11h April 2011
Bottle from Bier Koning. Bottle 402 of 480. 6.0% abv. Hazy gold beer, short lived white head. Crisp palate. Smooth slightly sweet malt. Clear but light and smooth smoke. Sweetish malt finish. Fresh with a little minerals. Pretty decent.

500ml bottle, 6%. Amber with a fluffy white head that settles to a coat. Aroma of toasted and fruity malt, grass, a wisp of smoke. Flavour has more smoke (and some ham) than suggested in the aroma. Quite rich caramel but the sweetness is masked by the smoke and some drying grass. A bit gassy. Quite complex and nicely balanced. It’s not going to but anyone from Bamberg out of business, but it’s a good drop.

On tap at the Evening Star, Brighton on 11 December 2010. Copper brown with thin lacing whitish head. Rich fruits, spices and cigar smoke. Citric tang on front of tongue. Pungent aroma and spicy finish. Engaging mouthfeel. Great.

Bottle #833 (2nd edition, 6.0%): Copper coloured, a bit unclear, smaller stable off-white foamy layer with a little lace; clean sweet caramelly nose with a mild presence of smoked malt; moderate clean sweet-bitter flavour, medium bodied, soft; returning smoky flavours in the mainly sweet-malty and caramelly finish; a certain fruitiness underneath, followed by a slightly lingering hoppy and smoky aftertaste. Pleasant and well balanced smoky brew; a gut british Bock.........

(bottle, as Meantime Smoked Bock, 6.0% abv) Clear, amber colour with a medium-sized off-white foamy head. Moderately sweet caramel- and smoke-malty aroma with notes of biscuits, bread and a whiff of peat. Sweet flavour, medium bodied with a smooth carbonation. Cara-malt with bready notes upfront, accompanied by delicately smokey and even a whiff of fruity flavours; moderately sweet and delicately smoke-malty finish, nevertheless hearty with a discreetly hops character. Nice one, but better try the Spezial Rauchbock from Bamberg if you like a discreetly smoked original; or better try the one from Schlenkerla for the hard guys. 21.X.10

Bottle. Amber colour with an off-white head. Aroma is smoked, caramel. Flavour is smoked, fireplace, fruit, caramel, hop, citrus. Medium body. OK beer.

Bottle, 75cl corked. It’s an unclear, glowing orange beer with a small off-white head. Smooth smoke and acidity on the nose. Herbal, smoked and citrusy flavor, roasted malts too. Medium body, citrusy-dry. Some citrus in the finish. There’s not much bock-like on this one, and the smoke character wasn’t my style either. Drinkable indeed, but not my favorite choice even though there’s certain qualities in it. 100326

Bottle #627 of 2 Nov 09: Poured a clear amber color with a creamy white head. Aroma light smoke and bacon. Taste is smoked meat almost bacon bits like.

Big beige head. Clear deep brown body. Smoked sausage aroma with spicy minty notes. Dry-sweet smoky spicy peppery taste with earthy sugary notes. Mid-bodied. Mild, soft, smooth mouthfeel. Dryish smoky earthy caramelly aftertaste with spicy herbal notes. Nice, drinkable, and, apart from the smoke, quite like a German bock. Very nice mouthfeel, too. (0.5l bottle, from Marks & Spencer, Edgware Road, Greenwich.) 6, 4, 6, 4, 13 = 3.3

Earlier rating: Medium offwhite head. Lovely chestnut brown body. Faint smoky malty aroma. Dry-sweetish syrupy wood fire taste with meaty notes. Mild mouthfeel. Mid-to-light body. Dryish meaty faintly smoky aftertaste with roasty notes. Very mild and drinkable, but a bit boring, and faint off tastes. (0.25l draft at The Old Brewery, Greenwich, London., 6, 5, 6, 3, 13 = 3.3)

(Draught at O’Connell’s, Tampere) Poured brown and clear. Head was small and white. Aroma contained sweetness and caramell. Palate was medium bodied with medium carbonation. Flavours were malts, smoke, mild roastedness, sweetness and bitterness. Aftertaste was malty and mildly bitter.