Bock & strong lager

What unites this family

Strong lagers where malt is the whole point. Hops are present for balance only, and the defining challenge is producing a clean, non-fusel beer at high strength — which is exactly what cold fermentation and long lagering are good at.

Bottom-fermented (lager). Fermented cool with Saccharomyces pastorianus, which settles out, then conditioned cold. The cooler process suppresses yeast-derived fruitiness, leaving malt and hop character exposed.

4 styles in this family

• Bock6.3–7.6% ABV

  A strong, dark, malt-dominated lager with deep bread-crust and toasty character and only enough hop to keep it from being sweet.

• Helles Bock6.3–7.4% ABV

  A pale, strong lager with the body of a bock but a brighter, more hop-balanced character — traditionally a spring beer.

• Doppelbock7–10% ABV

  Intensely malty strong lager, dense with bread crust, caramel and dark fruit, and remarkably clean for its strength.

• Eisbock9–14% ABV

  A doppelbock concentrated by partially freezing it and removing the ice, intensifying malt, body and alcohol together.