Bock is a strong lager which has origins in the Hanseatic town Einbeck, Germany. The name is a corruption of the medieval German brewing town of Einbeck, but also means goat (buck) in German. The original Bocks were dark beers, brewed from high-coloured malts. Modern Bocks can be dark, amber or pale in colour. Bock was traditionally brewed for special occasions, often religious festivals such as Christmas, Easter or Lent.
Bocks have a long history of being brewed and consumed by Roman Catholic monks in Germany. During the Spring religious season of Lent, monks were required to fast. High-gravity Bock beers are higher in food energy and nutrients than lighter lagers, thus providing sustenance during this period . Similar high-gravity Lenten beers of various styles were brewed by Monks in other lands as well (see Trappist beer). It was rumored that Martin Luther drank this beer during the Diet of Worms[2].
In the twentieth century, bock beers gained an undeserved reputation (primarily in the United States) for being brewed from the dregs of previous brewings. This is impossible, as the "dregs" were not clearly defined and the leftovers from the brewing process are not fermentable. The rumour may have started because some brewers used inferior ingredients or a large quantity of adjuncts in their bocks. It was not uncommon to use a some of the "dregs" containing active yeasts to start the next batch fermenting in traditional brewing as well.
Many commercial breweries include images of goats on bottle labels, as "bock" means billy-goat in German. It may tangentially refer to the increased "kick" of the style, as well. |
