National Bock Beer Day

National Bock Beer Day is celebrated annually on March 20th. Originating in the region of Germany, Bock is a classification of beer usable in the form of spirits that comes in different variations such as heller bock, helles bock, maibock and paler. Join us for a great weekend of delicious beer!

History of National Bock Beer Day

Bock’s origin is from Saxony, and the capital is Dresden, on the eastern border of central Germany, adjacent to Poland and the Czech Republic. Originally used to celebrate the end of the brewing season † (May), bock beer (Bockbier in German) is brewed in winter for consumption in the spring. At first, it was fermented in the Hanseatic League town, Einbeck, in Lower Saxony, where is known as Ur-Bock, the original bock. But the style has evolved. Originally brewed with top-fermenting yeast ("brewer's yeast"), today's German bock beer is brewed by bottom fermentation (with "lager yeast", this type of beer was not discovered until the 15th century) and is usually dark brown. A modern bock can range in color from pale bronze to brown. There are many different types that can be very unique in style:

• Doppelbock (double bock), a stronger and easier recipe to make.
• Eisbock (ice bock), a much stronger variety made by partially freezing the beer and removing the ice, thus condensing the flavor.
• Maibock (pronounced MY-bock), also known as helles bock or heller bock, a lighter, more dance-colored version often produced for consumption at spring festivals (hence Mai, the German word means May).

Pale ale is growing in popularity, and sometimes a distinction is made between pale and stout. Because of its meaning in German, a goat is often found on the labels of bock beer brands.

How to celebrate National Bock Beer Day

As with all of these “national days,” it helps to know what you're celebrating.

Bock Beer is essentially a sweet and strong (by European standards) German beer - and several subtypes exist in the Bock family.

Maibock has been well explained in our the hell Maibock is, so we're not going to take you through that again, but it's basically the lighter and nicer version that has already been made for consumption at European spring festivals.

Developed back in the 17th century by the Paulaner Brothers of Munich, who mostly drank their way around Lent, Doppelbock (double bock) is a stronger and transitional variation from malt, known as malt, is a “meal in a glass” for good reason.

The strongest and most intense version in the Bock family, Eisbock, is made by partially freezing beer and then removing the resulting thaw.

What do you wear during National Bock Beer Day?

Purists insist that goat-horned headwear is the only way to go - but despite a hugely popular look - they can unfortunately be hard to find.

We recommend just going to the festival and getting ready for a day with Bock Beer.