10 years of Mohren Eisbock: the essence of brewing

The Mohrenbrauerei is celebrating 10 years of Eisbock. The rarity is only produced by a few breweries in the entire German-speaking region. Since 14 February, the new Eisbock has been available in limited quantities at the Mohren Lädele in Dornbirn. In addition to the current one, the two previous vintages are also available for purchase.

Frost, patience and manual labour ensure the coldest beer speciality of the year every February. "The Mohren Eisbock reveals the pure essence of beer with its deep dark colouring and intense taste of dried fruit and forest honey," explains Thomas Pachole, managing director of the Mohrenbrauerei.

Ten percent alcohol content and a ten-year shelf life make the winter speciality one of the strongest and longest-lasting beers. Only a few breweries produce the rarity. In Austria and Germany, there are just a handful. At the Mohrenbrauerei, thirty thousand bottles of Eisbock are made from frozen Bock beer every winter.

Legendary beer
Once upon a time - so the legend goes - a journeyman brewer in Kulmbach, Upper Franconia, accidentally left the Bock beer out in the open one cold winter night 130 years ago. The next morning, the beer had turned to ice. Inside the ice, a malty-sweet, heavy but drinkable beer had collected: The Eisbock was invented.
In January 2012, the Mohrenbrauerei got to the bottom of the legend. An affair of the heart for brewmaster Ralf Freitag, who comes from Kulmbach: "In the first year, we produced 55 litres of Eisbock from 100 litres of Bock beer in frozen barrels." Since then, the process has been perfected: Festbock or Doppelbock is turned into 100 hectolitres of Eisbock every year by means of a cooler in the brewing tank by freezing it several times.

Noble yearling
Not all hops and malt are the same. As with wine and whisky, each Eisbock year has its own distinctive taste. Added to this is the long post-maturing period in the bottle. In this way, time lends each individual vintage its own special note. Since 14 February, the new Eisbock has been available in limited quantities at the Mohren Lädele in Dornbirn. In addition to the current vintage (2021), the two previous vintages are also available for purchase.