JosephsBrau Winterfest

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

12-oz bottle available at Trader Joe’s. Pours a clear, deep ruby color with fine bubbles and a thick tan head. Musty aroma. Medium-bodied, full creamy mouthfeel and an interesting blend of flavors: caramel, spice, very subtle hops and a slightly dry finish. Somewhat rich and easy-drinking for 7.5%.

12oz bottles acquired in multiple trades. Poured a medium and clear mahogany color with a small sized off white head. Aromas of nuts, toffee, toasted malts, and some dark fruits. Tastes of caramel, citrus, and toasted malts.

Thanks to hopdog for sharing this. Pours a mostly translucent brownish ruby amber with a smaller bubbly off white head. Aroma of sweet toasted malts, dark fruits, some caramel, touch of citrus. Flavor of sweet lightly fruity notes, some toasted malts and on the thin side.

I think this is simply the Trader Joe’s version of Gordon Biersch’s Winterbock, which I only realized once I tasted its cherry sweetness. Funny how spending a couple dollars more per six pack makes folks rank beers higher!

Bottle. Pours amber/ruby with a large foamy brown head. Aroma is caramel, bread, and generally sweet malt. Flavor is somewhat sweet and heavily roasted malt, with toasted bread and bitter-for-the-style finish. Interesting on the whole, especially for the price. Doesn’t have the rich malt complexity of better doppelbocks (little dark fruit character, for example), but the roasty bitterness is an interesting way of offsetting the bock sweetness.

Bottle. Pours dark ruby with off white head. Mild aroma of caramel, some sweetish dark fruit smells, as well. Flavor is solid dark rye bread-like maltiness, some bittersweet caramel flavors. Finish has burnt flavors, is very lightly bitter. Pretty good - No off flavors and cheap.

Aroma of sweet medium roasted caramel. Something of a cherry amber or mahogany color. The beige head was reluctant to develop. More than medium bodied with coarsely creamy carbonation. The flavor is roast malt sweet, but carries a near burnt or bitter note. Something like liquid toasted dark bread. The finish is mildly sweet, and that bitter impression persists. I think 28 IBU pretty well balances the sweetness. Surprisingly good.

Well, it is a cheap doppelbock.... somebody just gave me one at a party and it was better than drinking Pabst... Pretty strong aroma, with the roasts and all. Dark brown color, forgot what the head was all about though. Flavour was definitely there, but it wasn’t complex. It was good, but simple. Some coffee, pretty roasty taste and does warm you up pretty well.