Gruffmeister 8 - Foothills Brewing Company

tdm168

North Carolina

3.4/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Wine 101 in Wake Forest

A - dark copper; no head

S - alcohol, lager yeast, grains

T - alcohol, corn flakes, grains

M - Crisp, smooth, warm, medium bodied

This is a rather disappointing beer. The alcohol overpowered the other flavors. The warmth diminished most of the flavor and mouthfeel. And there was a very odd, grainy character throughout that I felt was out of place. Still it's Foothills and I'll try everything from them I can.

Serving type: on-tap

06-07-2012 17:45:52 | More by tdm168

avalon07

South Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a growler to a mug. Had a brown-yellow color and a completely clear consistency. there was a quarter inch of foamy head that quickly dissipated. Very little lacing.

S: A good aroma of malt, fruit, and an acidic quality.

T: Tasted of malt first and foremost, light fruit, and a bready, biscuity flavor. A fairly well-balanced flavor.

M: A high amount of carbonation with a super dry finish. Medium-bodied, with a nice bite.

D: A solid, drinkable maibock.

Serving type: growler

06-19-2010 14:20:14 | More by avalon07

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.08/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Served from tap into a standard pint. Poured a golden yellow with a minimal off-white head. There was no apparent lacing evident. The aroma was comprised of malt, fruit, and bread. The flavor was of malt, bananas, buiscuit, citrus, and alcohol. It was light on the palate with low carbonation. Overall this was not a bad brew. The flavor and aroma was of this one were quite complex and enjoyable. If you are a fan of this style of brew, you owe it to yourself to get your hands on it.

Serving type: on-tap

06-14-2010 17:18:06 | More by thagr81us

cdizinno

South Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Honey, golden color. Light, white head with little to no lacing.

S: Mostly malty aroma with a mild hop scent.

T&M: Crisp up front with fine carbonation that and a medium body. Definitely maltier than hoppy. The sweetness of the malts are balanced at first with the hops, but finishes with a sweeter, alcohol burn at the end.

Great beer, but not really aligned with the style due to the sweeter/maltier taste.

Serving type: on-tap

06-05-2010 16:56:56 | More by cdizinno

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.68/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed on 06/22/2009. I had this on draft. This beer pours a clear orange with a white head. The aroma is of wheat and sweet malt. The flavor is predominantly caramel malt with a sweet finish. Pretty decent and a refreshing beer. I thought this was a nice maibock.

Serving type: on-tap

07-14-2009 16:36:15 | More by LilBeerDoctor

Onenote81

North Carolina

3.48/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Had this on tap for lunch at the brewpub.

Came out a deep hazy goldish orange with about an inch's worth of white head on top. Retention was weak, but left some nice pretty lacing. Smells of grains, honey, and booze.

Mouthfeel was crisp and bubbly, but not overly so. Classic Foothills. This beer is hot! Huge alcohol presence that masks most all flavors. I'm getting some faint grainy biscuits, and a slight bitter finish, but this is all booze. The 8% is not hidden well. There's a drying sweetness that coats the mouth at the end as well. This is different and not what I expected. With such high alcohol, this is one and done for me.

Serving type: on-tap

06-12-2009 17:07:28 | More by Onenote81

rtratzlaff

North Carolina

3.03/5  rDev -19%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Ordered on draft on a whim.
Deep clear gold with a small white head.
Aromas are bready and sweet. I actually do pick up the strawberries in the nose as the website says. The taste is sweet bready goodness with some... nevermind ALOT of alcohol presence and enough hops to clean it up a bit.
I did not realize this was 8% when ordered and the first few sips forced me to look up the ABV. I was actually disappointed the abv was so high. I wanted another, but at that percentage I will have to wait for another day to have this one again.

Update, I won't order this again, as it warms the alcohol gets way to be way too much in a harsh way. Down this while its ice cold and call it a night.

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2009 18:46:34 | More by rtratzlaff

Strix

Wisconsin

3.68/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Clear golden with a thin head.

Smell not very strong, malty and a bit bready.

Taste has a certain complexity to it. Bread, honey, green apple, caramel, and a hoppy finish. Alcohol was not noticeable in the taste, I was shocked that this was 8%, but I guess that explains why I was feeling it towards the bottom of the pint.

Mouthfeel smooth and refreshing.

A good effort here from Foothills; I wasn't blown away, but it went very well with a burger.

Serving type: on-tap

07-17-2008 02:55:29 | More by Strix

drunkmonk

North Carolina

3.35/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Golden pour with nice fluffy head, gives way to thin wispy lace. Pear, green apple and some bubble gum aromas blend with caramel and toffe malts. All the same flavors along with some clove, bannana, and some spicy ethanol. A kiss of honey like flavor lingers on the finish. Hops riding way back, are there just to keep the sweet malts from becomming cloying. Some light ethanol warming felt in the throat by mid glass, other wise the 8% is fairly well integrated here. Mouthfeel is light, crisp and refreshing. This is nice easy drinker. Proceed with caution. Well done.

Serving type: growler

06-22-2008 02:19:10 | More by drunkmonk

ncvbc

North Carolina

3.83/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a golden orange with a medium cream white head and light lacing. Lots of carbonation. Smell is rather light but not offensive. Grains, light tart fruits, hint of earthy hops. The grainy, lager type scent was most apparent. Taste expands on the subtleties I found in the nose. Good fruit flavors with light tartness. A bready dough flavor soaked in toffee and a touch of caramel. Earthy hops and grain with little dryness. Nice mouthfeel, very silky smooth and almost creamy. Clean and a little crisp finish. Overall a pretty good drinker. It's tasty, just doesn't quite compare to the Smutty version I had a couple weeks ago.

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2008 05:25:38 | More by ncvbc

wcudwight

North Carolina

3.55/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on-tap at the brewery.
The color of a copper kettle with a thin head and little lacing. Nice coloration.
Had to sniff hard for the aroma. Mild fruity aromas but I couldn't find anything else.
Lot's more going on in the flavor. Golden Delicious apples. Yummmm!!!! Sweet and fruity. Alcohol kick in the end.
Very thin mouthfeel for an 8% beer. This makes the beer feel lighter and I swear I thought it was no more than 5%.
It's good. It's drinkable. It's also a style I'm not familiar with and probably don't fully appreciate.

Serving type: on-tap

02-03-2008 02:34:20 | More by wcudwight

atsprings

North Carolina

2.88/5  rDev -23%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

After a disappointing sample at the World Beer Fest in April, I hoped to opportunity to try this at Flying Saucer would be a better experience, I was wrong. The beer was served with no head whatsoever. It could have been Iced Tea for all I knew. The aroma was rather weak but present some malts. The taste was just off from what I've come to expect from the style and the alcohol only makes it harder to drink. This one was a huge disappointment and is a far cry from what I expect out of Foothills.

Serving type: on-tap

07-14-2007 21:14:13 | More by atsprings

kkipple

South Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Ahh, now this is more like it! I had this alongside the Foothills Hefe and this was the better of the two by a mile. Onwards to Beerdom!

Gruffmeister 8 ( ? ) is a clear, still, copper-rust orange beer with a tiny 2cm head that hugs the rim of my pint glass. The foam completely fades soon, leaving no barrier between the beer and my lips! Bwah-ha!

I stick my nose into the pint before I drink it. I get beer on my nose and wipe it off before our cute hippie waitress notices. But what I come away with is a sweet, biscuity aroma full of caramel and malt and a yeasty, medicinal, alcoholic tartness. Smells real young, like it just came from the fermenter. Maybe it did!

The flavor is classic: sweet rich bready malts, a slight citrus hop presence mingled with singed sugar and a grainy, earthy taste. I find it a bit hard to nail down, exactly, but I know I like this beer. If it's 8% you could've fooled me. It's clean, finishes bittersweet and fills you up. A real blue-collar, "I've been working in the potato fields since sunrise yesterday" sort of beer.

Now, most would agree that Rogue Dead Guy is the the reigning king of the Maibock style by virtue of sheer ubiquitousness. So the question is, is Gruffmeister better than Dead Guy? I'd have to do more tasting to be sure, but my first impression is: YES. And that's no small feat for an up-and-coming 3 year old brewery from North Carolina. Gruffmeister is a flavorful, rich beer and a superb example of the style which deserves a much wider following. Come to North Carolina and give it a try!

Serving type: on-tap

06-29-2007 03:23:47 | More by kkipple

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap at the Melllow Mushroom in Asheville over the weekend, the seasonal foothills still on tap there for Spring. Poured a deep dark amber, very clear with lots of streaming carbonation from the bottom of the glass, but no head. Slight amount of lace. Smell was very bready and grain like, with a hint of a slight bitterness, but definatly bread like. The flavor followed suit as it was highly malted and full of grain like flavors. Not much hops to balance, but ever so slightly dry finish. Kinda thin in feel, not enough carbonation to give it that silky smooth feel. Overall this was a decent offering from foothills, and an average representation of the style. The alcohol is very, I mean very well hidden, I could swear this was a 4% beer, was shocked to see it at 8% before my review. Overall definatly give this one a try if you can.

Serving type: on-tap

06-25-2007 00:12:51 | More by mikesgroove

brentk56

North Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Arrives at the table with a relatively clear honey colored body and a fluffy white head; good retention and lacing

Smell: Low grade but distinct malty aroma; a quick swirl brings out some hop aromas that quickly dissappear

Taste: Fruity and malty, with distinct biscuit and toffee flavors; a touch of balancing hops provides a crisp finish

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and well carbonated; some distinct warmth comes through after the swallow from the alcohol

Drinkability: Superbly refreshing and very well-balanced; one of the best craft brew takes on a Maibock that I have tasted; really hits the style and avoids some of the phenolic elements that have disappointed me about other craft brewed Maibocks

Serving type: on-tap

04-18-2006 11:24:18 | More by brentk56

beerinator

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Golden copper, very clear beer. Nice head on a three day old growler. Head retention is good.

Aroma: Yeasty and bready. Sweet aromatics that bring along a touch of fruityness. The alcohol is showing through just slightly.

Taste: Sweet malted caramel, mealy mouthfeel that is full on the palate. The fruit that I smelled is present in the taste as well, but only slightly. Slight hints of apple blends with the caramel for a quite pleasant flavor. The finish is slightly bitter from the hops and it finishes dry.

Notes: This is a solid drinkable beer that really shouldn't be consumed in sessions! The only giveaway for me that Gruffmeister was 8% abv (before I saw the official name, that is...) was the slight hints of alchol in the nose. Way too drinkable for 8%! Not that this is a bad thing.

Serving type: growler

04-14-2006 22:25:28 | More by beerinator

nickss

Texas

3.83/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The review that should put me over the edge and get me that empty mug beside my name =D
Only right that it should be a Foothills brew

Nice light brown hue in colour. Gorgeous 1/2" rocky head. Lots of sharp lacing.

Nice light malt aroma. A touch yeasty in the nose. While I certainly don't think the smell is off, it is certainly lacking in complexity.

Light malt, and a bit of a nutty taste. Crisp, yet rich. Once again, not so complex.

Creamy mouthfeel... crisp and thick at the same time. Nice.... very nice.

Extremely drinkable for an 8% brew. Thick and creamy, yet crisp and wonderful. Just don't think too deeply about it and you'll be quite content. Immensely quaffable.

Serving type: growler

04-06-2006 02:53:43 | More by nickss

Enola

North Carolina

3.1/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This beer was a slightly golden amber color. Not much smell. The taste was like a lightly hopped light beer. A little watery in the mouthfeel. The drinkability was the only high point for this beer. It was fairly smooth. I would drink it again but not if there was other choices.

Serving type: on-tap

03-26-2006 04:16:43 | More by Enola

SaCkErZ9

Florida

3.45/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a growler obtained last week into an imperial pint glass. Very small head turns into a collar. No lacing left.

Strange sort of rubber aroma wafts from the top of the glass into my nose. Earthy tones. Not much hop aroma. Not much else.

Taste is average. Nice hop bitterness. The hops come out pretty strong in the taste of this one.

Clean and crisp. Medium body. A nice beer. Maibock is a unique style that I really enjoy. This one is pretty good compared to others I have had but certainly not the best.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2006 00:33:34 | More by SaCkErZ9

oberon

North Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Nice to drink a good Mai Bock because they are so hard to find,poured a deep bronze with a small but swell sustained white head.Big alcoholic aromas with a apple cider touch,tangy and fruity.This is a true Mai bock by all sences malty fruit steeped in alcohol,sweet but not overly so very smooth going down.A spring bock on the sweeter side but the alcohol warmth comes in handy in nights like tonight in downtown W-S enjoyable and true to form.

Serving type: on-tap

03-18-2006 03:58:06 | More by oberon