Bock!

As you all gear up to celebrate the passing of another year we brewers are busy crafting beer for drinking in 2011. One of those will be a German style Dunkel Bock, brewed right here by me and Mark (if he can get through the snow) tomorrow.

This dark, strong lager is commonly bereft of a noticeable hop influence, but we're not common, so we're breaking with that tradition and lugging a bale of Hallertau's finest spicy Saaz hops in the copper (and, knowing Mark, I'd hazard a guess that he will feel the beer needs more than that, so who knows what pungent variety he'll turn up with).

Fermentation will be long and cool with an eight week lagering period at -1° C on another bed of hops. Then I think we'll keg most, cask some and bottle the rest ready for supping in the spring.

Fantastically expensive, imported German speciality malts will provide some wonderful aroma and flavour.