Tasting Notes: Schloss Eggenberg Urbock 23°
Brewery: Schloss Eggenberg
Location: Vorchdorf, Austria
ABV: 9.6%
Version: Bottled
Source: Beer Ritz, Leeds
Another acquisition from Beer Ritz back in December, I was intrigued by the look of Schloss Eggenberg Urbock 23° (from the same brewery that produces the annual Samichlaus special) and decided to give it a go on the grounds that I’ve sampled far too few German / Austrian / Czech beers to-date, and this looked like a pretty interesting one to try.
I didn’t know what ‘Urbock’ signified, but Wikipedia provided the basics, so now I know: a Bock is a strong lager, first brewed centuries ago by German monks and a Doppelbock is a regional (Bavarian) variant of a Bock? And I’m guessing that “Urbock” is more of a branding-based classification, the equivalent of calling a beer a “Double Imperial Stout”? Or the Austrian version of Doppelbock? Something like that (I think I need to spend more time reading The Bitten Bullet – I’m sure Barry could set me straight on the subject…)
Provenance and technicalities aside, on to the beer itself. Urbock 23°, which is matured in cask for nine months before bottling, poured a lovely pale amber colour with a frothy white head and was effervescent to the point of ‘sparkling’, although the bubbles gradually died down and dispersed as I drained the glass. The flavours were big and bold, as you’d expect from a 9.6% ABV beer, but not overpowering. Quite malty and sweet with distinct herbal and heather honey notes and a faint hoppy bite to stop it tasting too syrupy. There was a noticeable alcohol hit but nothing too harsh and it all rounded out in a long, smooth finish. All in all: very Belgian and very tasty indeed. It also went extremely well with a few pieces of Green & Black’s 70% dark chocolate with cherries; the tart sourness and cocoa bitterness complimented the sweetness of the beer rather well.
Urbock 23° is definitely one I’d buy and drink again and it’s definitely awakened an interest in seeking out a few more interesting Doppelbocks. Something to keep an eye out for next time I swing by Beer Ritz.
