough malty red lager, it lacked that extra “oomph” I expect from a bock.
My glass of Red Brick Red Bock was a burnt ruby red in color, not too far away from the bright orange-red hue of the ubiquitous Georgia clay which has become a local hallmark. Likely that notion was not far from the brewer’s mind when the beer was named.
A light creamy head floated atop my glass, and the nose was pleasant with sweet malt aromas. The beer has a good firm mouthfeel and a fair amount of chewy caramel flavor. I did get a little of the nutty, chocolaty Munich malt/decoction flavors I’m looking for in a bock, but only a little. A good bit more would be needed to make this a better than average bock beer.
The finish is slightly sweet. A bit of grassy German hops keep it from being too cloying, but the malt ultimately wins the struggle. To be sure, I have no problem drinking this one and would select it again, I think, if my other options were not exceptional. But it is, I think, an average effort in the final analysis.
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
