As spring approaches, it’s time to do the ‘Cincinnati Thing’ to welcome it in style — by drinking a TON of bock beer, right? I know what you’re thinking, though. It’s hard to keep track of it all. There’s so much bock in this city (which is a good thing), but if you want to drink all of it you have to find a way to keep track of who’s got what. That’s why I’m here, folks. This is the most complete list of all Cincinnati’s bock beer releases. Now… as I say that, keep in mind that I’m still not perfect, and sometimes I miss some. If you notice that I’m missing something, or that I have something wrong – please just let me know and we’ll get it fixed!

If you want to know more about Bockfest – there’s plenty of resources here on the site, including an update on how this year looks a little different than it has in years past.

13 Below – Fluss Bock

  • Draft Only

16 Lots – Bayern Kurve

  • 7% ABV – Named after a ride that used to live at King’s Island – Smooth, Malty and Delicious!
  • Draft Only

16 Lots – Cafe Au Lait Bayern Kurve

  • Bock Beer with coffee and lactose sugar
  • Draft Only

Alexandria – Farmer Bock

  • Traditional Bock
  • This beer was brewed to celebrate the life of a hardworking local legend. A man who worked all day at his grueling job spent another 8 hours a day farming, and still found the time to raise a large family. He often spoke to our head brewer about the time he spent in Germany with the Army and how much he enjoyed a German bock beer.
  • Draft Only

Alexandria – Slayerator

  • Doppelbock
  • This doppelbock is sweet with a nice caramel backbone and stronger than it seems.
  • Draft and Bottles?

Big Ash – Goat Rope Bock

  • Draft Only

Braxton – Ignitor

  • Maibock
  • Ignitor is a traditional German Maibock, that features decoction mashing giving this lager an underlying malt complexity as well as faint caramel sweetness. A German noble hop presence along with a subtle alcohol warmth, round this beer out to be a pleasant bock.
  • Draft Only

Brink – Momma Said Bock You Out!

  • Made with all German base malts and German Bock lager yeast creating a strong, rich caramel malty flavor with some residual sweetness adding to the body but mostly a clean lager profile. Dark brown to reddish hue.
  • Draft Only

Christian Moerlein – Emancipator

  • Doppelbock
  • Draft and Cans

Christian Moerlein – Saengerfest

  • Maibock
  • Draft only at the Lager House

Cincy Brewing Company – The Ezz Bock

  • On Draft only, taproom, Casual Pint Hamilton and Gaslight Cafe

Common – Bock-A-Fella

  • Traditional Bock – 7.3% ABV
  • On Draft Only

Darkness – Hall & Goats

  • Draft Only

Dead Low – Swabian Bock

  • Single, Traditional Bock
  • 7.2% ABV
  • Malt is the star of this traditional German Bock. Notes of toast, nuttiness and a slight malty sweetness dominate, while hops take a back seat.

DogBerry – Freiheit

  • Draft Only

Fibonacci – Honey

  • Barrel Aged Doppelbock
  • Aged in New Riff Rye Barrels
  • Made with all Ohio Malt
  • Draft Only

Fibonacci – Butter Cup

  • Dunkles Bock
  • Made with all Ohio Malt
  • Draft Only

Fifty West – Road Bock

  • Draft Only
  • A crisp Maibock-style lager with honey-like sweetness and toasted malt characteristic to welcome the spring.

Grainworks – Liars Lager

  • Draft And Cans
  • Weizenbock
  • Brewed originally to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Voice of America Bethany station.

Great Crescent – Doppelbock

  • This beer uses all fresh, local ingredients form Sugar Creek Malt.
  • Draft Only

HighGrain – Ibex

  • Weizenbock, 7.1% ABV
  • A full-bodied lager that pours ruby & amber color with a creamy head. Designed to celebrate the end of Winter, this beer brings some needed warmth and has flavorful notes of ripe bananas, plums and licorice.
  • Draft and Cans

Hofbrauhaus Newport – Maibock

  • Draft Only

Hofbrauhaus Newport – Doppelbock

  • Draft Only

Listermann – Friar Bacon

  • Smoked Bock
  • Draft Only

Little Miami – And God Said, Let The Hippies Dance!

  • Draft Only
  • A malty sweet beer balanced by German Tettnang hops. German lager yeast creates an easy-drinking, bready, big, smooth beer.
  • Single Bock – 7% ABV

MadTree – Bockavelli

  • Doppelbock – 9% ABV
  • New recipe this year… moved to a Doppelbock!
  • Draft Only

March First – Heller Bock

  • Single Bock
  • Draft and Cans

MPH – Bock To Spring

  • Heller-bock
  • Draft Only

MPH – Summit-ator

  • Doppelbock
  • 7.5% ABV
  • Draft Only

Narrow Path – Pathinator

  • Doppelbock
  • Available on Draft Only

Narrow Path – BA Pathinator

  • Barrel Aged Doppelbock
  • Draft Only

Nine Giant – Hairpin Turns

  • Maibock
  • Draft Only
  • 7.2% ABV

Northern Row – Grand Jester

  • Draft Only
  • Barrel Aged Doppelbock

Northern Row – Cooper

  • Hellerbock
  • Draft Only

Paradise – The Billy Baroo

  • Draft Only
  • Doppelbock

Rebel Mettle – Bock & Roll

  • Draft Only
  • Traditional Bock – 6.5% ABV

Rebel Mettle – Colonel Copper

  • Doppelbock
  • This strong, copper-colored lager is balanced between herbal hop bitterness and bready, toffee malt flavor with a warm finish.
  • 8.7% ABV
  • Draft Only

Rebel Mettle – “Bock-Flavored Beverage Product”

  • Pineapple Marshmallow Milkshake Rauchbock
  • “Smoky and Sweet, with a pineapple and vanilla aroma, this dark amber lager brewed with beechwood-smoked malt and pineapple puree is an affront to all that is holy and good.”
  • 7.7%
  • Draft Only

Rhinegeist – Bock, Bock, Goat

  • Bock
  • Draft Only

Sam Adams – Chocolate Bock

  • Bock, with Chocolate
  • 5.8% ABV
  • Draft Only at the taproom

Sam Adams – Bourbon Barrel Double Bock

  • Doppelbock
  • Aged in Bourbon Barrels
  • Large Format Bottles

Sonder – William Goat

  • 6.8% ABV
  • A malty, dark lager that is true to German style. This beer has caramel and cracker notes with a balanced malty taste and a slightly chocolate finish.3
  • Draft and new to Cans for 2021

Sons Of Toil – Doppelbock

  • Doppelbock
  • Draft Only

Third Eye – Total Debockery

  • Draft Only
  • Doppelbock
  • Collaboration with Krampuslauf Zinzinnati

West Side – Bock

  • Single Bock
  • Draft Only – very small batch, this’ll go fast!

Wiedemann – Flying Deutschmann

  • Draft and 16oz Cans
  • Bavarian-style dark lager featuring a heavy dose of caramel malt to give it a deep, rich color.

Wooden Cask – Oh, Hell Yes

  • Barrel Aged Bock
  • Draft and 12oz Bottles

13 thoughts on “The Great Cincinnati Bock Beer Roundup – 2021”

  1. Hans Liesenfeld

    A daunting task, keeping it all straight… even the breweries show inconsistency when it comes to the names of their beers. It is driving me nuts sometimes. Well, I have a brew and all is good:-)
    ANYWAY, I am holding in my hand a Northern Row bottle I just purchased yesterday. And the label says “Jester of Faith”. That is their barrel aged doppelbock.

    Reply
    1. GnarlyGnome

      It’s a task, indeeed! What you’ve got in your hands is most likely (I’m 99% sure) a bottle of their barrel-aged doppelbock from last year – really tasty, but that’s why it’s not on this years list.

      Reply
  2. Hans Liesenfeld

    I would like to find out what beers they will have in the virtual bock fest package in order to tackle the rest.

    Reply
  3. Hans Liesenfeld

    OK, here are the beers of the package you can order, Figleaf is not on your list (yet)…
    They have confirmed the following, there may be one more:

    • Christian Moerlein – Emancipator Dopplebock
    • March First – Heller Bock
    • Sonder Brewing – William Goat Bock
    • Fig Leaf – Heller Bock
    • Wiedemann’s – Flying Deutschmann Bock

    Reply
    1. GnarlyGnome

      I was pretty sure that FigLeaf told me that they weren’t doing one this year – I’ll reach out and double-check with them.

      Reply
  6. Hans Liesenfeld

    I am breaking a sweat with this list 😉
    Here is what I found out so far…

    16 Lots – It’s called “Bayern Cafe Au Lait”
    Fibonacci’s TBD is called “Butter Cup” Dunkles Bock
    Little Miami – Has a slight typo: And God Said, Let The Hippies Dance!
    13 Below Brewery has “Fluss Bock”
    Big Ash Brewing has “Goat Rope Bock”
    Fifty West – Road Bock will be on tap 3/4 to 3/6, no shortage here
    Third Eye – Debockery is actaully called “Total Debockery”
    Listerman has Friar Bacon Smoked Bock

    …and for some reason, Steven Hampton, Executive Director, Brewery District Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation says that Figleaf will supply the “Heller Bock” for the virtual Bockfest Package.

    I can’t wait to try them all, will not happen, too many! But I will try for sure.

    Prost!

    Reply
  7. compuwiza1

    Most of us are still only not going out to public places because of covid, and all but a handful of these are draft only. I hated High Grain Ibex. It is sappy sweet, and tastes like bubble gum. In a beer, that is revolting. I think 2021 is an awful year for bock.

    Reply
    1. GnarlyGnome

      I’ve only had one of the Ibex’s so far, but didn’t think it was bad at all – maybe a touch “different” – I’ll have to give another one a taste tomorrow.

      2021 was not normal – but there were some GREAT bocks in my opinion! MadTree, Sonder, March First, Paradise…. they were all standouts that I tried.

      Reply

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