Dave from Zeno's was nice enough to pass on this tidbit and he tells me he'll be getting this beer if anyone is interested in trying it.Yuengling has announced that they are producing their Bock for the first time since the 70's when Dick's father was at the helm.
A spring seasonal, Yuengling Bock will be produced at the Millcreek plant.
5.1 % ABV
bottom fermented
1/2 barrels only
Look for it in early February
Let me say two things: one, thank you to Yuengling for their efforts in reproducing one of my favorite brews from the 1970s. Two, when I visited the brewery for the first time in 1981, Dick Sr. was tending bar, and I asked him why they no longer produced that delicious bock.
ReplyDeleteDick filled a glass three quarters full of Yuengling Premium (then just Yuengling beer), and opened a bottle of Yuengling porter (which was stocked behind the bar along with Lord Chesterfield Ale), held the glass up to the light of the dark-paneled tap room, and began to add the porter to the glass of beer. After a slight adjustment or two, he handed the glass to me and said "That's Yuengling Bock."
It was all I remembered it to be, and I always felt that it was the predecessor (via Rathskeller Beer) to Yuengling Lager.
Both the label and the bottle cap featured a goat's head, and I hope the new iteration will do the same!
Great story...thanks Sam..
ReplyDeleteBack then (my first visit was 1984, sam, unlimited samples with dick sr) they were also producing a draft only "half and half" which was a blend of porter and chesterfield ale. Still MUCH better, imo, than the current black and tan.
ReplyDeleteSo you are saying the bock was today's black and tan... yueng premium and porter.
Yeah, Lee, that's pretty much it, except the bock had less black and more tan, I guess. That draft half and half was killer! Club 18 in Pottsville had it on tap, and I bought a quarter and brought it back to Centre County for its coming out party!
ReplyDeleteI always thought the black and tan paled by comparison.
Hmmm. Reading this again, it says "half barrels only," which makes me think this may be the same as Dick poured me way back when. A blend of two available products, which has worked well for them in the past.
ReplyDeleteSam for once I have to disagree with you. I just dont think in this day and age of savvy beer drinkers that Dick would repackage black and tan as bock and try to get away with it. I really do think this is his introduction into seasonal beers and he wants to do it right, probably based on a 'real' bock recipie from the archives. We shall see but I think Dick wants to send a message to the craft beer folks rather than just sell a few half barrels in the spring.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you on the half and half. I remember being an underage teen in a neighborhood bar in Reading in the mid 80's and all of my friends were drinking this great new beer in a clear bottle that you put a lime in. I tried it and did not like it. Bored, I walked down the bar and at the end of it was a tap handle for yuengling "half and half." I said "whoa! gimme one of those" and it came in a sham glass. One of my hipper friends say me drinking this dark beer, asked what it was, and by the end of the night 80% of my crew were drinking them and we, collectively as a group, never looked back, beginning our early foray into craft beer...
FYI-- the premium is 4.4% the porter is 4.7% and the bock is listed as 5.1%. Dont think you can get to 5.1% by mixing the two.
ReplyDeleteGood call...math doesn't lie
ReplyDeleteGood point on the numbers, Lee. I'll be looking forward to giving it the once-over when Dave puts some on at Zeno's!!
ReplyDeleteZeno's Bock Party is tonight 8-10pm.
ReplyDeletehttp://yuenglingbrewery.blogspot.com/2009/02/state-college-bock-party.html
I've taken the tour at the brewery on monday, feb 16th.. at the end of the tour they anounced a new beer they would like to offer for samples to us (large cups for just a sample) and it was the bock.. they just finished it the friday before and said we were the first people outside of employees to tatse it as it wasnt in stores/bars yet and wouldnt be for a few more weeks.. all I gotta say is it was awesome, the tatse is very pleasing and I feel its gonna be well liked by all.
ReplyDeleteI tried the bock in bottle at the Conewago Inn here in York PA. it was awesome! I'm a huge fan of Shiner Bock from Texas (we have a manuf. plant in San Antonio) and this is just as good and saves me from bootlegging cases of Shiner from MD. Oops, did I type that?
ReplyDeleteSo far everyone has been reporting in that they love it. Glad to hear it..
ReplyDeleteWait...type what....I didn;t see anything ;)