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Recipe: Peoples Bock

Based on details shared by the former lead brewer at Peoples Brewing in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this mid-20th century American bock gets its color from a darker caramel Munich malt—not from the syrups that were common in dark adjunct lagers from that time.

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Photo: Matt Graves
Photo: Matt Graves

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This recipe is based on writer Lee Reiherzer’s conversations with Wilhelm Kohlhoff, former brewer at Peoples Brewing in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Although it lacks dark syrups, this version is closer to the dark bocks produced by many American lager breweries until the later 20th century. For much more about this style’s modern history in the United States, see American Bock Is the Goat (of Smaller Stature).

Later, in 1970, Peoples Brewing became what is believed to be the first Black-owned commercial brewery in the United States. For a gluten-free lager inspired by that brewery, see our recipe for Ghostfish Power to the People Lager.

ALL-GRAIN

Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.058 (14.3°P)
FG: 1.016 (4.1°P)
IBUs: 22
ABV: 5.5%

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