The bock is a great beer style for the winter. This dark lager known for its rich, caramel malt flavor (often made with Vienna or Munich malts) is so rich, flavorful, and refreshing that you’ll want to continue drinking it well into the spring. Maibocks, doppelbocks, and traditional German bocks — we’re happy to spend these colder months drinking them all!
You might have noticed that bock beers are often adorned with an image of a goat. The reason for this is because of confusion with an accent. As the story goes, the style was originally called Einbock when it was first brewed in Bavaria. When it made its way south to Munich, the city’s brewers thought it was called “ein bock” which means a male goat. They began calling the beer bock (dropping the original “ein”) and… that’s still the name it goes by today.
Now that you’ve learned a little bit about the style, it’s time to find some bocks to drink this winter. Lucky for you, we did all the work — finding eight great bock beers and ranked them on flavor and overall seasonal appropriateness. Keep scrolling to see them all.
8.) Lakefront Maibock
ABV: 6.8%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This German-style lager is brewed each year to celebrate the return of spring even though they release it in January. Since we’ve got that spring feeling too, we love this malty, sweet, lightly hoppy beer brewed with 2-row Pale base malt, Vienna malt, Munich malt, and Caramel malt as well as Mt. Hood and German Saphir hops.
Tasting Notes:
This golden-hued lager begins with a nose of freshly baked bread, clover honey, sweet malts, and spicy, floral hops. The palate continues this trend with a ton of caramel, bready malts, citrus peels, honey, cereal grains, and floral, earthy hops. The finish is hoppy, crisp, and very memorable.
Bottom Line:
This is a classic, no-frills, crisp, flavorful bock that you’ll want to continue drinking well into the spring.
7.) Rogue Dead Guy Ale
ABV: 6.8%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Rogue Dead Guy Ale is one of the most popular bock beers in America. This German Maibock-style lager is brewed with 2-row, C15, and Munich malts as well as Pacman yeast and Perle and Sterling hops. It’s adorned with a skeleton, but there’s nothing spooky about this full-flavored beer.
Tasting Notes:
A nose of dried fruit, honey, orchard fruits, orange peels, caramel malts, and floral hops greets you before your first sip. Drinking it reveals notes of caramel malts, candied nuts, honey, yeasty bread, and snappy, floral, lightly spicy hops. The finish is gently bitter and leaves you wanting more.
Bottom Line:
Rogue Dead Guy Ale is for the beer drinkers who prefer a little more hop bite in their bock beers.
6.) Paulaner Salvator
ABV: 7.9%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Germany is well-known for its bock beers, especially its award-winning doppelbocks. One of the best is Paulaner Salvator. Referred to as “The father of all strong beers”, this caramel, chocolate, and Noble hop-centric beer is brewed with Pilsner malt and Munich malt as well as Herkules and Hallertau Tradition hops.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is a blend of dark chocolate, caramel malts, molasses, roasted malts, coffee, and light floral hops. The palate is loaded with chocolate, roasted malts, toffee, molasses cookies, and dried fruit. The finish is lightly bitter with sweet caramel. This is a full-flavored, warming beer perfect for the winter months.
Bottom Line:
Paulaner Salvator is a great example of the traditional German doppelbock style. It’s balanced, flavorful, and has a high enough ABV to keep you warm this winter.
5.) New Glarus Uff-Da
ABV: 6.7%
Average Price: $9 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This traditional German-style bock was brewed using the Reinheitsgebot beer purity laws. It’s made with simple ingredients with nothing extra. This means it’s only made with malted barley, malted wheat, hops, yeast, and water. The result is a classic bock known for its mix of coffee, chocolate, caramel, and floral notes.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find aromas of freshly baked bread, toffee, dark chocolate, coffee, and light floral hops. Drinking it brings forth notes of freshly baked bread, bitter chocolate, coffee beans, dried fruit, and floral, grassy hops. The finish is malty and sweet.
Bottom Line:
While there are some small hints of hops, this is a winter (and spring) beer for fans of malty, sweet, coffee, and chocolate-filled bocks.
4.) Troegs Troegenator
ABV: 8.2%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This year-round 8.2% ABV doppelbock is brewed with Chocolate, Munich, and Pilsner malts as well as lager yeast and German Northern Brewer and Magnum hops. The result is a sweet, malty, crisp, highly refreshing beer you won’t soon forget.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of raisins, caramel candy, vanilla beans, and bready malts make for a very inviting nose. The palate continues this trend with vanilla beans, toffee, freshly baked bread, dried fruits, cracked black pepper, and floral hops. The finish is gently bittersweet and dry in the best way possible.
Bottom Line:
Troegs Troegenator is a great bock beer. It’s big, bold, high in ABV, and just as high in memorable flavor notes.
3.) Weihenstephaner Korbinian
ABV: 7.4%
Average Price: $5 for a 16.9-ounce bottle
The Beer:
Named after Saint Korbinian to honor the founder of the Weihenstephan monastery, Weihenstephaner Korbinian is a strong, malty, sweet doppelbock. It’s well-known for its complex flavor profile of sweet malts, dried fruits, and rich chocolate.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find roasted malts, toffee, candied orange peels, raisins, and chocolate. The palate continues this trend with notes of freshly baked bread, dark chocolate, caramel, plums, more orange peels, and roasted malts. The finish is a mix of sweetness and bitterness.
Bottom Line:
Weihenstephaner Korbinian is a rich, sweet, highly complex doppelbock that you’ll look forward to drinking every winter (and the rest of the year for that matter).
2.) Schilling Burkhart
ABV: 7%
Average Price: $18 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
If you’re a fan of American takes on classic European beer styles and you’ve never had Schilling, what are you waiting for? We suggest Burkhart, the New Hampshire-based brewery’s take on the German bockbier style. It’s known for its mix of caramel malts and gentle hop bitterness.
Tasting Notes:
The aromas of freshly baked bread, sweet toffee, roasted malts, candied nuts, and dried fruits greet you before you even take a sip. The palate is filled with caramel candy, yeasty bread, raisins, figs, honey, molasses, and gently bitter, floral hops at the very end. A truly balanced, highly flavorful bock.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the most balanced bock beers on this list. The sweet malts and gentle hops work together in perfect unison. Everything in between is just a bonus.
1.) Ayinger Celebrator
ABV: 6.7%
Average Price: $13 for a four-pack
The Beer:
You don’t necessarily need a reason to celebrate to enjoy an Ayinger Celebrator, but it helps. This bottom-fermented dark doppelbock has won numerous awards over the years for its fruity, chocolate, roasted malt flavor.
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this beer’s nose. There are notes of sweet malts, dried cherries, toffee, and chocolate. Drinking it propels you into a symphony of flavors including dark chocolate, coffee, molasses, dried cherries, raisins, and roasted malts. The finish is lightly bitter and leaves you wanting more.
Bottom Line:
If you only try one bock on this list, make it Ayinger Celebrator. It’s so flavorful that it will change your whole idea of what a great beer can be.