Gordon Biersch Schwarzbier

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

Poured black with a great head and lacing. Light roasty, coffee and malt aroma. Flavor is the same as the aroma with a light -medium body. This is a very good easy drinking beer. Very nice!

I had a few of these on draft at the brewpub in ’Cowlumbus’ before heading over to the Rob Zombie show last night. This was my introduction to Schwarzbier. This brew pours a nearly black brown with red highlights. The average rocky tan head is fully lasting with good lacing. The bold nose though not overpowering, is clean and complex with hints of toasty roasted grain and cereal, caramel, herbs, grass, resin, leather, earth, and date. I found the moderate flavor to be slightly unbalanced leaning towards heavy roasted malt sweetness, with an earthy yeasty finish of average duration. The body is medium to full, with a creamy texture and soft carbonation. A very good brew.

On tap at the San Jose location. This beer is a handsome black with a pillowy light tan head that has great retention and lacing. The aroma is dark, dusty, roasty and perhaps sweaty. It is medium light in the mouth; very smooth with a crisp finish. The roastiness is on the subtle side, but provides the main flavor here. This is the best beer I’ve had from Gordon Biersch and the best beer I’ve had in San Jose. What a great session beer.

On tap at the San Diego location. A dark brown beer with a hint of chocolate/coffee aroma. Flavors were clean, dry with a little roast chocolate character. Well balanced and easy drinking.

Beautiful dark brown color. Very sweet aroma. Tasted malty and almost fruity.

Had this on tap at the brewery restaurant in Palo Alto with their double chocolate fudge cake. It was terrific combination that I highly recommend to anyone lucky enough to visit one of the restaurants. Poured an impenetable black with a fluffy off-white head that lasted forever and left a rich set of lace rings on the glass to mark my every sip and gulp. Smells of roasted coffee and dark chocolate. Tastes the same, light carbonation and smooth creamy texture, washed my heavy cake down better than milk. More sweet than bitter. I consider this schwarzbier superior to my last bottle of Köstritzer.

The beer from the tap a deep brown to black with nice ruby highlights, the head a perfect two fingers, creamy tan in color, evaporates slowly, leaving a thick sheet of lace to obfuscate the glass. Nose has a toasted grain aroma, sweet with hints of smoke, caramel, maybe a licorice like tone, mouthwatering. Front has a splendid toasted malt presence, sweet with a delectable hop spicy bite at the back. Finish pleasantly acidic, hops spicy and delightful, dry lingering aftertaste, a great representative to the style.

Tap at the DC restaurant. Opaque black with a slim light brown head. Sweet slightly roasted malty aroma. Malty taste with some dark fruit and late bitterness. Medium bodied. Very good.