Gordon Biersch Maibock

Light-hazed bronze body under a quick-fading head of white. Herbal hops come thru prominent in the nose before lightly sweetened malts and a whiff of alcohol. Spritzy mouthfeel to offset a rather heavy body. Well-balanced flavor is a mix of Euro-hops vs. honey-sweetened pale malt, and it’s potency is undeniable. Very well made. I think Mark needed a bigger sample. My pint was VERY true to style and this one should end up near the top of my list of Heller Bocks. ~~~~~~~~~ Draught, GB Bolingbrook, IL.

Sampler @ Bolingbrook, abv listed as 7.0%. Brown color between caramel and iced tea. Smell has nice notes of caramel and orange. Surprised to find more of a hefeweizen taste at the start. A slightly thicker, sweeter malt mouthfeel, reminds me of a Belgian ale. A strange combination of flavors, with a solid set of bock malts sliding in under the throw to home plate. Only gets dinged for not sticking to style.

Bottle, sampled at Tank’s Taproom Spring Beerfest. Decent malty aroma and flavor. Some caramel and toasted malt in the aftertaste. Fairly light and easy-drinking.

Draft at the Virginia Beach location. Soft amber bodied. Nose is sweet, toasted malts, light caramel, soft fruit. Taste is also very malty, grassy, toasted notes, dry fruit, and light caramel. Body is medium with a soft creamy carbonation. Finishes mush like it started - more toasted and sweet malts, light caramel, soft grass and fruit. Not bad at all. Very drinkable on a warm day.

Location: We have a bunch of these in the metro DC area, I think I’ve prob been to 3 of them, including the one in "Downtown Rockville" that I visit pretty often, I’ve had this one on tap there

Overall Impression: Haven’t had this one for a long time, but my old rating had it placed here (no notes unfortunately) so we’ll leave it that way...

Tap@GBSeattle. Fruity and light sugary aroma, apple and apricot. Hazy, yellow colour, white head, good lace. Very sweet, ripe apples, light bitter in the finish. Very sticky and flat. Way too sweet, soda-like.

They claim their new version is 7.8%, and it certainly tastes like it could have that in it. A decent medium-bodied beer in flavor, but a little strong on the alcohol characters. Okay.

On tap in Vegas. Grabbed a sample od this before getting back to watching the wife shop. Made me in a better mood for that. A dark amber beer. Aroma of malt and sweetness. Same for the flavor but with a bitter bite.