Gordon Biersch Hefeweizen - Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant

kflorence

California

3.2/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Imported from my ratebeer.com profile - MAY 28, 2008

On tap at the brewpub.

Pours a nice cloudy orange color with particulates. Smells of citrus, wheat, yeast and candy. Flavor is tart and sweet, heavily dominated by an orange citrus flavor but also packing some wheat and spice in there. Finishes dry, tart and slightly bitter. Not my favorite hefe but it’s decent.

Serving type: on-tap

07-22-2011 05:56:46 | More by kflorence

BucannonXC5

California

2.15/5  rDev -41.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a tap into a hefeweizen glass. Poured a honeycomb flavor with about an inch of foam that stayed for awhile. Smelled sour with a touch of citrus and wheat. Highly carbonated for a hefeweizen. Had a caramel taste to it. Not that much of a taste compared to other hefeweizens.

Serving type: on-tap

07-17-2011 07:42:54 | More by BucannonXC5

drabmuh

Maryland

3.2/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to Huhzubendah for this rare tick. Reviewed from notes.

Beer is amber and hazy with a medium sized white head of small bubbles, some lacing moderate carbonation.

Aroma is wheaty with mild cloves and some banana.

Beer is medium to thin in body with a grainy finish, the whole thing finishes a little bitter with some acidity on the end, the forward is mildly sweet with some banana in there. nothing great here just an average hefeweizen, probably won't repeat unless it is free at a party.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2011 15:19:24 | More by drabmuh

yemenmocha

Arizona

4.13/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a darker shade of hazy golden compared to most other Hefe-Weizens. Plenty of creamy white head on top though. Lovely aromas of banana and clove, and this example seems to have more clove spice than most others. Palate offers a good balance of wheat & the signature banana/clove. Finishes somewhat clean. Very refreshing & drinkable. One of their best offerings.

Serving type: on-tap

06-17-2011 22:13:24 | More by yemenmocha

vfgccp

New York

4.03/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A – Not as opaque as a classic hefe, but still nice light brown gold. White head.

S – Huge, bright banana aroma up front – almost like melted banana runts. Wheat is layered beneath the esters with a twang of lemon.

T – Tingly honey into banana, orange and rosewater. The fruit subsides in the middle to reveal soft wheat a mild yeast. Lightly peppery backend.

M – Light body - shade thin. Well carbonated. Sweet and mildly spicy finish.

O – A nice hefe. Great nose.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2011 02:48:36 | More by vfgccp

bmwats

Louisiana

3.9/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Cloudy golden hue. 2 finger foamy white head. Big bubbles, too. Disintegrates slowly. Leaves a smattering of carbonation on the surface. Some nice spider web lacing remains.

S: Wheat, lots of yeast, and lemon citrus. Hints of indistinct sweetness, too.

T: Tastes like it smells. A nice twinge of sweetness accentuates a subtly yeasty wheat with just a touch of lemon.

M: Very light, crisp, and refreshing. Nothing harsh here. Great, soft finish.

D: Good clean drinking. Well-balanced.

Atmoshpere is really nice. Nice hue, great head, and a really nice balance of grains, citrus, and sweet. Flavor has a great clean well-blanced grainy nature, with sweet and lightly bitter accents. Overall, this is a great quaff.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2011 02:03:56 | More by bmwats

Chaney

District of Columbia

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had this one on tap over at the Tysons Corner location before going to see "Thor."

A: Mildly cloudy (but not too), one finger head that stayed afloat for a reasonable time before fading.

S: Lemon, banana, and clove. The clove was the clear winner!

T: All of the afore-mentioned ingredients seemed a tad watered-down, but still enjoyable.

M: Extremely carbonated.... maybe even too much even. Nice tempered sweetness and the spices gave the brew quite a kick overall.

O: Good, but not great. I'll still revisit this one during the heat of summer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-11-2011 12:09:50 | More by Chaney

HalfFull

California

3.65/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle served into a weizen glass. Pours cloudy and on the orangey side of things. Inch of white foam settles out in a couple minutes, holding a light cap. Seems a bit light in carbonation for the style.

Banana and orange on the nose with some wheat notes and a bit of spice. Void of any sourness. Flavor follows with citrus and banana, pleasant without too much sweetness. Creamy in feel as the carbonation is more evident there than on the pour. Spicy and bready on the close.

Seems a bit more balanced than their Trader Joe's version, guess they don't want to shoot themselves in the foot too much.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2011 01:07:25 | More by HalfFull

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to Huhzubendah for bringing this bottle over to share with the other Matt and myself. Amyliz4 said no thanks. Served in a Captain Lawrence tulip.

Pours a hazy, somewhat dark, yellow-gold with a nice white head. Really nice lacing. The nose has a pretty standard hefeweizen aroma, leaning more heavily toward the banana/bubblegum end of the spectrum than the clove, but pretty good. Bit too much breadiness, which really carried over into the flavor, where the malt tended to dominate the yeast. Medium body and a bit too heavy. Moderately too sweet. Decent enough, but not something I'd seek out.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2011 22:01:26 | More by Thorpe429

LittleDon

Texas

3.6/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

A pint at the Admirals Club in LAX.

Cloudy amber, decent head and lots of lace and carbonation. Aroma of strong bananas, mild cloves, and hints of sneaker (the rubber part). Strong carbonation front and middle, lots of bananas and a bit of spice. A bit of bitterness on the back. Not bad, perhaps a bit on the heavy handed side.

Serving type: on-tap

04-22-2011 22:03:28 | More by LittleDon

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.98/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The beer appears a hazy, dark yellow. The head is a couple inches thick, even with a careful pour. Retention lasts several minutes and leaves ample lacing on the glass. The aroma brings banana and clove - this smells like a Bavarian hefeweizen. Nice. The flavor brings all that one would expect from a hefe, with banana, clove, malt, wheat and a slight sweetness in the finish. The body is a bit thin, but I don't find this too distracting in the big picture. Highly drinkable and very tasty, this is a solid representation of German hefeweizen by an American brewery. It's not in the same company as Weihenstephaner, but satisfying nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2011 18:02:22 | More by Huhzubendah

jsprain1

Minnesota

3.1/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A- Pours a bright, yet hazy golden, with a one and a half finger white head that retains well and leaves one ring of lacing.
S- Wheat, slight banana, touch of clove.
T- In the flavor, there is much more bubble gum than there is banana. Clove flavor is noticable, but understated. A faint sourness to it as well.
M- Crisp, but I found it underweighted.
D- A mediocre hefe I feel. More spice flavor and more body would have done this beer well.

Serving type: on-tap

03-21-2011 16:12:03 | More by jsprain1

stckhndlr

Virginia

2.15/5  rDev -41.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Had this on tap at the restaurant in Virginia Beach, Virginia
(Review is from notes)

A- Cloudiness. Has the appearance and color of fresh pineapple juice. Decent lacing.

S- Smell of cloves with soft banana notes in the back.

T- Strong, strong clove taste. Reminds me of the clove packing they used on me when I got my wisdom teeth pulled. Very unpleasing. Not as much banana as I had hoped, kinda comes in late on the finish.

M- Thin with an over carbonation feel.

D- Not my thing.

Serving type: on-tap

03-14-2011 02:29:38 | More by stckhndlr

fsimcox

California

2.95/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a cloudy, golden straw color. Fluffy white foamy head that holds for some time. No lacing.

Smells of banana, and citrus. Hints of sweetness. But overall, weak.

Tastes of banana and a little fruity. Some sweet bubble-gum notes. Hints of a traditional German Hefe, but again, weak.

Mouthfeel is creamy upfront, smooth, with some carbonation in the finish. However, it is too watery, and thin.

OK, but not the best example of this style.

Serving type: on-tap

02-26-2011 16:57:40 | More by fsimcox

pixieskid

France

4.38/5  rDev +20%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

While I am typically incredibly particular when it comes to American brewed Hefeweizens, I must admit, this one caught me be surprise.

Poured into an Ayinger hefe glass, it looks and smells just as a solid hefe would.

Taste and mouthfeel are almost spot on with German brewed hefes: solid notes of bannana, bubblegum, citrus, and a hint of earthiness from the yeast.

Drinkability is increadibly high, I enjoyed it over and over again while watching Groundhog day last night.

At 6.50 a 6pack, I am cruising through these.

Oh and an incredibly legible bottle on date of just a month ago, I think that freshness is definitely helping it out!

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2011 20:42:46 | More by pixieskid

climax

Missouri

3.43/5  rDev -6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

This Hefe poured a pretty cloudy but not so completely cloudy amber. The head ws quick to form and quick to settle.

The aroma had more banana esters and coriander than I was expecting. The yeast/wheat flavors were hidden more towards the back.

Sweet caramel and a bit of tart flavor, perhaps it has sat too long at the liquor store.

The body is pretty robust, as a good hefe should be. The carbonation is crisp and the finish is long and chalky.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2010 20:33:17 | More by climax

sixerofelixir

Ohio

3.7/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle. Bottled on date clearly printed on bottom of back label.

Pours a completely hazed orange straw with an off-white head that soon recedes into a ring. Smell is a 50/50 blend of banana & bubble gum. clove notes hit on the first sip and dissolve slowly into a spicy, but sweet plum and gum finish. Quite a rich hefeweizen, but tasty. Glad to have sampled it - and the two surnames that make up the company name are pretty solid for the career they have chosen.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2010 04:51:01 | More by sixerofelixir

brewnickbrew

Ohio

4.35/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Cloudy, (the cloudier the better), Golden Straw-like appearance with a bright white foamy head. Just looking at it, it's thirst quenching. Thick, sticky lacing, long after it was gone.

S: Big Banana, and phenolic characteristics dominate, both balanced well, with the clove spiciness slightly behind them. The yeasty-wheat aroma's come through nicely. Hops were overpowered as they should be by the Banana and Clove.

T: This beer is super balanced with all it's attributes. Tastes of fresh yeasty bread. Fresh grain, but the yeasty-wheat borderline overpowering at times (Pungent). I attribute this to a change in my senses. Hop presence is right where it should be: in the background.

M: High carbonation, yet amazingly soft and smooth. It helps bring out those classic Hefe aromas.

D: This is one of those beers I sit back and look at deeply when drinking it. I'm simply amazed with this beer. Month after month, year after year, I try this Hefe, and consistently get the same beer.

I love the fact that the grain bill is balanced towards the wheat in fair amounts. I've seen some disappointing recipes with a 30-40% wheat balance. The GB is more in the range of 55% Wheat grist.
To me this is what a Hefeweizen should taste like.

It is the benchmark for all other Hefeweizens out there.

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2010 03:54:04 | More by brewnickbrew

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours an opaque honey orange color with a thin, white, creamy foam on top with tiny bubbles, carbonation is limited.

S - Bananas, cloves, lemons, honey, bready malt and mild coriander spicing.

T - Bready and chewy malt dominates throughout after the initial lemon zing on the front of the tongue. Assertive banana bread spicing, drops of honey, and spicing with some lemon pepper added in. The banana bread and lemon pepper spicing gives a hearty mouth coating at the very end with the hops being very distant.

M - Thick, chewy, bready, doughy, lip smacking sticky on the lips and a body that leans more on the heavier side of medium.

D - Runs very good. It's been awhile since I've had a good German style wheat and I'd say this is a pretty darn good version that's spot on for the style. This is a very filling beer and I felt like I've just ate an entire loaf of bread. Now if I can only roll myself out the door. "Taste great, more filling"!

Serving type: on-tap

08-06-2010 20:29:56 | More by jzeilinger

rtepiak

Poland

3.65/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a pretty stale herbal hef. with a rather strong banana clove in the nose but not a rotten quality. color is in moderate and not particular malt unique. quite dough and works out to be about as close to keller beer by sierra Nevada. not as thick though. would have to say that its a solid american hef.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2010 01:45:21 | More by rtepiak

jporf911

Virginia

2.1/5  rDev -42.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Poured from a 12oz bottle, no freshness date provided, but there is a Born On date.

Appearance- 3.5 out of 5. Very thickly-clouded, almost opaque orange with yellow around the edges. Pours with a decent one and a half-finger white head that dissipates fairly quickly and leaves a similarly decent bit of lacing around the sides and on top.

Smell- 2.5 out of 5. This beer smells odd. It has all of the typical Hefeweizen scents of banana, clove, and bubblegum, yet it also has an oddly sour note. This is my fourth bottle of this beer this year, so it's definitely not an isolated incident or a case of tainted beer.

Taste- 1.5 out of 5. That strangely sour note returns in the taste. It's almost as if someone squirted honey mustard into a sweaty jock-strap and let it stew in a hot locker room for a week. It really makes it difficult to enjoy the rest of the beer's flavors. Aside from that, there is a hint of sweet malt, fermented yeast, beer bread, and spicy rotten bananas. The hops are noticeably absent from the overall flavor profile.

Mouthfeel- 3.5 out of 5. Rather heavy for a Hefeweizen. Carbonation is noticeable but not strong.

Drinkability- 2 out of 5. This is the third time I've poured this beer down the drain. I'm a rather open-minded imbiber, but this beer is just terrible. Gordon Biersch needs to redesign the recipe for its Hefeweizen before I'll consider approaching it again.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2010 20:37:32 | More by jporf911

zeff80

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured a cloudy, straw-yellow color with a large, fluffy head of white. It left thin rings of lace.

S - It smelled of banana, clove, yeast and wheat. It had a fairly spicy nose.

T - It tasted of sweet wheat, banana and clove. It had muted spiciness.

M - It was crisp, sharp and had a dry finish. A light bodied ale that was very easy drinking.

D - This is a nice representation of the style. It really delivers on the aroma - like a true hefe.

Serving type: on-tap

07-15-2010 00:45:03 | More by zeff80

krausenman

North Carolina

3.3/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-The beer pours a hazy orange color. The beer was capped by a thick inch of foam.

S-Initially as the beer warmed there were banana aromas that were mixed with a background of bubblegum. The beer stabalized with a clove spicy aroma that was accompanied with a underpinning of ethanol.

T-It tasted spicy with a yeast wheat like dryness.

M-The beer has a light body that is lightened by the carbonation rate.

D-The beer is drinkable as a session beer with some highpoints to enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2010 01:13:52 | More by krausenman

pauljdavis

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is the first American brewed hefeweisse I have consumed that even comes close to competing with it's German forefathers. Well done!!

Looks like a real Hefeweisse.

Smells like a real Hefeweisse

Tastes like a real Hefeweisse.

Now will I be able to find this in my local beer store?

Serving type: on-tap

06-04-2010 20:46:55 | More by pauljdavis

Durge

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed on tap at the San Jose location with dinner, this brew was a completely cloudy iced tea color with a fair white head and no lacing. I can smell bubblegum wheat, pretty sturdy and standard faire. The flavor is very much the same, sweet with mild but full carbonation. Mid-body for the style with a pretty luscious feel. Very drinkable as you would expect. Solid but not particularly remarkable.

Serving type: on-tap

06-01-2010 01:27:58 | More by Durge