In Germany, brewers celebrate the spring season by making bock beers, strong lagers full of depth and character. The dark style called doppelbock is particularly robust, and once served as sustenance for monks during their Lenten fast. In the early 1980s, our brewmaster encountered a delicious pale version of this beer at a small brewery on the outskirts of Munich. It was called St. Jacobus Blonderbock, and the memory of it stuck with him for decades. He recently traveled back to that brewery, and after a couple of pints of tasty pale bock beer, decided to brew this style back in Brooklyn. Brooklyn Blond Bock is brewed from 100% German malt and hops, and is cold-fermented by a special lager yeast from the foothills of the Bavarian Alps. After many weeks of ageing, the beer has a full gold color, a floral hop aroma, firm bitterness, and a full-bodied, round malty palate that finishes clean and clear.
