Gordon Biersch Zwickel Bock - Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.35/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Poured two fingers of head on a hazy, medium straw colored body.
The aroma is grain and lemon. Faint but good.
The taste is clean, mild bitterness, lemon water with a medium finish.
A crisp and smooth texture with moderate carbonation and medium body.
A nice drinkable lager with a good flavor.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 04:50:14 | More by Fatehunter

TheSixthRing

California

3.98/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance - Pours a hazy, golden orange with an off-white, puffy 3 finger head. Good retention. The lacing is fair to spotty, with decent stick.

Smell - Aroma hits on notes of clean grain, fruity esters, mild lemon and hints of honey.

Taste - Starts with mild caramel, honey sweetness, and a nice, floral hop. Finishes with moderate grass bitterness and a touch of heat. Not much in the way of complexity, but it's a darn good flavor profile.

Mouthfeel - Light to medium bodied. Active carbonation tingles the lips and tongue. Goes down with a slightly buttery smoothness, then finishes with a nice crispness. Fantastic!

Overall - This is good. Really good! Right up there with some of the better Euro bocks, IMO. Nice flavor, but the body's what makes this beer truly enjoyable. Very lively. Paid 3 bucks for the 750ml bottle at Total Wine as part of their close-out deals, and it was definitely worth every penny.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 03:03:53 | More by TheSixthRing

mactrail

California

3.28/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Lovely packaging in the tall swing-top bottle. Very attractive pour in the tall Stella glass. Lots of foam and long-lasting lacing. Apleasant whiff of malt and honey.

The flavor is plain sweet malt with a sharp and dirty turn. Rather bitter finish with the sugar still on your lips. A nice spritzy mouthfeel. Tastes strong and winey like a cheap Chablis. Earthy hops give it the sweet and bitter flavor I'm not crazy about. I used to enjoy the GB blonde bock in years gone by, but I think it's surpassed even by Trader Joe's version.

An attractive 750 ml bottle and lovely to look at, but it seems like a pricey item at $9.49 for what would have been bottled in six packs as the usual bock. Brilliant marketing but of no interest otherwise. But hey, check out those suds! From Bine & Vine Bottle Shop in San Diego.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 04:34:01 | More by mactrail