Judge’s Review: 82 Rating – Mardi Gras Bock by Abita Brewing Co.

Helles Bock | Seasonal | USA

By Dan Preston

Judges Rating: 82
Aroma: 19
Appearance: 6
Flavor: 32
Mouthfeel: 8
Overall Impression: 17

Mardi Gras Bock by Abita Brewing Co. is a Bock that falls under the BJCP 2021 Style Category 4C, Helles Bock. This style was previously known as Maibock, which is historically known as a seasonal offering associated with springtime and the month of May. It is similar to a pale doppelbock, but not as strong or quite as malty.
This beer pours a deep golden yellow with orange hues. The slightly off-white head is dense with moderately low retention that settles to a ring with legs that cling to the glass. The clarity is simply brilliant, you could read the label through it. The aroma is malt-forward with crackery and toasty caramel notes. It’s a grainer pils-like malt, perhaps partially blended with Two-row. Behind the malt, there is a low herbal, spicy German-like hop note. No esters or yeast character noted
The flavor is similarly malt-forward as expected, but the hops do come through a bit more than in the aroma. Mild floral hops with lightly spicy notes give way to sweet grainy, pale malt-like notes, with some crackery pils, toast and light caramel-like sweetness following up. The hops also give a moderate bitterness that lingers into the finish. A fairly dry finish and medium carbonation provide a medium body. The yeast is again clean, but there is a slight harshness in the finish. Doesn’t seem to be the typical soft water profile; perhaps too much sulfate is present?
A little early for the typical maibock season, but right in time for Mardi Gras. A tasty example of the style, but the overuse of pale malt detracts from the usually pils-heavy style. Due to this, it doesn’t quite hold up to some of the classic examples of style, like Ayinger Maibock. This one is more of an Americanized version of the style. Impressively clean fermentation, however, allows me to pick up the differences between the pils and pale malts present.