Finally made it back to where I got my complete arse whoopin, er Graduate education. We were recruiting at Georgia Tech, and one of the guys in the crew (Bud Light Lime Fan) notified the crew that I'm a Beer Connoisseur. I convince everyone to go to Gordon Biersch on Peachtree St. for our lunch. Eating on the company, gotta love it. The only other time I made it to GB was in New Orleans, and I only had their Marzen, as I was a stone's throw away from stumbling all over Market Street and being picked up for public drunkenness, also on the company.
So we hit GB and we're loving the decor and the food was just fine. We went ahead and got the sampler to see what's going on, and I'm still watching my Weight Watcher points (lost 13 lbs as of this post, hells yeah).
Gordon Biersch Sampler
Not a fan of doing samplers, as I like to see how the beer changes as it warms, but we don't have a GB in Houston, so we gotta roll with it.
Golden Export
Obviously something to introduce Bud and Miller drinkers to craft beer. Smart idea. Give them something lighter than a triple IPA to get them used to the idea of trying new beers. Lager smell and clear gold. It's kind of Budweisery, but a little more hoppy. Just what I expected. 2 star beer, by design I'm sure.
Hefeweizen
Yeasty smell (estery) and cloudy orange. It tastes fruity with light banana. Lower carbonation than most Hefs and very nice. Medium body and quick finish with low hops. 3 Star.
Berlinweisen
I don't even know if I'm spelling that right, and I'm having some trouble finding it on Beer Advocate. But the waiter said this was their seasonal. Clear, and kind of looks like tinged water. OMG hits you hard with the spice. A late shocker on spice and sourness. Can't believe I'm doing this, but this is 1 Star for me, a beer that could turn you off from beer. I typically have NO PROBLEM converting folks to craft beer, but my mentor also ordered this beer, and she will probably never touch beer again. The waiter did not care for it, but I don't know about this. A little warning would have been nice. I'll seek it out and try a couple more in this style, as I'm sure this is a style play. There was a time I couldn't stomach a pale ale. But dammit man, this ain't working. We lost a few folks on this one. 1 star.
Marzen
Had it in NO. On point.
Dunkles
Brown and kinda opaque. Chocolate and roasty caramel smell. Tastes roasted and buttery. Medium carbonation. Lite hops. Just not feeling it. 2-3 stars
Blonde Bock
Little malt smell. A clear beer that comes on malty and strong. Medium body and not bad. Bready and nice.
I did not order the Blonde Bock or Hefe as I had to watch the points, but I am disappointed with this adventure. With what I've had a BJs and Zea, I expected GB to be the King Ish. Of course
I'll try another location, probably New Orleans and report back in. But damn, this was not a nice
experience.
Best beer, the Hefe. Loved it, and I know the boys in the ATL would dig it. Especially with the popularity of the Sweetwater Hummer.
2. Blonde Bock
3. Marzen
1 comment:
The beer you hated was probably a Berliner Weisse. They're light wheat beers that are hella sour, and a bit of an acquired taste. I'm told that the Germans drink them with a shot of syrup to cut down the sourness.
Kinda strange that GB makes such an obscure style, and apparently not all that well.
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