Gordon Biersch - Not All That

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jmprdood

jmprdood

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Bad weather in Chicago forced a huge change in my travel plans today, so I decided to hang at the Gordon Biersch while waiting for my flight (Dulles). Tried several of their brews and they all taste the same - color and hops slightly different, but backbone of the malt and aftertaste exactly the same.

My opinion, so-so extract brew.

Anyone else?:confused:
 
While I have never been a fan of Gordon Biersch beers I recently had the opportunity to tour their production facility and learned a lot about how they make their beer. First and foremost when they shifted to a full production brewery they had to sell off the brew pub side of the business to Craftworks(sp?) for licensing issues. The pubs still produce beer according to their recipes but are all now part of the same family as rock bottom, bj's etc. Their bottled and keg'd beers all use the same malt backbone which is a Wetermann pilsner malt for base plus other German grains as recipe requires. Similar story with all German hops and brewed in accordance with German Purity Law. No extract unless the brewpubs cheat on the recipes! They also naturally carbonate in the fermenters! The most important part, I tasted a beer straight out of their massive fermenters and it was awesome pre-filtered but I haven't ever liked their finished product.
 
I try not to judge any brewpub based on their airport location... There are some that are decent (i.e. flying through Denver is awesome!), but generally it's not indicative of the food or beer you'd be served at a standard location.
 
bwarbiany said:
I try not to judge any brewpub based on their airport location... There are some that are decent (i.e. flying through Denver is awesome!), but generally it's not indicative of the food or beer you'd be served at a standard location.
Click to expand...

+1000

Especially to the Denver airport location. Haven't had a bad beer there yet. Other airports... well, some quality is lacking.
 
I had the ipa and something blonde in the dc pub. I enjoyed both.. The ipa was crisply hopped. I enjoyed it. The dc gb is pretty nice all around. Nice facility with outdoor street seating, great location. ... Even the food was good. Ditto on airport quality being poor in general.
 
I can't speak to the airport location, but GB makes world class Vienna Lager, Bo Pils (American style), Marzen etc.

Maybe give those a try. They definitely know what they are doing....
 
I've been to one a couple times and I agree that a lot of their beers taste very similar. It's been a long time since I've been there, but nothing really stands out too much for me. I think the food was good though.
 
marcb said:
While I have never been a fan of Gordon Biersch beers I recently had the opportunity to tour their production facility and learned a lot about how they make their beer. First and foremost when they shifted to a full production brewery they had to sell off the brew pub side of the business to Craftworks(sp?) for licensing issues. The pubs still produce beer according to their recipes but are all now part of the same family as rock bottom, bj's etc. Their bottled and keg'd beers all use the same malt backbone which is a Wetermann pilsner malt for base plus other German grains as recipe requires. Similar story with all German hops and brewed in accordance with German Purity Law. No extract unless the brewpubs cheat on the recipes! They also naturally carbonate in the fermenters! The most important part, I tasted a beer straight out of their massive fermenters and it was awesome pre-filtered but I haven't ever liked their finished product.
Click to expand...


They don't filter any of their beers.
 
I sampled a couple of their beers in Burbank, was not impressed with the beer or the food. On the other hand, a small place in Burbank called Tony's Dart Away was absolutely fantastic.
 
jmprdood said:
Bad weather in Chicago forced a huge change in my travel plans today, so I decided to hang at the Gordon Biersch while waiting for my flight (Dulles). Tried several of their brews and they all taste the same - color and hops slightly different, but backbone of the malt and aftertaste exactly the same.

My opinion, so-so extract brew.

Anyone else?:confused:
Click to expand...

I felt the exact same way about the one here in Texas. All there beers tasted commercialized. No WOW factor
 
jknapp12105 said:
I felt the exact same way about the one here in Texas. All there beers tasted commercialized. No WOW factor
Click to expand...

Same with the Myrtle Beach location... Bland, thin, no WOW.
I gave them 3 chances, 3 separate visits each a few months apart... all with same reaction, not going back.
 
The beers aren't at the top of my list for all categories but they definitely aren't at the bottom. They are making beers interesting enough to drink but not so interesting that non-craft drinkers will send it back after one sip. Just because their beers aren't 2000000000 IBUs, barrel aged and brewed with the anuses of a secret breed of dogs doesn't make it bad beer.
 
ReverseApacheMaster said:
Just because their beers aren't 2000000000 IBUs, barrel aged and brewed with the anuses of a secret breed of dogs doesn't make it bad beer.
Click to expand...

Do you get those at your LHBS?
 
I am not a GB hater, I just don't particularly care for their beers. Because of this thread I went back and had a Marzen yesterday and I realized why I don't care for it. Due to their natural carbonation process of capping the fermenters at a specific point in fermentation there is still a little sulphur flavor leftover from their lager yeast that bugs me. It's all a matter of personal preference which is why we brew beer in the first place. So relax, grab a bottle or glass and enjoy whatever the hell you want!

I also checked their ingredients according to the German purity law and in fact there are NO dog anuses in their beer : )
 
I have always thought highly of their wheat beer. Like a hoegarden but with more flavor. The marzen is also fairly good. Not sure about their rare dog anus ale. I have certainly been to enough brewpubs that had worse beer.

It ain't the best. And it probably isn't as good as when I went to SJSU and they opened up the location downtown, but it is still pretty darned good.
 
German style beers may not have the wow factor that people are talking about. I thought their beers were decent, and the food average to slightly above average pub food. Their focus is obviously not on the hardcore craft/micro brew fans but more the general public.
 
sj_engr said:
I would have to agree it's at the bottom of my "craft beer" list. Might even take a Coors over it.
Click to expand...

Oh, come on now. That's just freaking ridiculous. I think your distaste of corporate franchise brewpubs is affecting your sense of taste and smell.

I just tried a few of their beers yesterday. All of them were quite good.
 
The more craft beer I drink, the more I respect GB. I recently had their Oktoberfest beer in Myrtle Beach and was blown away. The subtlety of flavor and details involved in making those styles is impressive. I love my ales of every variety but I'm most proud of my brewing when I churn out a proper lager.
 
We *are* talking about subtle beers with GB. I've had most. Their Schwarzbier is excellent - and it's a tough beer to find. Their Hefe is great... and the Kölsch is awesome.

I'm always happy when I travel to a site with a GB. (Also Yardhouse... there are much better beer bars, but not better beer bar chains).

The only GB I didn't love is the Pils. I like a spicier / hoppier pils.
 
I've always been a fan of GB, especially the Czech Pils. The winterbock is also great, and the Marzen is always a good go to Beer. As much I like my IPA's, I like these beers just as much when I need a break from hops. When I travel to Texas I always make it a point to go to the one in Plano, it's in a great spot and the Beer and Food is always spot on.:mug:
 
I find this amusing. I was drinking though their summer variety pack a few months ago, and thinking that the beers all tasted kind of similar. Finally, it dawned on me that the taste was Pilsner malt. Not that there's anything wrong with that! The Koelsch was awesome.
 
It's been a while since I've had a GB beer but they'll always have a place in my heart as my first craft beer. I never liked beer before I found myself at a GB with my roommate who insisted I order myself a Marzen. From there I realized there were flavorful beers out there if only I looked for them.

Funny thing, I actually recall buying some Marzen from the grocery store and being disappointed. I haven't bought it since (mostly because there are beers I'm enthusiastic about buying) but reading this thread I realize I should probably give the brewpub another chance.
 
Considering OP hasn't posted past the original (that was fully 10 weeks ago), I'll jump in here to defend GB as a maker of some really fine lagers. You really can't argue with their obsession with style guidelines and flawless execution of difficult beers.

Flavor is subjective, but technique is not.
 

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