7.6

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 12/17/2015. Pours slightly hazy deep golden yellow color with a 1-2 finger dense and fluffy off white head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of honey, cracker, biscuit, light nuttiness, herbal, grass, light pepper, and herbal/yeast earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of bready malt and moderate earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of big honey, cracker, biscuit, light nuttiness, herbal, grass, pepper, and herbal/yeast earthiness. Moderate herbal/spicy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of honey, cracker, biscuit, light nuttiness, pepper, and herbal/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of bready malt and moderate earthy hop flavors; with a good malt/bitterness balance and minimal astringent hop flavors after the finish. Moderate dryness from bitterness, that increases through the glass. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth and moderately creamy/bready/sticky balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Very clean on lager flavors with minimal yeast ester notes present. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is a very good Helles bock style. All around good complexity, robustness, and balance of bready malt and moderate earthy hop flavors; and very smooth and easy to drink for the ABV. Maybe just a bit too hoppy overall, but tasted very traditional to style otherwise. A very enjoyable offering.