You really wouldn’t want to see what goes on in my head. It even looks weird to me. But I’m digressing like a digressing stick.
My second look at the 2015 Bock crop is focused on top-fermenting examples. It’s a sign of the transformation of Dutch brewing that these greatly outnumber their bottom-fermenting counterparts. 63 to 29, if you’re interested. Though neither of those totals includes beers labelled Doppelbock.
Once again, a couple of the beers fall outside the parameters of a Dutch autumn Bok. Anything under 15º Plato is too low in gravity. And anything with a colour value below 30 is way too pale.
Though the two beers with the highest EBU value were both top-fermenters, there’s nothing to pick between the average bitterness of them and the bottom-fermenters. Most of the other averages are also pretty close, with the top-fermenters slightly higher in gravity and ABV. The biggest difference is in the colour, where the bottom-fermenters are significantly paler. Take a look:
| type | OG Plato | FG Plato | ABV | App. Atten-uation | Colour (EBC) | bitterness (EBU) |
| top-fermenters | 17.17 | 3.90 | 7.18 | 78.64% | 67.6 | 30.7 |
| bottom-fermenters | 16.83 | 4.20 | 6.86 | 76.37% | 54.2 | 30.4 |
I’m having arsing issues again so I’ll leave you with all the pretty numbers lined up neatly in rows.
| 2015 Top-fermenting Dutch Bok | ||||||||
| Year | Brewer | Beer | OG Plato | FG Plato | ABV | App. Atten-uation | Colour (EBC) | bitterness (EBU) |
| 2015 | Openluchtmuseum Goye Goet | Herfstbock | 14.5 | 3.30 | 6.00 | 78.24% | 104 | 17 |
| 2015 | Apeldoornse Bierbrouwerij DeVlijt | Veluws Schavuyt Bockbier | 14.7 | 2.58 | 6.50 | 83.24% | 52 | 30 |
| 2015 | Leidsch Bier | Pumpkin Raisin Bock | 14.9 | 2.05 | 6.90 | 86.95% | 47 | 37 |
| 2015 | 't IJ | Ijbok | 14.9 | 2.79 | 6.50 | 82.16% | 17 | 24 |
| 2015 | Van de Streek (H) | Black Bock | 14.9 | 3.73 | 6.00 | 76.05% | 66 | 57 |
| 2015 | De Eem (H) | Eem Bok | 15.0 | 2.89 | 6.50 | 81.63% | 65 | 37 |
| 2015 | Erik's Bier | Erik's Zwarte Piet bokbier | 15.5 | 1.20 | 7.70 | 92.71% | 90 | 31 |
| 2015 | Gringel (H) | Valkenburgse Gringelbock | 15.5 | 3.43 | 6.50 | 78.93% | 40 | 25 |
| 2015 | Scheldebrouwerij | Wilde Bok | 15.5 | 3.43 | 6.50 | 78.93% | 40 | 24 |
| 2015 | Hertog Jan | Hertog Jan Bockbier | 15.9 | 3.86 | 6.50 | 76.87% | 100 | 23 |
| 2015 | Kompaan (H) | Weizen bock | 15.9 | 3.86 | 6.50 | 76.87% | 140 | 41 |
| 2015 | Attemer Brouwerij | Attemer Bock | 16.0 | 3.04 | 7.00 | 81.93% | 69 | 26 |
| 2015 | Groningse Bierbrouwerij (H) | Hunebed bock | 16.0 | 3.04 | 7.00 | 81.93% | 70 | 30 |
| 2015 | Jopen | 4 Granen Bok Bier | 16.0 | 3.04 | 7.00 | 81.93% | 22 | |
| 2015 | Koningshoeven | La Trappe Bockbier | 16.0 | 3.04 | 7.00 | 81.93% | 95 | 34 |
| 2015 | Maximus | Maximus Bock 7 | 16.0 | 3.04 | 7.00 | 81.93% | 75 | 35 |
| 2015 | Hemel | Rookbok | 16.0 | 3.96 | 6.50 | 76.41% | ||
| 2015 | Hemel | Oerbok | 16.0 | 3.96 | 6.50 | 76.41% | ||
| 2015 | Troost | Bok | 16.2 | 3.81 | 6.70 | 77.63% | 55 | 38 |
| 2015 | De Vriendschap | Hopbock | 16.3 | 4.11 | 6.60 | 75.97% | 26 | 41 |
| 2015 | EleganT | EleganT Bruintje | 16.4 | 1.99 | 7.80 | 88.51% | 81 | 38 |
| 2015 | Largum | Guur | 16.4 | 2.46 | 7.55 | 85.83% | 62 | 37 |
| 2015 | Bax (H) | Oma's pruim oude bok | 16.5 | 4.31 | 6.60 | 75.10% | 59 | 29 |
| 2015 | Berging Brouwerij (H) | Koe Bok | 16.5 | 4.50 | 6.50 | 73.98% | 57 | 31 |
| 2015 | Jantjes Bieren (H) | Udens Bockbier | 16.5 | 4.50 | 6.50 | 73.98% | 35 | 33 |
| 2015 | Pauw | Pauw's Herfsttrots | 16.7 | 4.71 | 6.50 | 73.07% | 80 | 18 |
| 2015 | Snab (H) | Ijsbok | 16.9 | 0.31 | 9.00 | 98.27% | 100 | 32 |
| 2015 | Snab (H) | Ezelenbok | 16.9 | 3.08 | 7.50 | 82.73% | 90 | 32 |
| 2015 | Breugems (H) | Saense bock | 16.9 | 4.01 | 7.00 | 77.46% | 72 | 28 |
| 2015 | Bourgondische brouwers (H) | Willem de duitser | 17.0 | 3.01 | 7.60 | 83.27% | 94 | 34 |
| 2015 | Mieghehn | Bokkendonks Bokbier | 17.0 | 3.55 | 7.30 | 80.18% | 65 | 36 |
| 2015 | Klein Duimpje | Slobberbok | 17.0 | 3.74 | 7.20 | 79.11% | 85 | 32 |
| 2015 | De Vriendschap | Tarwebok | 17.0 | 4.11 | 7.00 | 77.02% | 40 | 20 |
| 2015 | Groningse Bierbrouwerij (H) | Brandaris Blonde Bock | 17.0 | 4.11 | 7.00 | 77.02% | 60 | 20 |
| 2015 | Groningse Bierbrouwerij (H) | Kruisheren Constatinus Bock | 17.0 | 4.11 | 7.00 | 77.02% | 20 | 40 |
| 2015 | Linden boom | Herfslbock | 17.0 | 4.11 | 7.00 | 77.02% | 80 | 22 |
| 2015 | t Volen | Valenbock | 17.0 | 5.04 | 6.50 | 71.71% | 100 | 23 |
| 2015 | Hommeles (H) | Bokkepruik | 17.0 | 66 | 30 | |||
| 2015 | Oudaen | Oudaen Herfstbock | 17.4 | 4.54 | 7.00 | 75.20% | 75 | 21 |
| 2015 | Wageningen | Mordicus | 17.4 | 4.54 | 7.00 | 75.20% | 60 | 22 |
| 2015 | Texelse | Texels Bock | 17.8 | 4.36 | 7.33 | 76.76% | 56 | 26 |
| 2015 | Rodenburg | Bronkhorster Usselbock | 18.0 | 5.19 | 7.00 | 72.57% | 50 | 26 |
| 2015 | Witte Leeuw (H) | Oktober 23 | 18.0 | 5.74 | 6.70 | 69.60% | 90 | 24 |
| 2015 | Het roze varken | Wintervacht | 18.3 | 4.59 | 7.50 | 76.24% | 63 | 51 |
| 2015 | Oldskool (H) | Einbockish | 18.5 | 6.64 | 6.50 | 65.76% | 40 | 32 |
| 2015 | t Wort Wat (H) | Polderbock | 18.7 | 4.30 | 7.90 | 78.27% | 77 | 31 |
| 2015 | Rock city beers (H) | Bockalade | 19.0 | 2.61 | 9.00 | 87.12% | 160 | 30 |
| 2015 | De Arn (H) | Bokkige Arn | 19.0 | 4.43 | 8.00 | 77.97% | 60 | 30 |
| 2015 | Gooische biergilde (H) | De blauwe bock | 19.0 | 4.44 | 8.00 | 77.94% | 80 | 28 |
| 2015 | Jopen | Johannieter | 20.0 | 3.70 | 9.00 | 82.62% | 22 | |
| 2015 | Oldskool (H) | Shut the Bock up | 20.0 | 5.17 | 8.20 | 75.62% | 10 | 20 |
| 2015 | Rodenburg | Brok in de keel | 20.5 | 5.17 | 8.50 | 76.26% | 37 | 53 |
| 2015 | Texelse | Texels Stormbock | 21.0 | 3.01 | 10.00 | 86.66% | 67 | 24 |
| 2015 | 't IJ | Dubbelbok | 21.0 | 3.91 | 9.50 | 82.60% | 52 | 25 |
| 2015 | De Prael | Herfstbock | 21.0 | 7.14 | 7.70 | 67.77% | 60 | 29 |
| 2015 | Praght | Praght bokbier 2 | 22.7 | 9.33 | 7.50 | 60.96% | 80 | |
| 2015 | Naeckle brouwers | Naeckte bok | 7.50 | |||||
| 2015 | Blauwe Ijsbeer (H) | Weijsbeer bock | 6.00 | |||||
| 2015 | Dampegheest | Dampegheest bockbier | 7.00 | |||||
| 2015 | Oijen | Oijens Bockbier | 6.00 | |||||
| 2015 | Pampus | Bokshoorn | 6.80 | |||||
| 2015 | Praght | Ftevobock | 7.50 | 50 | 28 | |||
| 2015 | Ramses | Ramses Bok | 7.00 | 88 | 59 | |||
| Average | 17.17 | 3.90 | 7.18 | 78.64% | 67.6 | 30.7 | ||
| Source: | ||||||||
| Bokbierfestival programme 2015, pages 24 - 28. | ||||||||
Just Doppelbock to go.
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3 comments:
Top-fermenting bock is a load of bollocks. I'm not suggesting that they're bad beers, contrary: there are awesome ones among them. But as I wrote before, it just doesn't exist. Bock is a historic beer - industrial revolution, bottom-fermenting, remember. So top-fermenting bock, that's ignoring history. It's like painting grass blue and then claiming that grass is blue. From time to time you can alsno come up 'top-fermenting pilsner' and now even a bottom-fermenting pale ale from Grolsch. I mean, what's the use of all that crap? They can simply call that a blond beer, can't they, and the bockish ones dark ale 'cause after all that's what they are, aren't they? To meet up with your earlier post on Dutch bocks: OG of 15.5 is indeed the only official rule for bock in the Netherlands, there are no rules anymore for colour, malts, strength or whatever - but their used to be. Now nobody gives a shit. PINT and the festival don't value history. They even allow bocks with herbs, spices or fruits or with an OG under 15.5 - which last thing is actually an official criminal deed in accordance with the Bierverordening. But of course nobody knows that in those surroundings, history? my ass. Neither is anyone interested in putting up better descriptions of the style which is actually the oldest continuously brewed beer in this country. It can't be a coincidence that the minus 15.5 bocks are almost all top-fermenting. As I said: bollocks and a danger to the style. (More at bierinnederland.blogspot.com.)
I agree with Marco. Top-fermenting bock doesn't exist. The proof is that it is not mentioned in the 2015 BJCP style guidelines.
http://www.bjcp.org/docs/2015_Guidelines_Beer.pdf
What is or isn't in the bjcp style guidelines does not prove whether a beer style exists. It's not intended to be the complete guide to beer styles.
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