Beer Wednesday: Lobotomy Bock by Indian Wells Brewing

There is a flavor that is not hops and is not malt. In my experience it's associated with beers with high alcohol content, but it's not alcohol-y either. It tastes like dark cherry, dried peaches, maybe cranberry and a little bit of candy. It lacks the smoothness of a malty beer but it doesn't have much bite either.

That's basically what the Lobotomy Bock by Indian Wells Brewing Co tastes like. The beer has a mild flavor profile, light body, and a very mellow mouth feel. Yet the Lobotomy Bock is one of those high alcohol beers as I describe above - it's listed as 10.8% ABV. That percentage will surprise you if you drink it, because it doesn't taste that strong.




While the flavor is is associated with high alcohol beers, this type of light body weight is not. I think it's a pretty unique and interesting beer, and I recommend it. On the other hand it's not for everyone; the beer's scores on Beer Advocate and ratebeer are a referendum on the style of beers that the denizens of beer fansites prefer, more than anything else.

I am a fan of the Lobotomy Bock. I got it for $6.99 for a six-pack, and I'd recommend it to try something different and see how you like it.

One other note - the beer's full title is Lobotomy Bock Lager, which got me wondering about the difference between a bock and a lager. Turns out a bock is simply a type of lager, which originated in a specific part of Germany. The Lobotomy Bock is technically a doppelbock, I believe, because it's a double strength bock. Another famous doppelbock is the Spaten Optimator, which I think has a much more traditional doppelbock style than the Lobotomy Bock. The more you know.