Charlie, Fred and Ken’s Bock is the second release in Sierra Nevada’s 30th Anniversary series that will span all of 2010 celebrating the occasion with four beers brewed in collaboration with several pioneers in America’s craft beer history. This 8.3% ABV Imperial Helles Bock is brewed with input from Charlie Papazian and Fred Eckhart — beer advocates and authors that pushed the home-brewing and craft movements to where they are now.
There isn’t much detail regarding this beer available, but I can tell you that it’s a big one. There’s a more pronounced hop presence that most helles bocks and the higher alcohol makes its presence known throughout the drinking experience.
Appearance
Pouring a golden amber, the beer sits in the glass with a fairly sizable white cap of foam. There’s a decent amount of carbonation activity within the glass as well.
Aroma
The higher ABV becomes apparent almost immediately with a boozy trait to the nose. There’s a good amount of floral hops that bring a piny character to accompany the bready malt base. Hints of apple and pepper come and go in the aroma, as well.
Taste
There isn’t quite as much of a hop presence as the nose lead me to believe. The taste still carries a decent hop profile that provides a nice balance to the bready, caramel malts within the beer. This is a pretty full bodied beer that leaves a residual sweetness on the lips. While I wouldn’t call this beer hot, it certainly does carry with it a good amount of warming alcohol, especially in the lingering finish — with little affect on the drinkability of the beer.
Overall
I know I’m going to be super excited about each of the 30th Anniversary releases throughout the year. I loved the stout that served as the first in the series, but this Imperial Helles Bock allows you the opportunity to drink it at any time of the year. It’s a full flavored, versatile beer that should mellow out nicely with a little cellaring — which is why I’m saving my last two bottles.
Rating: 3.5/5
July 19th, 2010
Lucien said:
Thanks for the review. I’ve been procrastinating about trying this. I’ll be picking one up this week to finally give it a shot.