Riverside Bock arrived at 28 IBU with caramel I can't stop thinking about

Riverside Bock showed up Thursday morning, and I opened a sample bottle before the first case hit the cooler. The label lists 28 IBU, which puts it right in the traditional range for a German bock — assertive enough to balance the malt, restrained enough to let sweetness come through.

What the spec sheet didn't mention: the caramel finish stays with you. Not sticky-sweet, not cloying, just a clean toasted-sugar note that holds on the back of your palate for what I timed at twenty-eight seconds. I know because I checked. Twice.

Tasting notes

Pours deep amber with a tight tan head. First sip brings toasted bread crust, a hint of dark fruit — maybe fig — and then that caramel note arrives and refuses to leave. The 28 IBU balances it perfectly; enough bitterness to keep it from feeling heavy, not so much that it cuts the sweetness short.

Mouthfeel is medium-full. Carbonation is moderate. The finish is where it gets interesting: most bocks fade after fifteen seconds, but Riverside holds that caramel flavor almost twice as long. I don't know if it's a specific malt choice or fermentation temperature, but it works.

Current stock

We have four cases on the middle shelf of cooler three, right next to the Meadowbrook Schwarzbier. If you want to compare a smoke-forward lager to a caramel-forward bock, that's your corner.

Serves best at 50–55°F. I tried it at 48°F and the caramel hid; at 52°F it opened up completely.

Reserve your four-pack before I drink the rest of the sample case myself.