Bocks

Traditional German bocks are not too bitter and do not have hop aroma or flavor of any consequence. Hops are used only to offset the sweetness of the malt. Many brewers believe that the most important factor in producing quality bock beers is melanoidins. Melanoidins are at the heart of most of the aromas needed for making this style of beer. Melanoidins are colored compounds that provide many of the malty and bready aromas and flavors that distinguish bocks. These beers have a residual dimethyl sulfide (DMS) character, which adds to the "lager" flavor and enhances the malt character. Most of their fusel oils are below the threshold of perception except for isoamyl and phenol alcohols that are responsible for the banana and the rose flavors, respectively. There are no esters, and there should not be any diacetyl. The water used in brewing bocks is usually high in calcium carbonate. The bock family of beers also includes many different substyles, such as dopplebock, dunkler bock, eisbock, and heller bock.

The information on this page was provided by beer-brewing.com (http://www.beer-brewing.com).