Bock lager in history

Bock is a very strong beer originally brewed by top fermentation in the Hanseatic League town of Einbeck in Lower Saxony where it is still brewed and known as Ur-Bock.

In 1612, the brewmaster of Einback was persuaded to go south and work on producing a strong beer for Munich, The beer was released in 1638, strong beer interpretation of Munich Braunbier, a rich malty brown. Bock were commonly brewed for special occasions.

Before modern refrigeration, beer couldn’t be brewed in the summer, so the first appearance of the winter’s brew, usually sometime in May, was always celebrated in Germany with beer festivals, and bock was the choice and social brew made for the occasion. It was and is a lager of extra strength which has been aged longer and which is richer in malt extract and hence darker than light beer but lighter than dark.

In the 18th century, the name became Oanbock and was later shortened to bock. According to one legend, bock was once made from the dregs of barrels and vats at spring cleaning. The word ‘bock’ also means male goat or billy goat in German, such an animal is often represented on the labels of bottles containing bockbier.
Bork lager in history