As much as I love beer, I'm sometimes decidedly annoyed by beer geeks. Some of them would have us believe that the microbrewery revolution in America saved the nation from a desert entirely devoid of a single drop of good beer. Of course, we know that's not true: said desert, while decidedly arid, did contain the occasional oasis of flavorful brew.

Case in point: Narragansett Bock Beer, a product of the Narragansett Brewing Company of Cranston, Rhode Island. Narragansett brewed a bock and a porter during the dark days when most of what was available was lightly hopped, barely flavorful ALL (American Light Lager). Sadly, Narragansett Bock died in July, 1981 when the brewery closed.

Or did it? A band of indefatigable Rhode Island entrepreneurs think it hasn't, and they've revived Narragansett Bock as part of their attempt to bring the Narragansett brand back to New England. Currently, they lack a brewery of their own, but their version of Narragansett Bock is contract brewed by the Cottrell brewery just over the state line in Pawcatuck, Connecticut.

Back in May, I spent three weeks in Rhode Island, admittedly under less than favorable circumstances. At the time, I ,managed to easily secure plenty of Narragansett Lager, but could not find the bock or porter for the life of me. In late June, I found myself back in the Ocean State, and this time as fate would have it stumbled upon the bock and porter that had previously eluded me. Immediately, I was pleased by the throwback label of the Bock, resplendent as it was with it's old-style lettering and prominently placed goat. And what is bock without a goat, after all?
 
Appropriately, I pour my bottle of Narragansett Bock into an original Narragansett Bock Beer glass. It pours to a dark chestnut color with a medium sized creamy head formation and a wonderfully inviting nutty malt nose. Indeed, the nose on this one caught my notice right away, thick and rich with nutty malty melanoidin flavors. And they're certainly present in the palate as well, with it's nutty, slightly chocolaty notes dancing robustly across the full, thick body.

I'm getting some delightful Munich malt flavor here, perhaps a bit of molasses and a hint of caramel, too. Yet as should be the case for a bock, the beer is very clean at the same time. The finish is nicely balanced with a kiss of hop bitterness, although a dark malt sweetness still is the predominant theme, though not cloyingly so. A bit of alcohol warmth helps balance the sweetness too, and at 7% alcohol by volume, this goat certainly has a kick.

This is a very great example of what a bock beer should taste like, and easily worthy of 4 and a half stars. Not just for a large regional brewer, mind you, but also for a microbrewery. If you're in Rhode Island, I strongly suggest seeking this one out.

Update: August 12, 2012: The 2012 Narragansett Bock is cited as the brewery as Helles Bock, though I think it's a bit too much like a standard bock in body and color for that. The beer is a bit less alcoholic this year at 6.5% by volume, but it's amazingly malty: this is what Michael Jackson meant by "chewy maltiness" when he stood in the Hofbrauhaus in Munich in "The Fifth Element" episode of The Beer Hunter.

I paid $60 for a case of kinger cans; it was worth every penny (shipped from Beerjobber.com). I am addicted to this beer, and it's better than ever. Kicking it up a half notch to a full five stars.

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