Here we go again for a stroll down Beer Memory Lane. I have been drinking this beer for many, many years now, since it was first introduced in fact in 1988. This was the first seasonal beer I came across in the Samuel Adams line, I seem to recall it being the first beer to join Boston Lager on store shelves. When it was introduced it wasn't sold in traditional six pack holders; rather it came in elegant looking boxes that enclosed the bottles and gave it an air of class.

This beer is a lager, and if there's one thing Boston Beer has done it's give us a wide array of lagers at a time that most microbreweries offer mostly ales. Double Bock, Octoberfest, Boston Lager, Winter Lager, Golden Pilsner are all examples. There are reasons most breweries produce ales: they ferment and condition at warmer temperatures, and more importantly don't need to be aged as long as lagers. Lager is German for store, after all.

Samuel Adams Double Bock is released in January, and it's a perfect cold weather beer. Rich and satisfying, the beer has a potent alcohol kick (about 8.5% by volume) great for keeping you warm on the coldest nights. This beer will keep a long time too due to the heavy malt character. Boston Beer has advertised that it takes about a half pound of malt to make each bottle.

The brew pours to a dark ruby-brown color with minimal head formation. The nose is all sweet malt, and beckons you to take a sip. The palate is rich sweet malt all the way, sweet and sticky, slightly nutty, a little chocolatey. The finish is warm with alcohol. This brew is not decocted, nor is any Munich malt employed (two row Harrington and caramel 60 are used).You'll still be amazed at what a great double bock this is however. It's one of my favorite domestic examples of the style after Dock Street's Illuminator.

I rarely pair a beer this rich with food, though it is a good choice before or after a meal. Try glazing poultry or pork in it, however. The rich sweet malt sears onto the meat and is quite tasty.

Update 2005: Is it possible this beer has gotten even better? It may have. After moving to Georgia I went without Samuel Adams Double Bock for a few years, but when the beer law here changed to allow the sale of brews stronger than 6% alcohol by volume, Samuel Adams Double Bock graced local shelves for the first time.

And it's a wonderful treat. So rich and malty, packed with nutty melanodin rich Munich malt flavors, a touch of chocolate, caramel, and sweet delightful malty notes. A delightfully warming dose of alcohol in the finish. I'm reminded of some of the best German examples of the style. It's that good.

Update 2006
Here I am once again sipping a glass of Sam Adams Double Bock, and I have to tell you, this is a world-class brew. It stacks right up there with many German versions, and it's rich maltiness and luxuriant sweetness are as wonderful as ever.

They use a lot malt here, half a pound per bottle they say. That may make this one of the more expensive to make brews in the Sam Adams line, but I still bought a sixer for $5.99 here in 2006. What a bargain!

Sam Adams does need to update their website. It lists a number of states that you can't buy this beer in:

Due to legal restrictions, Samuel Adams® Double Bock can not be sold in the states of Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

Obviously, the law now allows beers of this strength here in Georgia, and also now in Ohio and North Carolina. I've bought higher gravity beers in Tennessee, too, though only in liquor stores.

Update 2007
Tonight it's late January, and I am the proud owner of six (well five now) gleaming bottled of this year's Samuel Adams Double Bock. It's as good as ever, sweet and malty, a wonderfully rich and warming delight at almost 9% alcohol by volume. Reminds me of the best German doppels. And at the price I paid, just an amazing $6.29 a six-pack, a steal.