REVIEW: Samuel Adams Cinder Bock

Lets keep the bock train rolling. I'll be honest. A lot of the time I overlook Sam Adams. I'm always on the lookout for new, interesting, weird beers. Most of the time that leads me away from Sam Adams. Which really isn't fair. I view Sam Adams is the old reliable in the craft beer world, not the new and fresh. There is a reason that Sam Adams has become ubiquitous: they brew damn good beer. I don't think I've ever had a bad beer from them. But for whatever reason I still often pass them up. I found myself at Kroger the other night perusing the beer aisle and saw this bobmer sitting there beckoning to me. I was already in a bock mood so there was one tally in the win column. But when I got closer and saw that it was a smoked bock? That's it. This beer was coming home with me. To the beer!

I had just come home from Bockfest when I decided to try this beer so I had to pour it into my brand spanking new Bockfest pint glass. It poured a crystal clear deep red in color with a generous two fingers of off white head. The beer laces beautifully as you drink leaving reminders of where you've been as you drink.

The aromas of the Cinder Bock are primarily that of big hearty smoked malts. It almost smells to me of pork. Which I know sounds weird, but really, how can the fact that something smells like smoked pork be a bad thing? It's definitely an interesting aroma.

The beer has a medium to light body. Very smooth. Those big smoke flavors make themselves known in force. The savory flavors of the smoke meld very nicely with subtle caramel and toffee notes. It's got a nice sweetness, but it's far from cloying. The hop finish cuts through the malt sweetness to leave a nice clean crisp finish. The 9.4% alcohol makes itself known on the finish as well with a nice warming presence.

I think this might make for the ultimate barbecue beer. Fairly light body, crisp finish, but with big, savory, smoky flavors that would stand up brilliantly to ribs and brisket. This is an incredibly flavorful interesting beer. Like the Southern Tier Farmer's Tan that I reviewed earlier this is the type of beer that will really change your conceptions of what a lager can be. You should definitely give it a try if you come across it. Highly recommended. I will certainly be keeping an eye out for more of Sam Adams Limited Release bombers.

HD