It's lager, Jim, but not as we know it... (Cains Double Bock)

Member Name: grahamt

Product:	Cains Double Bock
Date:	27/04/09 (127 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A true continental style strong lager with bags of taste

Disadvantages: Very high alcohol content limits consumption

How many times have you heard people say, "I only drink lager"? When you hear that, what comes to mind? Pale, fizzy, tasteless Bud? Pale, fizzy, not-quite-so-tasteless Stella? Whatever, the popular image of lager is something pale and fizzy. And yet, lager comes in just about as many different forms as traditional British Cask Ales; few get to drink anything else though, than the limited ersatz examples of "Real Lager" that proliferate on the bars of most pubs.

Which is a pity really because, whilst I avoid most of these sad examples of the British attempt to recreate the continental brewers' art, there are a few British brewers who take the issue seriously and produce what could be called a genuine lager that can stand alongside its continental counterparts with its head held high. Brewers like Manchester's John Willie Lees, Horsham's Hepworth & Co and Oxfordshire's Cotswold come to mind but, leading the field must be Liverpool's Cains.

Cains produces a few lagers. Its 4% canned Pilsner Lager and its 5% bottled Finest Export Lager are available on many supermarket shelves. Its 5% Finest Cask Lager you will likely only find in its tied pub estate in and around Liverpool. However, as a supreme example of the brewers art, nothing quite compares with its Double Bock.

Bocks are traditional strong lagers, mainly produced in Germany. They tend towards a darker colour and a much stronger flavour than run-of-the-mill pale lagers. Even the standard Bock is stronger than most British Premium Ales and the Double Bock is even stronger.

Cains doesn't pull its punches: Cains Double Bock, in its bottled form, weighs in a hefty 8%abv! A bottle will likely cost you over £2. Its draught version is a much more manageable 4.5%abv. I haven't tried the draught version as it is some time since I was last in Liverpool but the bottled version I spotted on a recent visit to family in Southport and decided to bring a bottle home to sample.

Cains claims that its Double Bock is brewed fully in compliance with the German Reinheitsgebot brewing purity law that so upsets the bureaucrats of the EU, which governs the ingredients that may be used by German brewers. Basically, only water, malted barley, hops and yeast may be used, which would make Bud illegal were it brewed in Germany. Cains goes even further by using genuine German malted barley plus the traditional lager hops, Saaz and Hallertau.

As Double Bock pours from the bottle into the glass I got an immediate rich aroma that I can only liken to Christmas Cake. It is a deep amber colour, much like a traditional Bitter. It has that fruity, nutty scent that is typical of full-bodied beers. A decent head forms on top and this lasts well as the beer goes down.

The taste is just what you would expect from the aroma: very malty; a strong bitterness from the hops, offset by the slight sweetness of the malt; a fruitiness that hints of citric fruits; a warmth that is undoubtedly attributable to the high alcohol content. All in all this is an exceptional beer and a delight to drink but to have too many would be dangerous.

Oh, go on then. Just one more!

Summary: A magnificent British lager that meets its continental equivalent, and wins hands down