Oak & Ash Experimental Dark & Heavy ➯ No. 1: "Bock Me All Night Long"

"Bock Me All Night Long": 
A barrel-aged Doppelbock beer from the
Oak & Ash Brewery in Beit Shemesh.

Following their four-beer set of Experimental IPAs, the Oak & Ash Brewery in Beit Shemesh has brought out four Experimental Dark & Heavy beers.  The first is a Doppelbock beer aged in ex-Islay whisky barrels, amusingly named Bock Me All Night Long.  Alcohol by volume is a hearty 10.5%.

Doppelbock (which simply means "double bock" in German) is a stronger version of the popular Bock lager beer.  Light sweetness from the malted barley is what characterizes this style, along with full and rich flavors.  The German monks who first brewed this beer called it a "liquid bread," and drank it during periods of fasting from solid food.

Bock Me is a lovely dark burgundy-brown color with a light tan head.  The aromas are also lovely: Rich malt, caramel, spice and behind it all, oak wood from the whisky barrels.  The taste is indeed sweet, enveloping flavors of caramel, dried fruit (raisins), butterscotch, cinnamon, and more oak.  There is also a mild smoky taste from the peated whisky that formerly occupied the barrel.  The aftertaste is flavorful and, even more fortunately, long-lasting.

Bock Me is a wonderful example of the Doppelbock style.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  

Stay tuned for my tasting notes on the other Experimental Dark & Heavy beers.     

The four-pack of Experimental Dark & Heavy beers is available for purchase on the Oak & Ash online store for 80 shekels.