Gordon Biersch Blonde Bock

Brewed by Gordon Biersch Brewing Company
Style: Heller Bock
Palo Alto, California USA

[Bottle] Pours a golden color with a good looking amount of white head. Aroma of yeast and bready malts. Taste is of clove, some banana, biscuits and light caramel. The mouthfeel was about average and the beer was quite drinkable. Actually, this brew provided more than I expected.

It pours deep golden into the glass, with nice soapy lace and a thinly capped white head. The nose is sweet, almost thick and malty, of bananas and melons, with some Hubba-Bubba gum notes in there. The flavors are somewhat thick as well, with lots of malt, aerated sugars, bubblegum, some grains and yeast. Although it sounds complex, it does have the overtone of corn in there, which is usually not a great sign for an offering of the style. It’s almost a bit cloying at times, with only a slightly peppered hop to finish the pull. A bit out of balance, or maybe just not my favorite style, it seems syrupy and underwhelming. The carbonation levels fail by being muddy. The flavors, body and mouthfeel just don’t work together well enough, knocking the brew out of whack.

Poured amber with a white head that quickly dissipated. Malty aroma. Good flavor initially...malty and sweet, although the sweetness is a little too candy like. A slight butter flavor is present. Body is full... finishes okay with lingering unpleasant sweetness and a very slight astringency on palate. Overall, a decent beer for a grocery store find for $7.49 /6 pack. A layer of dust was on the bottles although they were only 20 days old.

Bottle. A clear, dark golden body is capped with a small head of beige colored foam. Soapy spots mark the glass. The nose is sweet initially, showing banana esters and strong bubblegum notes, along with blonde candy malts and just a touch of perfumy, floral hops. Flavors follow suit, sweet and candyish, big on bubblegum and fruity yeast. There’s just a hint of peppery, floral hop bite on the finish. Medium bodied and somewhat syrupy, the palate sports an intense, fizzy carbonation. Below average brew here.

Pours a strong golden color, thin, white head. Smells nutty, clean, hoppy, and sweet. Good overall flavor...easy to drink...not too complex, but it’s not Pig’s Eye. The malt and the hop are balanced...kinda fruity...like a Coop’s DNR light. Got a little caramel and toffee to it. Very enjoyable. I think Leffe is better though, for a Blonde...but the GB is a Blonde Bock, so it’s fab.

From a 12oz bottle this beer poured a golden color with a decent white head. Aorma of hops, malt, banana and spice. Taste was a creamy balanced malt with a slightly fruity flavor. Easy drinking and at 7% abv could sneak up on you after knocking a few back.

Reviewed 7/5/2009 (bottled 03/17/09): Pours a pale dark yellow colored body, with a small whitish color head, small and diminishing. Has a vegetable-y aroma, and some maltiness. Not too bad, somewhat enticing. Has a vegetably taste, some sourness. Malty, not good.

(Sample Date: 3/27/2009 Source:Other) Grainy bready aroma. Clear golden with small fine white head. Flavor has a light fruitiness, grain bready and quite sweet. Low spicy hop flavor, but bitterness is pronounced. Medium to full body and mouthfeel. Finish is very sweet with lots of residual bitterness.