Spezial Bock
Brewery: Spezial
Town: Bamberg
Style: Rauch Bock
Color: dark amber
Head: off white, dense
Nose: malty with a strong scent of smokiness
Body: full-bodied, low carbonation
Palate: quite smoky, full malt presence, fair hopping
Finish: long, slightly bitter, on dry side
Served: on tap at the brewery
Impression: I’m always a bit put off by those bent on picking Spezial or Schlenkerla as if the two don’t coexist in about a perfect harmony as you can find in competitors. One beer which seems to get lost in the shuffle is Spezial’s Bock and in many ways, it perfectly illustrates that Spezial actually makes the more approachable beers. While it’s very smokey, it nonetheless has a great dry hoppy element which makes it all too drinkable.
