Archive for the 'Gordon Biersch' category
Gordon Biersch Winter Bock
Last Wednesday Ben and I went to pub quiz at one of our favorite local watering holes, only to find that we stumbled into a “coming out” celebration of sorts for Gordon Biersch Brewery. A few of their beers have recently become available in the RDU airport and apparently Wednesday commemorated the beginning of availability in NC bars and retail stores. I would classify this event as fairly significant as the owner and brewmaster himself, Dan Gordon, was in house rubbing elbows with the masses. Ben and I even had a little personal face time with Dan. He seemed to be a super nice guy who loves to make beer and strives to do it well. He told us he’d been brewing for over 25 years so I guess he’s doing something right. Anyway, he and his staff circulated thorughout the bar and promoted one of their seasonal beers, the Winter Bock.
There’s nothing spectacular about the appearance or smell for that matter. It’s amberish in color and has no distinctive smell. There is a subtle grapeness with an ironish finish but your nostrils have to work hard to pick out this aroma. I had 3 glasses of this beer over the course of the night soI had plenty of time to decipher flavors and nuances but in my humble opinion this beer is rather nondescript, especially for its size (7+% abv). A grape sweetness attacks the palate, almost in excess. There is also a yeasty characteristic that thickens the mouthfeel and accentuates the overpowering sweetness. This flavor wasn’t as noticable and abrasive at first, in fact I initially thought this could be a good session beer during these colder winter months. However, I found that by the middle of the second glass this beer was sitting heavy in my stomach. The good thing is it has a very clean finish so it doesn’t create the same heaviness in the mouth. This is a decent beer, nothing special but fairly refreshing when enjoyed in moderation.
I won’t get on my soapbox like I did in response to Ben’s Big Boss post but I will say while my impressions of Dan Gordon and his beer were relatively favorable, I cannot say the same for some of the promoters he had in attendance the other night. A number of them were obnoxious and/or drunk and in my mind were terribly unprofessional. My hope is that this was an isolated incident and these folks were just a little overly excited about there new expansion. If not I hope Mr. Gordon re-evaluates who he brings to these events and who he choses to represent his product because if people are like me (and if they like and respect good beer, I feel safe to assume they are) these people will be just as turned off and give serious consideration to whether they want to patronize Gordon Biersch products.
