I think the new BJCP style guidelines for German and especially Czech beer styles are a vast improvement over previous versions. Capturing the reality on the ground is very difficult, but I think they have greatly improved things and have relied on the best historical research and real experts rather than just made up fantasy stories.
Speaking of which and returning to Bock and Doppelbock beer colors, I wanted to point all of you to Ron Pattinson's discussion of Czech beer styles and his unified theory of lager and a chart showing all of the different styles, style names (if they had specific names), strengths, and colors actually brewed in Bavaria, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech lands (either as part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire or as Czechoslovakia prior to WWII). This is from
https://www.europeanbeerguide.net/czecintr.htm#styles![](https://i.imgur.com/QGO4BHi.png)
As you can see, there are (were?) pale, amber, and dark Bocks and Doppelbocks.
And if you doubt that a wide variety of beer styles still exists in Germany, go to Franconia in northern Bavaria and this is the variety of beer styles as described by a local beer aficionado:
- Helles Vollbier
- Dunkles Vollbier
- Pils
- Märzen
- Helles Export
- Dunkles Export
- Helles Kellerbier
- Dunkles Kellerbier
- Lagerbier/Bernsteinfarbenes Landbier
- Braunbier
- Schwarzbier
- Rotbier
- Heller Bock
- Dunkler Bock
- Doppelbock
- Eisbock
- Helles Spezial
- Dunkles Spezial
- Helles Rauchbier
- Dunkles Rauchbier
- Festbier
- Sonderbiere: Rauchbock, gestopfte Biere, etc.
http://www.franconiabeerguide.com/discdethist.php?IDKEY=ZY4102010101010101010101010102