Ziegenbock Beer Review: Is This the Best Brew Option for You?
This Ziegenbock beer review will answer all your questions about one of America’s finest beers. This special red-style beer can be found in any liquor store in Texas and beyond, so rest assured that you’ll be able to find a bottle of this brew in your local liquor store.
Different features make this beer special, so it is never too late to try it out. However, before going for a glass, here’s a complete review for you to see what it offers.
Ziegenbock Beer Stats
Country | United States |
Brand | Anheuser-Busch |
Style | American Amber Lager |
Taste | Balanced, crisp and refreshing taste |
Body | Light- to medium-bodied |
ABV | 4.9 percent |
Flavors and Aromas | Roasted malt with notes of lager yeast, grains, and caramel flavors |
Serving Temperature | 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit |
Tasting Profile
Ziegenbock Beer Review
This is a well-known and widely available craft beer made from hops and malt. The beer comes in a clear brownish-amber color with a considerably large head. It is a bit smooth with some notes of malt sweetness held back by a mild hop and roast bitterness. It leaves a clean finish with a residual aftertaste.
This lager has a medium body with malt or toasty taste. The beer is related to other American Bocks (like shiner Bock, Michelob Amber Bock, etc.) even though it is not an American Bock. It is a refreshingly crisp beer containing flavors from the dark malt to keep it pleasant.
This beer is perfect for any occasion. Here is a detailed review of the best American Amber Lager.
– Appearance
The beer pours a gold to copper color with an extraordinary white head. However, the head disappears quickly. There is no lacing on the edge of the glass. It has a clear and slight haze.
The beer’s carbonation is light to medium and the body is quite soft.
– Aroma
The aroma of this lager is roasty and nice, with a hint of caramel and a touch of grain smell. Aside from these aromas, there’s also a hint of earthiness and a tiny portion of dark fruit. The presence of the moderate maltiness balances and hides the hop Aromas.
The malt carries hints of caramel. Because the beer was dry hopped, it is low to medium and appears as a citrus character. There is a presence of zero acetyls and the esters range from medium to low.
– Mouthfeel
The taste starts with a brown bread taste and a slight roast with a touch of brown sugar and molasses upfront. As you drink more beer, the sweet taste fades with some hay and light earthy taking their place.
As the brown sugar and molasses taste fades away, they gather at the back. It then combines with a bit of caramel to leave you with a moderate roast and a slightly sweeter taste to refresh the tongue.
– Flavor
The body is smooth and watery due to the high to medium carbonation. You can feel the balance of malts and hop in this beer, with the malty flavor overpowering. It lacks a sweet flavor.
– Food Pairings
Ziegenbock Texas beer is known for its medium bitterness and lack of sweetened flavors. This makes it have a dry and crisp finish. The dry finish cleans your palate so you can enjoy any food. These are some of the food it goes well with:
- Spicy Meals: American Amber lagers go well with spicy meals. A cold and refreshing lager beer will reduce the hotness of the spicy dish. The high carbonation will also help you wash your palate. Some of the spicy delicacies you can pair with the beer include hot wings, loaded Nachos, spiced seafood, salsa and chips.
- Salty Meals: Bock beer also pairs well with salty meals since the clean, crisp, pleasing beer keeps you refreshed. Most of the snacks you’ll find in bars are salty. These include popcorn, pretzels and roasted peanuts.
- Seafood: Bock beer and seafood are a perfect pairing match. Just like how the beer’s flavor will overpower the flavor of salty foods, it also does the same for seafood. To enjoy a nice time at the beach, you should pair this great beer with seafood like fish tacos, steamed mussels, charred fish and grilled shrimps.
- Oily Food: The high carbonation of the beer makes it pair well with oily food. The carbonation will dominate the fatty flavors. You can try fatty foods like fried chicken, grilled steak, french fries, etc.
- Chinese Food: Chinese food is also a great pair because it’ll bring out the beer’s nutty, malty notes and might have caramel sweetness with creamy Alpine-style cheeses. You can use Chinese dishes like Peking Roasted Duck, Beijing, Kung Pao Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork. Other exciting options you can try are Hot Pot, Dim Sum and Cantonese Dim Sum.
- European Dishes: If you need to try something different, you must go for European dishes. They create a delicious taste that contradicts the sweet, bready taste of the beer. Examples of European food are Escargot, Fish and Chips, Herring, Gyros, Cheese fondue, Paella, Pizza, Currywurst and lots more.
Ingredients
Several ingredients are used in brewing the Bock beer. They use the finest and natural ingredients to give it its unique and pleasant taste. The ingredients include:
– Malted Barley
This is the starch source that provides Ziegenbock with the necessary fermentation ingredients to create its distinctive crisp flavor. The grains begin the germination process by fermenting barley while submerged in water.
Thereafter, the grain is removed from the bath and dried in a kiln. Malted barley produces the enzymes required for starches in the grain to be naturally converted into sugars. This quickens the fermentation process and raises the amount of alcohol in the lager.
– Hops
Just a small amount of hops are used in its brewing. The ingredient imparts bitterness to balance the sweetness of other ingredients used in the brewing process. You will typically find hops in batches of lagers weighing one to two ounces.
They serve as a natural preservative for a beer that isn’t usually made with added preservatives. It consists mainly of German noble hops.
– Water
Water is an essential ingredient in any brewing process. Anheuser-Busch makes use of the purest water to give it a refreshing flavor.
– Yeast
You may have heard the saying, “Yeast gives life to beer.” Well, this is true. In addition to giving beer life, it also improves the flavor. The specific yeast used in the brew creates the distinctive flavor and taste of the beer.
Ziegenbock Beer Nutrition Facts
Ziegenbock amber beer alcohol percentage is 4.9 percent. This alcohol content is perfect as it matches the other lagers which range between 4.2 to 6.2 percent ABV. Whether you prefer double IPAs or light beers, the alcohol concentration makes it acceptable for all beer lovers.
A 12-ounce bottle of the beer Contains 23 milligrams of sodium, 11 grams of carbohydrate, 0 grams of fat and 0 gram of protein. Ziegenbock beer calories is 136, making it appropriate for those who need to consume only a few calories. Additionally, it doesn’t contain fat, so it is great for anyone trying to lose weight.
Because of Ziegenbock beer alcohol percentage and its low fat, the beer is one of the lightest American amber beers you can find today. This positively influences its drinkability, meaning you can drink multiple cans without adverse physical effects. Unlike ales, American lagers are served at low temperatures. As with other American lagers, the best temperature to serve it is 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
History
“Ziegenbock” (Ziegen Bock) is a German word for Billy goat. Anheuser-Busch produces this German amber beer. It is a beer of the South made in Houston and first released in 1995. In 2006, the Great American Beer Festival awarded Ziegenbock a Bronze Medal for its exquisite flavors and aromas.
It is distributed throughout Texas and neighboring areas, marketed as “for Texans by Texans.” To compete with Shiner Bock, Ziegenbock is positioned as a Texas-brewed Bock-Style Beer. However, It does not follow the BJCP style guidelines for a Bock in terms of flavor profile or potency.
Conclusion
We’ve discussed the important features of Ziegenbock Texas Amber Beer. Here’s a quick recap on the vital points to note.
- Ziegenbock beer comes in a clear brownish-amber color with a considerable large head.
- It is a bit smooth with some notes of malt sweetness held back by a mild hop and roast bitterness. It leaves a clean finish with a residual aftertaste.
- Due to the high to medium carbonation, the body is smooth and watery. The beer is made of water, malted barley, yeast and hops.
- A 12-ounce bottle of beer contains 23 milligrams of sodium, 136 calories, 11 grams of carbohydrate, 0 grams of fat and 0 gram of protein.
- The beer has a 4.9 percent alcohol content, allowing you to enjoy enough glasses of Texas’ favorite beer.
If you want to try out a special American amber beer, then you should go for Ziegenbock Beer. You can get this special red-style beer in any liquor store in Texas.