Josephs Brau PLZNR Czech-Style Lager - Trader Joe's Brewing Company

Hopdaemon39

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +27.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pilsener glass- pours a clear golden color with two fingers of head, decent retention, a few streaks of lacing, visible effervescence.

Smell is appropriate for the style- grassy, lemony hops, some pale malt sweetness, and a little bit of that signature lager yeast.

Taste is perhaps not as lovely as the nose- a little heavier on the malt sweetness, but still good noble hop bitterness and flavors, not really tasting the yeast. Grass keeps coming to mind (and palate), but not in a bad way. Crisp.

Mouthfeel is pretty good as well- light body, moderately full carbonation, some residual sweetness and grassy hops in the finish. Hell, this is a damn good beer for $6.49 a sixer, and even not considering the price I like it for an American pilsner. I've never quite been able to put my full support behind Prima Pils. I think I'll get this one many more times considering this price and worthy taste.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2012 01:23:28 | More by Hopdaemon39

steveh

Illinois

4/5  rDev +24.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Got into my local TJ's for the first time in a while and happened on this new label. I find it odd that this beer rates so much lower than the same beer -- but carrying the Gordon-Biersch label. Tell me blind tasting isn't the best way to review.

A -- Clear, deep gold with a long-lasting dense white head. Picture-perfect Pilsner.

S -- Spicy hops up front with a mild fruitiness and DMS back. Some vague breadiness back.

T -- Good balance of spicy hops and bready malts up front with the hops finally winning out. The breadiness lingers into the finish, but light citrus and spicy bitterness dominate the aftertaste.

M -- Mouthfeel is crisp and dry with a medium-light body.

O -- When I first grabbed this beer I was afraid it was just a re-labeling of the Josephsbrau Bohemian Lager, but this is a much nicer brew. While not so much Czech as German in its Pils character, it's a great rendition of the style from a US micro. Very easy-drinking and perfect on a warm summer day.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2012 21:11:45 | More by steveh

McStagger

California

3.8/5  rDev +18%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Ah, the good ole TJ's brand beers. Always a good value. How does this one stack up?

A: Poured into a standard pint glass. Slightly darker than straw yellow with a touch of haze. Most clear, though. Rapid pour leads to two finger bleach white head. Dissipates rapidly with moderate lacing. Ample carbonation, with large bubbles.

S: Sweet malts, lemon zest, spicy and floral hops, touch of skunk.

T: Light, crackery malts transition into a spicy bitterness. Floral notes, green apple, touch of sulfur, lemon oil. Fairly strong bitterness smacks you right in the mouth. The bitterness is borderline resinous and soapy. Finishes fairly dry and bitter.

M: Spot on for the style. Okay, maybe it feels a little mass produced, but I've definitely had worse examples.

O: Pleasantly surprised, to say the least. Tastes like a ten dollar a six pack beer. Instead, only 5.50. Damn.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2012 03:52:23 | More by McStagger

damndirtyape

Ohio

3.78/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle (best by 06/02/12) poured into a pilsner glass.

Appearance: Clear golden yellow, plenty of carbonation coming up through the beer. White foam upon pouring quickly died back to form the barest ring of foam at the edge of the glass. Lacing at this ring quickly slid back down the glass.

Smell: That classic crisp pilsner smell, but hoppier than your typical mass-market pilsner with a crisp malt smell - maybe a tiny hint of honey in there at the end.

Taste: Earthy and spicy hops right up front and at the end as well. Crisp and dry finish with the tiniest of lingering hop finish. Some clean malt in the middle, but the hops dominate in this beer flavor. Quite the nice pilsner.

Mouthfeel: Good carbonation on the tongue, some thickness to it, otherwise just above average for a pilsner.

Overall / Drinkability: A nice pilsner - good flavor and smell but a tad disappointing in regards to appearance. Nice to see the Czech/German hops typical for this style so well represented with this beer. Went quite well a meal (Sicilian corkscrews & beans) and would go well with a lot of other food as well. Good drinkability as well, I could have another without hesitation.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 23:25:24 | More by damndirtyape

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.75/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle courtesy of fthomasl pours a clear gold color with a nice cap of white head. Nice lacing!

Nose is very grainy...pretty good representation of the style. Hops are floral and a little grassy. Not bad, but does not smell super-delicious.

Taste is a nice combo of grainy malts with a herbal, grassy hops. Not bad..this is one of the more affordable pilsners out there and it is better than 60% of the imports that are more expensive. I like it, but unfortnately a TJ is about 30 miles away!

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 03:29:06 | More by twiggamortis420

MattyG85

Minnesota

3.63/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12 oz. bottle into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass. Bottle says best before 06/09/12.

Appearance: Pours a bright and clear golden orange with lots of rising bubbles. Big four finger white head with good retention. Lots of lacing sticking to the glass.

Smell: Sweet pale malts with wheat cereal grains and lots of biscuit aroma. Decent presence of herbal, grassy hops. Also some hints of lemon grass. Pretty decent bready smell.

Taste: Bready and sweet pale malts with hints of caramel and lots of biscuit. Big taste of cereal grains. Light hints of earthy, grassy hops lingering around. Also a light hint of lemons. Bready grains dominate here.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with a moderate level of carbonation. Very crisp and smooth.

Overall: A decent take on a European Pilsner. Sweet but not overly sweet and has a decent body for the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 05:35:21 | More by MattyG85

augustgarage

California

3.63/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into my Harriet pils glass. Best before February 5th, 2013.

Clear pale gold body with a thin finger of white soapy suds. Faint lacing, but decent retention.

Clean brisk musk with mountain air and malt, and herbal noble hop aromatics (Saaz, I presume). Faintly crackery/biscuity as well.

Moderately bitter palate entry with a building spicy character from the hops which remain present on into the dry sod-like finish. Crisp clean and well lagered - nicely crafted with just a touch of barley and winter fruit for sweetness. Lacks the subtle malt complexity of the best examples, but remains free of off notes.

Soft yet zesty, light-bodied mouth-feel.

A bit one-note I suppose, but this is quite a refreshing and carefully constructed lager and an excellent value.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2012 00:25:08 | More by augustgarage

mikeg67

New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle from Trader Joe’s. Pours deep golden with a short-lived, white head. Nice aroma is of pale malt and grassy hops. Medium, slightly crisp body. Earthy hops are balanced by biscuit malt and grapefruit on the palate. Long, bitter finish. Well done Pils.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 22:14:27 | More by mikeg67

BucannonXC5

California

3.55/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

My house on July 8, 2012. Bottle into pint glass. Two fingers of head. Honey pale color. Foamy white lacing. Below average-to-poor retention.

Smelled honey, corn, wheat, grass, bread and light lemon hops.

Tasted honey, corn and bread mostly. Also grain, cereal and toast. Also some light lemon hops that brings everything together.

Light body. Thin texture. Average carbonation. Refreshing, but abrupt finish.

Not a bad beer overall. A decent, refreshing pilsner. Great for the summer.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2012 06:28:01 | More by BucannonXC5

kylehay2004

Florida

3.5/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Half finger white head on a crimson with golden hues clear body.

S: sweet caramel malts, some sweet corn and mild hops.

T: very malty with mild bittering malts in the finish. A little creamy.

M: medium body and moderate to high carbonation.

Overall: Nice full flavored malted beer but fairly simple.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 18:49:42 | More by kylehay2004

Cresant

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served this 12 oz. brown bottle in a shaker pint. Best by: 8/28/12. The body was golden and clear. The white cap left some lacing.

The smell was slightly skunky Nobel hops. Light crackery malts give it a graininess.

The taste started with a bright snap of crisp hops. Clean.Crackery malts and lemon. Slight mineral notes. Husky, which I like in a pilsner. Very drinkable.

The mouthfeel was medium with lively carbonation. With the Trader Joe's label one automatically thinks "cheap" but this is a solid Czech style pilsner in my book.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 14:04:50 | More by Cresant

mactrail

California

3.48/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Really quite a lot of flavor for an unassuming beer. Fairly sweet but hops catch up quickly-- 32 IBU according to label. Attractive golden in the glass. A richer mouthfeel that typical Pilseners. Malty flavors are quite forward with subdued hoppy aromatics. Fairly bitter aftertaste. Not too big on the carbonation. If you like some hops in your lager this is a cheap way to do it.

Apparently a Gordon Biersch product. Ohio state liquor board lists the Josephs Brau beers under GB. Reminds me of GB Golden Bock though scratchier.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 04:40:42 | More by mactrail

notchucknorris

California

3.45/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a golden honey color with a really thin cream colored head that disappears quickly.

S: Cereal malts, honey, faint hints of bread and the barest hint of grassy hops.

T: Very smooth bready malts upfront with a trace of grassy and resinous hops in the back. A faint but lingering hop bitterness on the finish. To be honest, this beer was close, but didn't quite have the style down. The malts are there but the hops don't shine enough to give it that refreshing bite that good czech pilsners have. Still not a bad beer though and maybe my favorite of the josephs brau offerings.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2011 04:54:00 | More by notchucknorris

ithacabaron

California

3.45/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a deep, darkened yellow. Almost no head at all, very little visible carbonation. If I didn't know any better, and I came into the room, I'd think there was a glass of apple juice on the table. Not impressed.

Smell is nice. Clean malt, with a smooth hop profile gliding over top. Doesn't particularly smell accurate to style -- more of a fait pale ale aroma -- but it's not bad all the same.

Taste is mild and unassuming, with a significant guava note on the palate. Sweet, and a little flabby. Again, way off style, but is not offensive in the least.

Mouthfeel is fine -- full and foamy. Again, not on style.

Overall . . . I don't know what to do with this beer. It's not a Czech Pilsner, by any stretch of the imagination. It's really more of an American Bitter -- a healthy dose of malt, a graceful and quiet hop profile, and unassuming enough to allow a few pints to end up in your glass.

Is it a great beer? No. Am I unhappy that I spent six dollars on the six pack? Nuh-uh. Will I buy another one? Nope.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 05:41:39 | More by ithacabaron

mpyle

Maryland

3.45/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Golden color, brilliantly clear. Big head with somewhat big bubbles (served it a bit warm)

Metallic macrolager aroma, and not much malt or hops.

Not sure if all malt, but tastes a bit adjuncty. Nicely balanced with a distinct hop bitterness late that carries into the finish. Overall taste is cleaner than anticipated based on aroma.

MF - Fairly light bodied, medium plus carbonation. No astringency or warming.

Slightly disappointing, as don't feel as though it is as good as some of the other Josephbrau offerings. But at $6/6pack, not a horrible value.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 00:28:25 | More by mpyle

nick76

Florida

3.43/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

The aroma is plain with just malt and grassy hops. The appearance is golden with an average head for the style. The taste is like the aroma with a noticeable bitterness but not bad at all. The palate is typical for the style. Overall a pretty good beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 06:34:51 | More by nick76

UCLABrewN84

California

3.3/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Best by 6/9/12.

Pours a clear gold with a 1 inch foamy white head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Thin foamy rings of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt/grain and some slight vegetal aromas. Taste is of malt/grain, grassy flavors, and an herbal hop finish. There is a mild bitterness on the palate after each sip. This beer has a light carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty average pilsner but nothing too offensive.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 01:37:55 | More by UCLABrewN84

JsDandy

3.28/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Serving type: 12 oz bottle poured into a Weizen glass.

Appearance: 1 1/2 fingers of head which quickly dissipated. However, a pleasing level of lacing. This beer pours a clear and dark yellow, nearly orange - the color of a ring of coffee left on a yellow legal pad.

Smell: present, but faint. For me, the smell of this beer does not contribute to the taste until a few sips have been taken.

Taste: like cereal lightly toasted; a mixture of essentially mellow flavors followed by a bright, oat-like aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: this is the Josephsbrau PLZNR's strongest characteristic. It is crisp, but not too crisp; walks right up to the line between crisp and sharp and then humbly rolls away, simmering smoothly for a moment before leaving a feeling of almost cleanliness.

Overall: this beer is nothing to brag about. It is not the beer I'd offer to my best friend or to my worst enemy. However, it is rather refreshing - it's a good beer for a cool evening during an early spring when you're sitting inside unwinding but still have a to-do list to conquer by the end of the night.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2012 02:02:03 | More by JsDandy

metter98

New York

3.26/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

A: The beer is crystal clear yellow in color and has a slight amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high off white head that died down, leaving some wispy lacing on the surface and a collar of large bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of bready malts with notes of floral and grassy hops are present in the nose.
T: The taste seems to have more flavors of grassy hops that linger through the finish and overshadow notes of bready and grainy malts. It has a light amount of bitterness.
M: It feels a little more than light-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is rather easy to drink. It would have been nicer if there were more malts in the taste to balance off some of the hops.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 17:55:13 | More by metter98

dpodratsky3

Georgia

3.24/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

12 oz bottle poured into pint glass

A: Pretty much no head what-so-ever, foams then turns to nothing immediately, color is like apple juice, bright gold, excellent clarity

S: Has that Euro-skunk going on, not quite green bottle levels, but definitely on purpose, biscuity malt with herbal hops, pretty mild overall

T: Again a little skunk hits you right away, mostly herbal hops though, spicy finish with a little sweetness as the hops fade, hop dominant though

M: Dry, light but not watery, a little too dry to be quenching though

O: Very mediocre, expected more even from Trader Joe's brand

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 00:51:31 | More by dpodratsky3

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.23/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a Celebrator pokal. Pours a light yellowish golden amber with a thin film of head that dissipates immediately to a ring around the glass. Mild aroma of bready malt and grassy hops. Flavor is mild biscuit malt with light lemon, finishing with a somewhat astringent dry grassy hops. Not a particularly pleasant flavor transition nor well balanced. Light bodied with good carbonation. Most the Joseph Brau beers have been uninspiring but pleasant to drink. This one is miss for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 00:37:10 | More by LiquidAmber

brewcore

South Carolina

3.15/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

A: Dark gold in color. Yields a beautiful two and a half finger creamy white head. Excellent lacing. Picturesque pils.

S: Light fragrance. Light malts and fruity alcohol.

T: Lots of malts create notes of caramel. Slight buttering hops.

M: Medium-heavy mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. Pretty rich for a pils and that takes away from the drinkability.

O: A good beer but there are better examples of Czech pils out there. Not a big fan of this beer but I would not turn others away from it.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 00:01:25 | More by brewcore

barczar

Kentucky

3.13/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a slightly hazy deep golden with a frothy half inch cream head that slowly dissipates, leaving sheets of lacing.

Biscuity, lightly toasted, sweet caramel malt and a hint of crackery pilsner malt and floral hops form the aroma.

Flavor is floral and fairly bitter. There's a touch of vegetal character. Toasted breadcrust and caramel malt form the backbone, but they're dominated by the floral and bittering hops.

Body is a touch light, with moderate carbonation and a fair amount if astringency.

Much more bitter than expected, and with more caramel malt character. There's a metallic flavor that emerges as it warms.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 23:02:03 | More by barczar

nickfl

Florida

3.1/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A - Pours with one finger of white foam on top of a clear, golden body. The head settles fairly rapidly and leaves only a trace of lace on the glass.

S - Grainy malt with some musty hops.

T - Dry, grainy malt with a bit of a sour hop note. There is some husky grain character in the middle and it finishes with moderate bitterness and more musty, sour hop character.

M - Medium body, moderate carbonation, and a dry finish.

D - Not really the best pilsner out there. The grain flavor is flat and a bit sour, totally lacking in pilsner malt depth. The hops have a significant presence, but they are almost more British than German in character and do nothing to help the already harsh malt character. Not one of my favorites.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2012 00:46:46 | More by nickfl

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.1/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

A: Pours a very lightly hazy medium to dark golden yellow in color with moderate to strong amounts of visible carbonation and some orange highlights. There are also some light amounts of dark yeast particles in suspension. The beer has a quarter finger tall white head that reduces to a thin film covering the majority of the surface of the beer and a slightly thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: There are moderate aromas of bready and grainy malts with light to moderate aromas of grassy hops.

T: Upfront there are light to moderate flavors of bready and grainy malts. The beer has moderate flavors of grassy hops that linger through the finish and contribute light amounts of bitterness.

M: Light to medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Light amounts of dryness in the finish.

O: This beer seems dark for the style, at least much darker than the majority of the others in the style I have tried. The beer is not bad but not great either - probably a decent choice when you factor in the price.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 17:53:23 | More by dbrauneis