Hinterland Maple Bock

Brewed By: Hinterland Brewery, Restaurant & Lounge in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Purchased: 16oz bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013
Style/ABV: Dunkler Bock, 6.8%

Reported IBUs: ?

Now we're drink beers from Green Bay...yuuppp. Actually, I have high hopes (and expectations) from my cheese heads up north. About Hinterland: 

Hinterland is a is a restaurant and brewery based out of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Founded in 1995 by owner Bill Tressler, more info can be found on their website or Facebook page.

The Maple Bock is a German-styled Lager brewed with maple syrup.

Hinterland Maple Bock

In lower light, the beer pours into a dark brown, near-black body, and kicks up two to three fingers of tan/khaki head. There's some hints of dark brown or ruby red on the edges of the glass, and lots of carbonation can be seen rising up in this. In bright light the beer takes on a really nice ruby red color, with a murky brown center. There's a lot of carbonation visible in this beer, and a finger of creamy brown head is sustaining nicely. It's a good looking beer.

The aroma here is, as you might expect, very sweet and easy-going. I'm getting a lot of caramel, toffee, big bread/toast sweetness, and big maple syrup. It's a sweet, inviting nose...but you almost wish it was a freezing Winter morning.

Given the super sweet aroma, you almost expect something like a dense Imperial Stout...but this drinks more like a Brown Ale, and even more like a clean Lager. The front end of this beer is loaded with maple sweetness, but the middle is cut with bready notes and light sweetness. The sweetness veers into that fruity/berry thing, with hints of tea/apples/berries. There's even some light hoppiness to round things out towards the back end...but you also get more maple syrup on the finish.

This is light, drinkable stuff. If this really is clocking in at 6.8%, it is hiding the alcohol very well. The mouthfeel is medium-light, with good palate depth/duration and surprising complexity. You get a lot of sweet malts and maple up front; that rolls into some toast/bread, hints of nuttiness, some fruity notes, and some hops; the back end features trailing hops, and more of that maple syrup goodness on the finish. The finish is malty and clean, but not drying. This one has surprising depth and complexity.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Decent Above-Average. I could see myself ordering this at the pub, and this would be a dynamite beer to pop open on a cold, Winter morning. I would love to pair this beer with some breakfast, namely pancakes or even an omelette. The clean finish and lighter flavors in this beer would also work well with turkey or a soup. You could also pair this beer with dessert. I paid 4 dollars for this beer...not a bad deal, and I'll be trying more from Hinterland if I can.

Random Thought: In two days hockey season starts, and now that baseball season is behind us we can focus on WHY Jay Cutler is throwing freebie interceptions when there is no need....