JosephsBrau Oktoberfest

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

Mine is from TJ’s too. I like it. It has the carmalised taste I like in this type of beer. Very nutty a bit spicy. Not too bitter which is good in my book. Very drinkable. A little less full bodied then perhaps the very best of this genre but a real contender for sure. Traders beers are cheep and good and as you can buy one bottle from a six pack you will never get stuck with five beers you don’t want to drink

Gordon Biersch Brewing contracts some labels for the supermarket chain Trader Joe’s, and Josephs Brau Oktoberfest is one such beer. This beer appear to be GB Marzen with a Trader Joe label, and that makes for a pretty tasty marzen/Oktoberfest beer. This beer pours to a beautiful, bright, light copper color, with a white head that fades, and a moderate carbonation. The nose is crisp, and clean, with aromas of light toast, and nutty malt. The palate is firm, and round, with good toasty and nutty malt on a clean, smooth body. This beer finishs with more good toast and nut malt flavor up front, then ends with just enough grassy hop bite to take the malty edge off this beer, and balance it out. Well done marzen/Oktoberfest beer, and with the Trader Joe lable and price,($5.00 a six) an outstanding buy for such a quality beer.

Bottle. Malty and very German-like. Very sessionable, which is how a beer of this style should be. Not a bad Oktoberfestbier considering the price.

Bottle. Pours a pretty honey orange with virtually no head. Sweet aroma of pear, honey, toffee, caramel. Flavor bright with red apple, but sweet with caramel. Just a bit of bitterness on the back end, like apple skin. Body is nice and solid, verging on porter territory. Finishes clean with a little bit of that apple skin. I really, really like this, and I’m really surprised by the reaction here to it. Super affordable and good.

Dark amber pour, almost no head. High carbonation, hoppy aroma. Slightly bitter, but not too much.

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

Pours copper with a white head. Smells of caramel and metallic. Tastes of sweet caramel with some floral hints and an earthy finish.

From a 12oz Bottle. Pours a filtered transparent, beechwood color with a thick finger of quickly dissipating, white fizzy foam. Aromas of nutty malt and floral hops, with the hops actually coming across a bit heavy for my tastes. Restrained honey and baked bread crusts. Medium light bodied, softly carbonated mouthfeel. Very clean and refreshingly drinkable. A satisfying Munich malt sweetness up front on the palate, but the herbal hops overwhelm it a bit too early. Honey glazed breakfast roll. Tastes pretty good, but I’m just not able to get enough of the rich maltiness that I’d like.