JosephsBrau Winterfest

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

12oz bottle- An aroma of dark roasted malt on a dark amber body with a small off white head. Taste of malt with a very very faint sourness followed by a darker roasted flavor. Not bad but a little watery and faint in taste.

It’s snowing feet in Cleveland, but this beer has made it bearable. Seems to me like that lover one calls when one needs some warmth and affection, but won’t be calling you up on Tuesday demanding dinner. It’s a bit too sweet with an astringent aftertaste that’s like a piano chord where one string’s slightly sharp. There’s worst ways to celebrate winter.

Caramel, sugar and toasty malt aroma... with a clean lager like profile Bright Mahogany to garnet pours with a decent tan head which subsides to a thin layer of bubbles Flavor: Caramel, some roast and a little astringency from char with some slickness with nice bit of spicy hop bitterness in the end which seems to make the finish less enjoyable Palte: Medium heavy body, with decent carbonation... the slickness seems to linger between sips Overall: Lot of good characteristics of a doppel bock the char and slickness detract from enjoyability but a decent buy for the price. When compared seems similar to the GB winterbock but does not have the malt profile

12-oz. Pours a deep opaque mahogany black with a thin off-white head that doesn’t hang around. Virtually laceless. No signs of carb visible. Bready, very slightly roast & toast nose. Some char and roast and a bit of caramel on the mid-palate. Slightly sour finish. Cheap, that’s for sure, and the bang for the buck is decent...but in the end you can tell you’d rather drink water for a couple days and spend a little more for better beer on the third day.

Bottle; Roasty, grainy, caramel nose; deep clear brown with a medium, long-lasting tan head; flavor of caramel, chocolate, and hop bitterness. Very good for a beer that cost me $.84!

First time I had this I scored it a 2.1 This time I enjoyed it much more. It has some sweetness to it that isn’t overdone and is mostly a pretty smooth beer.

I wish there was a "value" checkbox for these ratings because this beer would get a "10" in that category. Instead, I gave it an extra point in the "Overall" category. Anyhoo, from a 12-oz. bottle, this beer pours a crystalline ruby amber with a smallish tan head. Bready & nutty aroma. First taste is caramel malt with plenty of dark chocolate and nuttiness in the background. Some vanilla notes in there too. Surprisingly hoppy finish. No real alky presence but the 7.5% ABV does make itself known after two of these in a row. Reasonably full body and moderate carbonation. This is a very good brew--and one fine value. It reminds me a lot of Capital Brewery’s "Autumnal Fire", only about $4 per sixpack cheaper. Now I gotta head over the TJ’s and get me some more!

I liked this beer. A very hearty full bodied Dopplebock. Chocolate, Carmel, and roasted malt really hit your palate. Somewhat sweet but not too much. Enjoy with wild game or hearty German food(Sauerbraten). As this beer is 7.5% AVB and rich you won’t want to drink alot of it at one time.