Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock

Perhaps the least extreme of Boston Beer's "extreme beers," but obviously a labor of love. Priced at the level of a good bottle of wine, it is packaged in a one pint, 9.4-ounce bottle with a metallic label.

It's deep brown in the glass, with a nice tawny head, and wafts of chocolate and sweet malt in the aroma. It's a rich tasting beer, with undertones of chocolate all the way through, and a pleasing finish. Despite its candy lineage, it is not too sweet – the chocolate character is more the semi-sweet variety.

This bock is made with two-row pale, caramel, chocolate and Munich malts, with Tettnang Tettnanger and Spalt Spalter hops. It gets its chocolate character through aging on a bed of cocoa nibs, which apparently serve as a primary ingredient of chocolate. A touch of vanilla is also added, for balance.

Alcohol content is moderate at 5.5% alcohol by volume. Overall, this is an excellent beer, a fine product to help nudge specialty beer into the realm of wine pricing.