JosephsBrau Hopfest

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

(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.

12oz bottle. Glear gold, white head. Sticky honey malt nose with some light corn and fuesal notes. Light sweetness of front of corn and sugared grains, somewhat sticky and oily. Lacks definite crispness, sits flabby on the tongue, and develops a flavor of olive oil and corn.

Picked this up at a Trader Joe’s while shopping for faux iceream... It has a bright yellow/gold body with a modest head that laces the glass nicely before disappearing. Quiet malts are covered by light floral scents, maybe a hit of grasses. A bit oily in the mouth. The flavor belies the 27 IBUs listed on the bottle. This has a good floral/herbal hop bitterness that complements the malts nicely. The finish is bitter and crisp. (I had to borrow the latter word.) Pretty decent.

Light golden color with a taller off-white head. Dry grains along with a hint of floral hops and I do catch a whiff of DMS (tomato juice). Nice lace, but the head is nearly gone. Very watery flavors with pale grains, light bubblegum, and a dry citric acidity. Pepper and light acid in the finish and linger. A pils equal to $2 chuck. Linger does have a bit of malt and floral noble hops, but still a bit too thin in the middle.

Bottle from Trader Joe’s. Poured clear amber with a moderate frothy white head that was mostly lasting with good lacing. Moderate grassy hop aroma. Medium body with a dry texture and soft carbonation. Medium grassy hoppy flavor with a medium bitter finish of moderate duration. Average drinkable beer.

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.

Shared by JK, sampled from 12-oz bottle at Cellar’s Wine & Spirits in St Paul, MN. Pours a clear golden brew with a thick white head that slowly dissolves with good retention and lacing. Aroma of some caramel malt, and a mix of floral and citrusy hops. Taste is medium bodied, light carbonation with a slight gritty texture. Finish is a short lived bitterness and then a clean cut and crisp flavor.

Bottled. Poured clear, bright golden with a short cap of white head and some rising carbonation. The aroma picked up sweet bready notes accented by lemon zest and greener, floral hoppage.. hints of smoke if you really stick your nose in there. The flavor had the same bready notes supporting the aforementioned lemon zesty bitterness.. some caramel and some tangy light fruity bitterness in there too.. finished a bit sharp with more bitterness than sweets. Lighter-bodied and fairly aggressive on the palate (bit too much so for the style).. dried out at the end and left a lengthy impression. Decent.