Gordon Biersch Winter Bock - Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant

Phelps

Arizona

3.2/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Dark cranberry-purple, almost perfectly clear and topped with one finger of creamy tan foam. The bubbles recede pretty quickly, becoming a thin and silky top layer.

Smooth, sweet, bready aroma. A little cooking wort, some caramel, baking bread, the lightest touch of grape.

A nice hit of caramel in the flavor, met with sweet honey buns and another very subtle hint of dark fruits. Fairly bitter, roasty finish.

High carbonation breaks the brew into just a bit of fizz. Body is just a shade under medium, and alcohol is pretty much unnoticeable.

The flavor’s decent — nice bits of caramel and bread. Finishes clean and keeps the brew drinkable. As doppelbocks go, it’s not as intense as I’m used to or prefer, but I might pick this up occasionally were I at the brewpub in wintertime.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2012 04:49:22 | More by Phelps

chinchill

South Carolina

3.8/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle bottled on 26 Sept. 2012 and served in a snifter.
GB Winter Bock pours a dark mahogany color with a small but attractive tan head. The head has poor retention but there's decent lacing.
Smells like a mix of caramel, medium and dark malts with some sherry/alcohol overtones. Very good malt complexity.
Taste: follows nose, but tilts towards the darker malts and shows a moderate level of bittering hops after an initial moment of overly sweet ale. Exceptional and lasting aftertaste features caramel and dark malts with good sweet/bitter balance.

Medium-full body; creamy up front but a bit harsh in the alcohol-laden finish. Proper carbonation.

O: A relatively big dopplebock, in terms of flavor. Worthy of the Bavarian references.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 02:15:13 | More by chinchill

zimm421

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%

02-24-2013 23:44:03 | More by zimm421

henryhampton

South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%

02-14-2013 01:05:47 | More by henryhampton

powdersoldier

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +15.2%

02-05-2013 05:05:14 | More by powdersoldier

Tittles

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%

01-27-2013 18:50:17 | More by Tittles

HowlingTurkey

Louisiana

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%

01-24-2013 04:51:13 | More by HowlingTurkey

Treyliff

West Virginia

3.58/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- pours a clear dark copper color with some red hue, small white head that reduces to a thin layer on top, a bit of lace clings to the sides

S- sweet, bready and malty. Some winter spices, nutmeg, maybe some cinnamon

T- bready with a touch of sweet honey, some winter spice notes, possibly picking up some nutmeg on the taste as well. Mid palate provides some dark fruits, the finish is dry and slightly sweet

M- medium body and somewhat high carbonation, smooth and creamy mouthfeel, velvety finish

O- this one hides the alcohol quite well, but I was looking for more of a malt profile that is typical of a doppelbock. Overall pretty good though.

Serving type: on-tap

01-19-2013 04:39:00 | More by Treyliff

westcoastbeerlvr

California

2.5/5  rDev -32.2%

01-10-2013 18:00:17 | More by westcoastbeerlvr

dmorgan310

Panama

3.25/5  rDev -11.9%

01-10-2013 04:32:03 | More by dmorgan310

mactrail

California

3.03/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Lovely appearance in the glass with an attractive head and chestnut brown color. Well carbonated. Caramel smell.

Winey flavor with roasted grains and some malty sweetness. Date flavors. Kind of a burnt molasses taste in the back of the mouth. Not bad for a couple of sips but the dirty, scorched raising taste takes over and is pretty tough to swallow.

From the 12 oz bottle bought at Total Wine in Tucson.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 21:02:34 | More by mactrail

xgrimx

4/5  rDev +8.4%

01-07-2013 00:55:39 | More by xgrimx

Blueribbon666

Ohio

2.25/5  rDev -39%

01-05-2013 15:35:32 | More by Blueribbon666

pathead

Nevada

1.5/5  rDev -59.3%

01-02-2013 21:27:04 | More by pathead

drt72

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%

01-01-2013 13:08:55 | More by drt72

pirmannt1

Illinois

4/5  rDev +8.4%

12-27-2012 20:11:01 | More by pirmannt1

tbeq00

California

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%

12-19-2012 18:17:33 | More by tbeq00

Fossilhunter

California

3/5  rDev -18.7%

12-18-2012 04:41:03 | More by Fossilhunter

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.08/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

i have a confession to make. i am friends with the brewer at one location, and i got to try this before is was released to the public. it was about two weeks away from general tapping, but the beer was more than ready in the horizontal lagering tank in the cold room. he poured me a mug, and i had to drink it. the beer was sensational straight up. he was worried about the abv, and about the hops in the finish, thought a few more weeks would make it more acceptable to the masses, but i am not the masses. it was creamy and rich brown sugar in color, with a two inch khaki colored head that did not recede at all. the smell was cara-munich and cara-red malts, which affect the color as well as the nose, giving it a sweet doughnutty aroma. flavor is true to that at first, but a surprising hop kick comes in with a little wintery spice mix in the finish to crisp it up. this is what any winter lager should taste like. i hate to give this much props to a chain, but this is a brilliant holiday offering, better than most craft stuff on the market. the freshness of the hops might have made this for me, sort of english barleywiney in ways, but german malty. its special, and i hope its just as good in other mediums, but somehow i am doubting that it could be. for now though, suffice it to say that tis beer is a wonderful thing. heavy and light at the same time in feel, with a full body, sticky like honey, but like a memory foam pillow in the finish, in the sense that it fits your shape and rlaxes you slowly. this beer was top notch, and i wish that everyone could try it as i did tonight.

Serving type: on-tap

12-14-2012 05:14:36 | More by StonedTrippin

Dave_Treat

Virginia

2.75/5  rDev -25.5%

12-12-2012 23:40:39 | More by Dave_Treat

Sludgeman

District of Columbia

3.25/5  rDev -11.9%

12-09-2012 02:31:25 | More by Sludgeman

grubefresh

Arizona

4/5  rDev +8.4%

12-01-2012 21:12:51 | More by grubefresh

Hardcore

Hawaii

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%

11-28-2012 07:19:55 | More by Hardcore

jeanphony

New York

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%

11-24-2012 00:58:12 | More by jeanphony

SocalKicks

California

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%

11-19-2012 00:47:14 | More by SocalKicks