Trader Joe's Hofbrau Bock

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 5

Pretty easy to find this beer in most (if not all) Trader Joe’s. Most of their beers are mediocre, but I think it’s a decent way for non-beer geeks to try some different styles of beer that they might not think about trying. Plus, Trader Joe’s makes it very easy to plunk down $5 or $6 for a sixer.

The beer pours out a burnt orange color/light amber color, mostly clear with some medium carbonation present. Bubbles rising to the top like some a 7-Up, nice 2" head on the pour but it disappears in a blink of an eye. No lacing left.

Aromas and flavors are closely linked in this beer. Aroma has some honey sweetness, a bit bready and light apple juice. Flavor carries the same characters. Honey, bread, and apple juice. There seems

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

this beer is still a touch on the boring side, but has a nice balance to it. i recommend it for the price, but not if you can afford better beers. just ok.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Pours a golden color with a small head and a little lacing. Aroma of malty sweetness, a hint of hops. Nice full mouthfeel. Doest taste as sweet as I expected, but nice malty flavor. Almost but not quite chewy.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Pours a golden colour, small head, decent lacing. a strong grassy aroma. Noticeable hop flava, with light bready and grassy tastes. Overall pretty blah..

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 6

Nice shade of gold, the head lingers. Crisp finish and mouthfeel . I can sense the extra weight. Sweet golden malted grain. Not too much behind it in taste, though some buttery essence and a dark citrus taste. A solid base of flavor, not that charming, but its simple and comforting. Some floral balancing hops... A good stronger beer to throw in the fridge and nice to wash down a hearty meal w/o getting in the way

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 2 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 2

Holy cow some of you guys are kind. Rate the beer to style, not to price! Well, you know where this came from, obviously. Pours a thin golden color with a bit of a head that quickly disapated into nothingness. This is the best the beer gets. Aroma is skunk/grass/wet hay. Flavor, while it does have some faint resemblence to a decent Bock, is severely lacking. Plenty of cardboard here. Palate would be okay if it were not for the aftertaste. Overall, this has got to be the worst Bock I’ve ever tasted. If you’re looking for a bargain, grab a Bud as its at least as good as this and you can get a sixpack (if not more) for the $5 I paid for this which will make up for the loss of alcohol content. This is crap. I’m pissed that I talked the girl into trying it. I asked her if she’d tried it and she said, "Isn’t Bock kinda skunky?" and I told her no. Great; now she’ll never try a real Bock.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

Ah yes, the finish line -- the last of four "Trader Joe Brewing Company" beers in my `fridge. Am I happy that I powered through all four in one day, just to knock them out and be done with it? To quote an old Redhook Ballard Bitter ad campaign, "You Sure? You Betcha!".

This immediately reminded me why I'm into "dry & bitter ales, not wet & malty lagers". Coats the tongue and the insides of my mouth with a wool blanket of malt and cotton candy, with very little in the way of complexity or character, IMHO.

I do recognize that this is nicely malty -- would have to be hit upside the head with a brick not to notice that much! But really, the malt bill is just so heavy-handed compared to the hop profile (this does have hops, yes?), that it all strikes me as being rather unbalanced and overally sweet and cloying.

Not the worst of the style -- which is good thing, since even the best examples of the style leave me rather cold and indifferent. But this really doesn't do a lot for me one way or the other. "Yeah, you got the malt going on -- I'll give you that. But otherwise, do you have anything else to say for yourself? No? Didn't think so...."

After all of these Gordon Biersch-brewed Lagers, can I now reward my taste buds with a solid IPA or Pale Ale. Again, to quote an old Redhook Ballard Bitter ad campaign, "You Sure? You Betcha!".

Music: Silver Mountain's "Best Of..."
//TB

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Light amber gold color. Medium sized white foamy head. Aroma is malty, sweet, caramel with a touch of floral hops. A medium bodied bock. Malts are caramel and sweet. Hops are spicy (Holertau). It is a little harsh tasting, and there is a little bit of cardboard. Not very unpleasant, just a little disturbing. Malty, yet itís a little dry for a bock. I was expecting it to be a lot sweeter. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is crisp and dry. Aftertast is slightly bitter.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 8

clear golden with a medium body, this is a very drinkable beer. it’s slightly sweet and goes down easily. The aroma is malty.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

A clear and earthy brown bock that left ample lace and not much else, even in aftertasted. Some maltiness, mostly watery sensations, and even for a bock I expected more hallertau, honestly, oh well, their hefe is pretty dang good.