JosephsBrau Oktoberfest

Brewed by Gordon Biersch Brewing Company
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Palo Alto, California USA

I am surprised by how low the rating is for this beer, it’s very tasty - for a lager. It’s sweet and malty with just a hint of bitterness. bottle from trader joe’s, mountain view ca

Twelve ounce bottle from Trader Joe’s. Grainy and sweet aroma, clear light amber color, minimal head with no lacing, bitter flavor not solely from hops, some astrigent and chemical character, malt only slightly discernable, bitter finish. This might have been old but you would think a beer labeled Oktoberfest would still be reasonably fresh. I applaud Trader Joe’s for offering various beer styles at reasonable prices but I would avoid anything from there that’s made by Gordon Biersch. If you’re buying their house brands, stick to the ones made by other brewers.

I made the assumption that this would be a good extra beer for my Octoberfest, but was disappointed when i did finally get to drink one. This is barely a lager let alone a Marzen. Color was a slightly darker than pale yellow. There is little to no malt backbone to speak of to offer a ride to he smattering of nobel hops that are present. As a simple lager it would do much better. Try some Munich or Vienna malt next time or just relable it more accurately.

slightly sweet caramel malt flavor and aroma with some hoppy bitterness. not offensive just nothing special

Faint grain and hop aroma. Deep amber color, thick yellow head. Extremely bitter grain taste. Unblended copper and alcohol finish. Way too bitter and metallic.

Bottle poured into a pint glass. Not really a true represenation of the Oktoberfest or Marzen style. Not a bad beer, just seemed more like a strong ale to me.

Sweet caramel and slightly hoppy flavor. I was not expecting the hoppy bitterness with the style but it was pleasant. Crisp and clear experience. Would like a little more malt profile and heaviness to this beer. Oh yeah the bottle came from a sixer at Trader Joes.

Aroma is sweet and toasty caramel malt and some skunk. Without the skunk, it would be a nice aroma. Pours medium dark gold with a thin head. Nice vibrance. Flavor is sweet and toasty, a little metallic, skunk, and then a nice crisp bitterness. It has some nice elements and some bad ones. I actually liked the hoppy bitterness in the finish that is rather uncharacteristic of the style. I guess it could have been worse for sure. And I disagree with MadMan. Price can be a factor into the overall rating of the beer. I sometimes use a ration of price to flavor to desired effect to find an overall rating... For example, I rate OE 800 high due to this. It is cheap, it doesnt taste horrible, and it gets me smashed. Due to this, the rating is much higher than most beer snobs think it should be... As a result, this one gets a higher rating from me due to its price to taste ratio. Would you rather buy a 6 pack of BMC or one of these? Think about it...To each their own.