If you’ve been around for a little while, you know that I’ve pretty much split the year up into several different seasons based upon what lager beer I am drinking at the time. It starts in the summer, where I’m knocking back lighter lagers, Pilsner, Dortmunder, Helles… I love ’em. As we ease our way into the fall I break out the Oktoberfest beers… and I go heavy on ’em too. Winter is time for Schwarzbier – dark lagers that are packed with flavor, but still crisp and drinkable. The spring, though? Spring is for Bock.
I recognize that you might not know what I’m talking about – Bock is strange to a lot of folks. You can read a little more about the style here – or venture down to Cincinnati’s Bockfest in March. In my book, though, the only real way to understand Bock beer is to drink a ton of it with lots of different folks in lots of different situations. That’s what you should be doing this spring.
Lucky for you, Cincinnati is home to a ton of Bock beer. More than it makes sense to exist. I love it, and you should too. Here’s your chance to see what the style is all about. If you want to try to get around and try a bunch of them, every year I put together this list to try to wrap as many of our local Bocks into one comprehensive list… get out there and drink!
With that being said, though – If you see that I’m missing one, or that something isn’t correct: please shoot me a message and let me know so I can get it fixed!
The Official Guide To Cincinnati’s Bock Beer in 2022
- 13 Below – Fluss Bock
- 16 Lots – Viel Trinken Bock!, Maibock
- 16 Lots – Coconut Maibock (Available at Arnold’s)
- Alexandria – Slayerator, Doppelbock
- Bircus – Incinerator Doppelbock
- Braxton Barrel House – Baby Got Bock (Collaboration with Cork n Bottle)
- Braxton – Ignitor, Maibock
- Braxton – Peach Ignitor (Available at Arnold’s)
- Brink – Brinkinator, Doppelbock
- Cartridge – Brigade Bock
- Cartridge – Stealth Blonde Bock
- Christian Moerlein Brewing – Bar Bender Doppelbock
- Christian Moerlein Lager House – 10th Anniversary Heller Bock
- Cincy Brewing Company – Ezz Bock
- Dead Low – Swabian Bock
- Dogberry – Freiheit
- Fibonacci – Fiddlehead, Maibock
- Fibonacci – Honey, Barrel-Aged Doppelbock
- Fifty West – Maibock
- Fifty West – Roadbock
- Fifty West – Maple Roadbock (Available at Arnold’s)
- Fretboard – Slave To The Grind
- Grainworks – Cincinnati Liars Lager
- Highgrain – Gimminator – Roggen Dopplebock
- Hudepohl – Festival Bock
- Listermann – Friar Bacon, Smoked Bock
- Little Miami – Brennerator
- MadTree – Bockaveli
- March First – Heller Bock
- MPH – Summitator, Doppelbock
- Narrow Path – Pathinator, Doppelbock
- Narrow Path – Rye Barrel-Aged Pathinator
- Narrow Path – Bourbon Barrel-Aged Pathinator
- Nine Giant – Hairpin Turns, Hellesbock
- Northern Row – Cooper, Hellerbock
- Rebel Mettle – Ask Me About Maibock?
- Rhinegeist – Bock Bock Goat
- Sam Adams – Coffee Bock
- Schoenling Bock
- Sonder Brewing – William Goat
- Third Eye – Total Debockery, Doppelbock
- Warped Wing – Abominator, Doppelbock
- West Side – Bock
- West Side – Doppelbock
- Wiedemann – Flying Deutschmann
- Woodburn – Baphomet – Maibock
- Wooden Cask – Hell Yes, Helles Bock
- Wooden Cask – Oh, Hell Yes!, Barrel-Aged Doppelbock