It gave me the opportunity to try a new brew from Capital that has not yet been bottled, if it ever will be – the Hop Bock which weighs in at 7.8% ABV.
It's a dark doppelbock with hops, essentially.
You can see the color above. The head was thick'n'foamy with but a faint hint of hops in the aroma. When it hits the tongue, you get the sweet, caramel malt flavors first and then a wash of hop bitterness. It also has a thick, chewy mouthfeel. While the hop content here pales in comparison to an IPA, I found the bitterness to exceed the "slightly hoppy" description in the menu. This doesn't make Hop Bock a bad beer, but my tastes are currently favoring less hoppy brews. Unless I held the beer in my mouth and moved it around like mouthwash, the malt and hops were very segregated on my palate. First came the intense sweetness followed by the intense bitterness. Personally I'd like to taste less hops here and find out if the two flavors can mingle a bit more rather than compete for my gustatory attention. But, if a heavy, hoppy brew sounds good, this beer is for you.
Hop Bock seems like a compromise beer. I really enjoy bocks and feel very lucky to live so close to a brewery which has a rather large variety of them that taste great and aren't less filling. Simply put, brewmaster Kirby Nelson excels at bocks and, unfortunately, put his dark doppelbock into hibernation a couple years back. Hop Bock seems like a way to bring back a preferred style of beer while at the same time catering to the current trend of very hoppy brews.
The rumor is that Hop Bock will become the next installment of the Capital Square series of limited brews that come in 4-packs. We'll see how that pans out.
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While I'm on the subject of Capital, let me add a couple more notes.
Firstly, I've noticed Rustic Ale going for $5.99 a six-pack lately. Not only at Woodman's but also at the Jenifer Street Market where everything is expensive. Is this a recession special or is the stuff just not moving?
Just when I was getting into my car to drive to the brewery and tell Kirby to brew an IPA and get this hop thing out of his system, I get a double dose of good news.
Capital has announced that this year's summer seasonal is going to be Wild Rice instead of the Prairie Gold. I love the nutty flavor of Wild Rice and am really looking forward to tasting it again. A real treat for us Upper Midwesterners. Since Kirby is only going to brew it every few years, some of this stuff is going to make its way to my cellar which will promptly be locked up tight.
While it may be on store shelves as I type, I was told last week that distribution of the stuff is on hold until the spring seasonal is gone. So let's get the Maibock quaffed.
Lastly, there's Supper Club, a new American Lager.
"Harking back to an era where Supper Clubs were In Vogue and Wisconsin had numerous regional breweries making their version of American Style Lagers. You know, back when these types of beers exhibited regional soul. And many of these beers were enjoyed during an evening spent at a local Supper Club, visiting with friends and family and having a good dinner. Supper Club is an eminently drinkable version of a true American Lager. Featuring a greater depth of refreshing malt character than the mass marketed versions of the style, Supper Club is clean yet satisfying. Classic Wisconsin Lager at it's finest."
Supper Club is on tap at the Capital Bier Garden and possibly select taps around town – no bottles. I've not yet had it but hope to soon.
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