Helles Bock

This is a beer with German origins, dating in particular to the Middle Ages and the town of Einbeck in Lower Saxony. It is now much appreciated and produced in various parts of the world.

– Storage: as a low fermentation style this beer requires a cold storage chain, i.e. a    post-production, transport, storage and local conservation system ensuring that it is not subjected to temperatures above 10°C. Beyond this threshold (unless it is pasteurised) the yeasts used in this type of beer may undergo alterations which impact negatively on quality.

– Serving temperature: from 9 to 10°C in a not-overly flared glass (balloon glass, goblet, wide tulip) but equally not too small, as this would restrict its conspicuous aromas. It is ideally served in a column glass, a pokal (short conical glass with a very short stem) or even a flared tulip.

Initially the glass must be tilted 45° and then straightened up to favour the formation of a good head of foam. We recommend checking the bottom of the bottle carefully versions that are not fully filtered may contain thickened sediments, given the presence of yeasts. You may want to distribute the deposits as evenly as possible between several glasses served from a single bottle.

– Alcohol by volume: 6.3-7.2% alc.

Characteristics (visual, scent, flavour):
Its colour varies from intense gold to amber and is generally clear, sometimes even bright, with a voluminous white head of dense, compact and decidedly long-lasting foam. Its aromas revolve around malt, conjuring up crackers and shortcrust pastry, honey and, to a lesser extent, caramel. Its hop aromas are equally marked and take the form of herbaceous and floral notes such as camomile. At the same time, its flavour is backed by the roundness of a medium robust body with the delicacy of a moderate to medium carbonation and a pleasant warmth deriving from its alcohol content. It is markedly soft with hints of hoppy bitterness and its finish is lean, with a positive and pleasant balancing effect.
Its supple, robust body and overall sensory complexity make it a perfect pairing with Grana Padano aged from 16 to 20 months. In particular, its alcohol and carbonation work on the cheese’s fats while its malty roundness balances out its savouriness.

Curious facts
The origins of this type of beer are related to those of the Bock style overall, with this being the pale version. Its name derives from a distortion of the original name, Einbeck, the name of the town in which this style of beer originated. In Bavaria in particular, ordering one of these beers meant pronouncing a phrase similar to the town’s name, which gradually evolved into Bock. And it is a name which suits it very well, meaning ram, billy goat, sheep and thus conjuring up the beer’s robust alcohol levels. The goat image sometimes features on its labels.