POINT BOCK IS BACK!
STEVENS POINT, Wis. (January 15, 2016) – Point Bock has returned to Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota.
Eagerly anticipated by bock beer fans each January for decades, the malty seasonal brew is available now in 24 pack bottle cases (new this year) and on tap in select markets in Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota through March while supplies last.
Point Bock’s origins can be traced back to 1938. Point resurrected the rich, dark amber German-style bock beer just for Wisconsin after Point Brewmaster Gabe Hopkins dusted off an old recipe from the late 1970s that he found in the brewery’s archives. A retro tap handle crowned by a vintage Point Bock logo featuring a goat’s head – “bock” means billy goat in German – supports the reintroduction of the handcrafted brew in Wisconsin bars, taverns and restaurants.
Hopkins and his brewing team brew Point Bock using traditional German-style ingredients, including two-row and caramel barley malts and Tettnang hops imported from Bavaria. “Point Bock is a hearty brew, very malty and sweet with a big body,” Hopkins said. “Smooth and easy to drink, it’s a perfect cold-weather beer that pairs well with hearty fare like roast beef.”
The Bock Beer tradition
Bock is a centuries-old style of German lager beer, traditionally brewed each year in winter for consumption starting in the early spring. German immigrants who flocked to the America in the mid-19th century brought with them their taste for bock beer and the knowledge to brew it, according to Joe Martino, Stevens Point Brewery Operating Partner.
“Point Bock was a craft beer long before there was a craft beer market in the United States,” Martino said. “It was an easy decision to bring Point Bock back, this year in 12-ounce bottles, because it’s a perfect fit for the contemporary craft-beer market, which continues to grow.”
Point Bock is also a tradition for running enthusiasts in central Wisconsin, sponsoring the first Point Bock Run in 1982. The 2016 Point Bock Run is scheduled for Saturday, March 5th. The 5-mile road race, limited to the first 2,000 runners (registration is closed), starts and finished at the Point Brewery and crosses the nearby Wisconsin River twice.
The Stevens Point Brewery
Stevens Point Brewery, founded in 1857, uses only the highest-grade barley malts, specialty malts, grains and the choicest hops to brew its handcrafted beers.
The brewery’s year-round lineup also features flagship Point Special Lager; Point Onyx Black Ale, a robust dark ale; Point Belgian White, a Belgian-style wheat ale; Point Drop Dead Blonde Ale, a golden ale; Point Cascade Pale Ale, an American-style pale ale; Point Amber Classic, an American-style amber lager; Point Beyond the Pale IPA, a robust, hoppy India Pale Ale; and Point Smiley Blue Pils, a Czech-style pilsner. Year-round products include the Whole Hog Limited Edition “big beers:” Whole Hog Espresso Stout, Whole Hog Six-Hop India Pale Ale, Whole Hog Russian Imperial Stout, Whole Hog Barley Wine Ale and Whole Hog Scotch Ale. Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale is a fall seasonal.
The brewery’s seasonal beers include Point Oktoberfest, a Bavarian-style Märzen beer; Point St. Benedict’s Winter Ale, a rich, dark beer available from November through February; Apricadabra Apricot Wheat Ale for the spring; and summer favorites Point Coast Radler, a mix of beer and natural citrus flavors, and Point Nude Beach Summer Wheat, an award-winning unfiltered wheat ale. Point also brews five unique James Page specialty beers sold only in convenient 12-ounce cans: A Cappella Gluten-free Pale Ale, Casper White Stout, Yhaba Dhaba Chai Tea Porter, Healani Pineapple Hefeweizen, and Bastian Black Forest Cake, a dark porter just introduced at retail.
Point’s Ciderboys Cider Co. hard ciders blend unexpected fresh fruit flavors with apple cider. Ciderboys’ year-round products are First Press, a traditional hard cider; Raspberry Smash, alive with the tartness of raspberries; and Strawberry Magic, a blend of fresh strawberries and apple cider. Ciderboys also produces winter seasonal Mad Bark, made with natural cinnamon; fall seasonal Cranberry Road, a pairing of apple cider and cranberries; and seasonals Pineapple Hula, Peach County and Grand Mimosa. Pineapple Hula is made with fresh Hawaiian pineapple, Peach County combines pure peach flavor with apple cider, and Grand Mimosa is a winter cider made with succulent California oranges.
Gourmet soft drinks from the Stevens Point Brewery include Point Premium Root Beer, Point Premium Diet Root Beer, Point Premium Orange Cream, Point Premium Vanilla Cream, Point Kitty Cocktail and Point Premium Black Cherry Cream Soda.
For more information about the Stevens Point Brewery, please visit www.pointbeer.com or call
1-800-369-4911. Tours of the brewery are available; schedules are listed on the website.