It's spring – at last, after what seems like four months of snow and ice. That's not a lot to the Canadians and Scandinavians out there, but it is for northern Germany. Finally we can really enjoy the Maibocks that have been
impatiently sitting on the shop shelves since mid-February.
Yes, in Britain it's the easter eggs that arrive two or three months
early, in Germany it's the seasonal beers....
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| A few Maibocks, left-right is roughly north-south |
Maibock is a relatively
recent addition to the German beer canon, although it is recognisably
part of the wider Hellesbock
(pale bock) family*, and is quite similar to Dutch Lentebock. Most of the
Maibocks I see are Nordisch (Northern) ones – not too surprisingly,
given that we're less than 100 miles from either the Baltic or the
North Sea – but there are quite a few Bavarian Maibocks too.
However, in the south they must compete with the tradition of Märzen,
which historically was brewed up until April. For example. the Osterbiers (easter
beers) I see from down south are mostly Märzens.
Also called
Frühlingsbock (spring bock) by some, Maibocks are malty, but
typically hopped up, drier and a little more bitter than other
Hellesbocks. They range from amber to gold, and the hoppiness is
often spicy, green, maybe lightly pine or citrus – and yes, it is
intended to make you think of spring.
Certainly, the
Einbecker, Dithmarscher and Flensburger examples are very much in
this mould. There are exceptions of course – for instance, the
Maibock from Vielanker, a microbrewery in Mecklenburg, just the other
side of what was the Iron Curtain, is perhaps more like a Märzenbock,
if such a thing is possible. (And if it's not, why not?!)
As I mentioned, look
south and things change a little – the Maibocks are often maltier
and, well, Bockier. Some claim this relates to a tradition that late
April and May were the times when the first new Bocks of the year
were tapped, though as with so many German "traditions" I'm
not wholly convinced, especially since we have Doppelbocks and
Winterbocks through January and February. It could well be that the
fresh Bock of May is inevitably a hoppier beast than the aged Bocks
of winter, I guess.
And no, I don't know why the northerners seen above are all 33cl stubbies while the southerners are 50cl long-necks. Nordisch quirkiness versus stolid Bayerish tradition, I suspect!
*Some people argue that Hellesbock (or Hellerbock) and Maibock are the same thing. I disagree – not least because Maibock is seasonal in availability, whereas the likes of Andechser Bergbock Hell are available year-round.
