The social drinker

The Blackrock Cellar in Co Dublin won the off-licence of the year award recently. I have no idea how the judges reached their decision, but it was a good choice. It is the sort of place where people pop in looking for a bottle of wine and leave half an hour later with three types of cider or a new beer. The owners are usually friendly, always knowledgeable and mostly enthusiastic, while the displays are tempting and surprising.

I was killing time there the other day while other family members shopped for clothes, and ended up picking up a bottle of Ayinger Maibock from southern Germany. It is 20 years since I lived in Bavaria and last drank a bock, so I was eager to try this lager again for old time’s sake.

Traditional bock lagers have been brewed in Germany for more than 200 years and the different varieties are often linked to the seasons. Bock beers have heavily influenced modern craft brewers but they come without the ‘amusing’ names and arty labels like their modern counterparts.

Like craft beers, bocks tend to be sweet, malty and toasty but unlike many craft beers they are brewed without chemicals.

A traditional bock lager is not hoppy, so those who like hops should opt for a maibock (a common bock brewed in May) which tastes more like a modern IPA.

I liked the Ayinger’s flavour and consistency but one bottle was enough; the alcohol content weighs in at a hefty 6.9pc. Those who like an even stronger beer should go for a Dopplebock, which can be anything up to 12pc, making them stronger than many wines.

Personally, I think the trend for craft beers has gone too far. The wheel keeps being reinvented with no discernible improvements. Drink a bock or a maibock and you will see that they were drinking ‘craft beers’ in Bavaria two centuries ago.