Bock o'clock: The beer that signals spring's arrival

"In Germany, for example, St. George's Day, April 23, became the traditional day when all brewing stopped for the warm season—a 16th-century Bavarian trade statute made it illegal to brew beer between April 24 and Sept. 29. That made bock beer culturally important. The first bock beers were most likely brewed by German monks during the winter, then laid down or aged for several months to prepare them for a special time of the year: Lent."

"While each group or person had their own way of fasting—some fast only during the day, have one meal after dark, avoid meat and/or candy or abstain from food altogether—drinking beer was generally permitted under monastic fasting rules. So German monks would make a strong, dark beer, rich in nutrients and higher in alcohol than most beers at the time, in part to help sustain them through Lent."

"First brewed in the early 1200s in the Lower Saxony town of Einbeck, Germany, it started out as essentially an ale brewed with two-thirds barley and one-third wheat. It was also a dark-colored beer and was stronger, richer and heartier than the regular or standard beer of the day."

Pre-industrial beer brewing depended heavily on seasonal temperatures and weather patterns. Before refrigeration and thermometers, brewing was largely controlled by natural conditions. Many brewing nations developed rituals around beer-making seasons. In Germany, St. George's Day marked the traditional end of brewing for warm months, with a 16th-century Bavarian statute prohibiting brewing between April 24 and September 29. Bock beer emerged as culturally significant during this period. German monks first brewed bock beer during winter months, aging it for several months to prepare for Lent. During Lent's 40-day fasting period, while food was restricted, drinking beer remained permitted under monastic rules. Monks created strong, dark, nutrient-rich bock beer with higher alcohol content to sustain them through fasting. Originally brewed in early 1200s Einbeck, Germany, bock beer combined two-thirds barley with one-third wheat, creating a darker, stronger, richer beverage than standard beers.

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