JosephsBrau Hopfest

Brewed by Gordon Biersch Brewing Company
Style: Classic German Pilsener
Palo Alto, California USA

Grassy hop aroma typical of pilseners. Amber gold color with a white head that stays for awhile. Thin to medium bodied. Moderate carbonation. Light malt, not quite caramel. Some bitter. The finish is at least bitter. Dry, almost astringement. Drinkable.

26-Jun-07 (12 oz bottle: Gift from SDbruboy, thanks Cliff) Hopfest? Hmm, kind of a strange name for a German-style pilsener -- seems more fitting for a hops-dominated style like an IPA. Anyway, the grainy, slightly bready nose gives an impression of sweetness and is balanced by a mild, but unmistakable noble hop aroma. The flavor, however, lives up to the beer’s name. Balanced attack of lightly sweet, bready malts and moderately bitter hops, but the bitterness of the hops quickly asserts itself in the evolution, leading to a somewhat astringent and unpleasant finish, and so as such, the balance is out of whack for a German pils. Medium body and medium-strong carbonation work nicely, but the astringency doesn’t make this beer as refreshing as it could have been. Perfectly clear, golden body shows off the attractive streams of bubbles, but the quarter-inch white head is quick to fade away to a thin ring. Overall, this is drinkable, but it’s not going to challenge the better examples on the market.

From a 12-oz. bottle, this poured a crystal clear light golden with a white head. Decent retention. Grainy aroma with a significant whiff of hops. First taste is saltine crackers with a graininess in the followup. Surprising hop presence that comes through both taste and aroma simultaneously. Short bitter aftertaste. Decent beer in its own right--and a bargain when price is thrown into the mix.

Grainy hops aroma. Gold with lasting head. Grainy malt and hop flavour. Fairly hoppy with sour finish.

For a Pilsner, this is decent. But the bitterness is overwhelming and yucky.

golden yellow with no real head. nose is faint hops. Taste is a little acrid and salty. some mild hop flavor. body is liquid and fizzy. Finish is rather clean.

(12oz bottle) Crystal clear apple juice body topped by small white head. Aroma is medium sweet, apple, honey, some grain. Taste is medium sweet, spicy/grassy, some apple, light dusky. Light-medium body, some crispness. If the aroma were better, I’d really enjoy this one.

Hopfest is a strange name for a pilsner. It is an OK beer, fairly light. Some grain in the aroma, kind of a smells like a Blatz. Flavor is lightly hopped, with dry malt and a dry finish. Easy to drink. It does look good, pale, light gold color and a substantial white head.