Beer Tasting 10: Estrella Reserva and Hofbräu Dunkel
It's hard to believe it's Round 10 of my beer tasting 2022 project, but here we are. Round 10. For this round I decided to continue branching out a bit. After tasting lagers in rounds 8 and 9- Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy and ShaKa Brewing's Sunnyvale Pale Lager I decided it's worth going a bit deeper into the category.
I tend to prefer ales over lagers. The two categories are very broad, though, so there are ample variations to consider. As I was shopping online through my favorite liquor store I homed in on the bock sub-categoy of lagers. I remember enjoying bocks when I found them (rarely) in my early 20s so I figured I taste them again to see if I still like them. ...Especially now, when it's easy to find many different styles and brands of bock.
Bock is a style of lager created in Germany, like, 700 years ago. It tends to be dark and with a rich taste, though that's not totally a rule across the sub-varieties. For Round 10's tasting I grabbed two bocks that are in slightly different styles. So it's not exactly a head to head test, but it is... a bock to bock comparison. 😂🍺🍺
For this round I started with Hofbräu Dunkel (on the right), a classic dark lager. Hofbräu has been brewing beer in Bavaria, Germany for 400 years and is a well recognized brand there. I wanted to taste it against another German beer of the same style, but the two I'd put on my list were both sold out. Alas, while imported bocks are much easier to find in 2022 than 1992 they're still not that popular in the US. So I went to the next bock on my list, Estrella Galicia Reserva Especial 1906, from Galicia in the northwest of Spain. Estrella Reserva (above left) is a maibock, a paler variety of bock brewed with slightly more hops.
Going into this tasting round I expected I'd prefer Hofbräu Dunkel. It's dark, toasty, and very slightly sweet... not just in taste but also practically in its color. The taste is strong but balanced and doesn't linger. It's a great example of its variety. And yet....
When I tasted the Estrella Reserva, which I sorta poo-poohed while pouring it into the glass because of its lighter color, I was blown away. It is not a light beer. Not only is it high-ish alcohol content with 6.5% ABV but it's got a rich, toasty malt flavor. It's just not as strong with the dark flavors as Hofbräu Dunkel. It more than makes up for that, though, with just enough hops bitterness to really balance out the sweet, toasty flavors. The hops give it a nice, clean finish that makes it complement food really well.
After my first taste of these beers with food I came back around and tried them solo. Solo, they're a bit more neck-and-neck. As with other strongly flavored beers I've tried, you've got to be in the mood of "I really want a dark beer right now" to enjoy Hofbräu Dunkel. Estrella Reserve is more... beer flavored. The Hofbräu Dunkel does go surprisingly well with chocolate, though.
Language & History Lesson in a Beer Stein
By the way, bock is German for goat. "What's this beer got to do with goats?" you may wonder. Remember how I remarked above that bock has been around for 700 years? It was created in the city of Einbeck, in Germany's northwest. When Bavarians came they pronounced it Einbock with their accents. "A goat?" the northerner taunted them. "Goat," the Bavarians agreed, taking the taunt and making it a mark of pride. That's why bock beers often incorporate a goat into the label!
I tend to prefer ales over lagers. The two categories are very broad, though, so there are ample variations to consider. As I was shopping online through my favorite liquor store I homed in on the bock sub-categoy of lagers. I remember enjoying bocks when I found them (rarely) in my early 20s so I figured I taste them again to see if I still like them. ...Especially now, when it's easy to find many different styles and brands of bock.
Bock is a style of lager created in Germany, like, 700 years ago. It tends to be dark and with a rich taste, though that's not totally a rule across the sub-varieties. For Round 10's tasting I grabbed two bocks that are in slightly different styles. So it's not exactly a head to head test, but it is... a bock to bock comparison. 😂🍺🍺
For this round I started with Hofbräu Dunkel (on the right), a classic dark lager. Hofbräu has been brewing beer in Bavaria, Germany for 400 years and is a well recognized brand there. I wanted to taste it against another German beer of the same style, but the two I'd put on my list were both sold out. Alas, while imported bocks are much easier to find in 2022 than 1992 they're still not that popular in the US. So I went to the next bock on my list, Estrella Galicia Reserva Especial 1906, from Galicia in the northwest of Spain. Estrella Reserva (above left) is a maibock, a paler variety of bock brewed with slightly more hops.
Going into this tasting round I expected I'd prefer Hofbräu Dunkel. It's dark, toasty, and very slightly sweet... not just in taste but also practically in its color. The taste is strong but balanced and doesn't linger. It's a great example of its variety. And yet....
When I tasted the Estrella Reserva, which I sorta poo-poohed while pouring it into the glass because of its lighter color, I was blown away. It is not a light beer. Not only is it high-ish alcohol content with 6.5% ABV but it's got a rich, toasty malt flavor. It's just not as strong with the dark flavors as Hofbräu Dunkel. It more than makes up for that, though, with just enough hops bitterness to really balance out the sweet, toasty flavors. The hops give it a nice, clean finish that makes it complement food really well.
After my first taste of these beers with food I came back around and tried them solo. Solo, they're a bit more neck-and-neck. As with other strongly flavored beers I've tried, you've got to be in the mood of "I really want a dark beer right now" to enjoy Hofbräu Dunkel. Estrella Reserve is more... beer flavored. The Hofbräu Dunkel does go surprisingly well with chocolate, though.
Language & History Lesson in a Beer Stein
By the way, bock is German for goat. "What's this beer got to do with goats?" you may wonder. Remember how I remarked above that bock has been around for 700 years? It was created in the city of Einbeck, in Germany's northwest. When Bavarians came they pronounced it Einbock with their accents. "A goat?" the northerner taunted them. "Goat," the Bavarians agreed, taking the taunt and making it a mark of pride. That's why bock beers often incorporate a goat into the label!