Josephs Brau Spring Prost
Trader Joe's Brewing Company

Josephs Brau Spring ProstJosephs Brau Spring Prost
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From:
Trader Joe's Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
Maibock
ABV:
7.3%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.61 | pDev: 12.74%
Reviews:
56
Ratings:
155
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 06, 2020
Added:
Mar 08, 2013
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  23
No description / notes.
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Ratings by mpyle:
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Reviewed by mpyle from Maryland

3.94/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
App - pale amber color, surprisingly dark for the style. Brilliant. Poured a modest white head with fairly poor retention.

Aroma - A nice noble hop aroma at the start, spicy but not overpowering. Some malt as well.

Taste - Nice hit of malt at the start, a reminder that this one is a bock. Malt quickly balanced by flavor and bitterness from the hops. Nice balance of malt and hops, with hops winning in the end.

MF - medium body and moderately high carbonation that is felt on the tongue. Some alcohol warming.

Overall a nice, big seasonal lager. Big malt, big hops. Criminally cheap at $6/six pack.
May 12, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.38 by drt72 from Virginia

Mar 06, 2020
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Reviewed by brewerburgundy from West Virginia

3.69/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12 oz bottle, wine glass, best before 8/11/19.

Much deeper in color than expected, copper tones akin to just Bock. Quickly dissolving pale fawn head.

Cracked grain, light caramel coated toasted seeds, leafy hops.

Savory caramel, toasted pumpernickel, peppery and oily noble hops. Really nice depth of flavor here.

Medium, slick body, a little chewy, low carbonation for a lager.

If you’re into Bocks, I’d recommend this as a more flavorful alternative to your mainstream Bock, eg Shiner or Wild Acre Billy Jenkins for Texans.
May 26, 2019
 
Rated: 3.54 by Jcarriglio from Florida

May 25, 2019
 
Rated: 2.56 by chiefz1 from New York

Apr 24, 2019
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Rated by Ceddd99 from Michigan

4.08/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I'm really surprised by how good this is and the value for the price. Taste like a heavier Oktoberfest with some noticeable hop presence.
Apr 13, 2019
 
Rated: 3.54 by Branlott42 from Missouri

Apr 06, 2019
Photo of defunksta
Reviewed by defunksta from Wisconsin

4.05/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Poured out of a bottle into a hefeweizen at 45 degrees,

Appearance: Pours a beautiful clear, dark, amber color with a minimal to moderate head.
Aroma: Strong aroma of pale and munich malts. Similar to a marzen or 'fest beer.
Flavor: Some floral piney noble hop bitterness is present. It is well balanced with a pale dough and white bread and honey biscuit malt flavor. No roastiness or toasted malts. Typical german hop and german malt profile that is well balanced. Hops are present, but sweet malt predominates.
Aftertaste/Feel: Body is medium. Drinks heavier than your typical german beer with a stronger and sweeter malt presence at the end to outweigh any hop presence.

Overall: This is an well-made maibock. Malts are stronger than the hops, so predominately sweet, pale, and light Munich malts. Drinks like a heavier festbier. Not roasty, but drinks sweet biscuity with the German expertise.
Mar 29, 2019
 
Rated: 3.54 by robotic_being from Illinois

Jul 14, 2018
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Reviewed by mushroomcloud from Texas

3.5/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12oz bottle Best Before 8-12-18.
Copper / red tint with great clarity and a 1" white head that retains at 1/4" and then finally to a cap. No lace.
Grainy and sweet malt. Caramel.
Malty, malty, malty. Sweet and caramel-y. Feed store grain. Some hop spice middle and thru the finish.
Full body, oily mouthfeel. Low to medium carbonation. A little hot @ 7.3%.
Decent, a value @ $6.49 and 7.3%.
Apr 29, 2018
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Rated by kenstogie from New York

3.06/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
it's drinkable and pretty cheap I'll give it a 3
Apr 06, 2018
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Reviewed by Lingenbrau from Oregon

3.6/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Seems a bit dark, at least compared to the Maibocks I've had in the past. The walnut body is capped by a barely off white foam that is unimpressive and doesn't leave much behind.

Mild dark fruit and cinnamon comprise the aroma for the most part, which lead into the flavor well, along with toasted white bread and a touch of floral spice on the end.

A good malty dominance leaves a sticky feel, and it is not quite as crisp as I'd like, but there is a pleasant Noble hop bitterness on the end.

Spring Prost is a decent Bock Bier, but it doesn't seem as inviting to the season as some of the more favored of the style. Can't beat the price though. Prost!
Mar 29, 2018
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Reviewed by BBThunderbolt from Kiribati

2.75/5  rDev -23.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
12oz bottle poured into 12oz goblet. Poured a clean, clear reddish-amber color that had less than a quarter-inch of off-white head, and had no retention or lacing.

The aroma was sticky-sweet, almost like malt extract for home brewing.

Not as sweet on the tongue, but still pretty sweet. No hops, very low grain, all malt syrup.

The body was on the fuller side, and had a (surprise!) sticky finish.

Drinkability was OK-ish. Overall, not a great example of the style, but, at $7/6pack, for 7%ABV beer, not a lot to bitch about. He, go ahead, throw a sixer in the cooler for an early spring cook-out. Or, don't. Either way works.
Mar 17, 2018
Photo of HalfFull
Reviewed by HalfFull from California

3.5/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured into a pint glass, the Spring Prost pours clear and deep copper to amber in color. Half inch of off white cap settles to a surface cap. Moderately rich malt notes on the nose yield a nutty sweetness to the aroma. Hop notes mingle after a swirl or fresh pour but don't match the malt contribution. Taste matches the pour with an oily sweet character, light caramel notes in the middle and a spicy finish. Sweet notes linger for a bit. Feel is spritzy to a degree, helping to mask the malt notes, which hide the ABV on the tongue. Overall fairly full bodied for the style and only having moderate complexity in flavor.
Mar 04, 2018
 
Rated: 3.69 by EdmundBlackadder from Ohio

Feb 25, 2018
 
Rated: 3.25 by Luiz0930 from California

Feb 20, 2018
Photo of GarrettB
Reviewed by GarrettB from Colorado

2.8/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
April 2nd, 2015 - It appears Trader Joe's has unveiled another rebranded beer in time for the Spring season. The Josephbrau Spring Prost has a beautifully vintage looking label, and the pour is clean and crisp, looking brown and malty, even in the low light of the evening. The aroma is singularly malty with some roasted peanuts in the nose providing a legume sweetness. But the flavor is excessively sweet and plain. Between cheek flexing sips of sugary sweetness I can catch glimpses of grassier notes, but these are pushed very, very far into the background. In spite of its beautiful packaging, the Spring Prost has an intensity of flavor that, I suspect, would make your average German beer quaffer wince.
Feb 16, 2018
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Reviewed by goodsuds from Missouri

3.71/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Overall a decent beer. Nothing off putting or unpleasant. I'd buy it again, especially for the price. The bitterness is more than I would expect from 26 IBU.
May 22, 2017
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Reviewed by BloodSoakedAleMug from New York

4.2/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Look: A translucent, dark orange color beer with a one finger, off white head of foam.

Aroma: Sweet notes of tart green apples, toasted bread, caramel candy, bubblegum and a little bit of barnyard funk.

Taste: It's fruity upfront with flavors of white grapes and green apple tarts. Midpalate you a kick of spice from the hops. The finish however, is nice and long with complex notes of toffee, honey, granola, toasted oats and caramel unfolding over time and it complements the beginning flavors perfectly.

Feel: For 7.3% ABV, the alcohol profile is well hidden, you would never be able to tell it's that high. The body is mid weight with moderate carbonation.

Overall: A nice springtime beer. It's wonderfully balanced and thirst quenching, with a bright, floral, spicy taste upfront, that ends on toasted notes of grains and rich, savory candy. A good beer to keep around for when the whether can't seem to make up it's mind, and temperatures rapidly shift from chilly and windy to uncomfortably warm on a moments notice.

At $6.99 a six pack (close to a $1.75 a bottle when you account for tax) it's a great value for what you're getting. I've had much lousier Maibocks at double the price from several different independent craft breweries. TJBC makes the ultimate bargain beers if you ask me.
May 06, 2017
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Reviewed by jkblr from Indiana

4.11/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
12 oz bottle BB 7/25/17 poured into a .3L krug at fridge temp 7.3% ABV 26 IBU. The beer is bright reddish copper is color with short lived khaki head. No lacing to speak of. Aroma is bready malt and a hint of spicy noble hops. Taste is semisweet bread, at first, with a drying spicy hop finish. The bitterness is equal to the malt resulting in a very nice balance. Mouthfeel is full, soft and well carbonated without any lingering sweetness or stickiness. Overall, very good, affordable and available. If you're a fan of Munich malts and Hallertau & Tettnang hops, gives this one a try.
Apr 21, 2017
Josephs Brau Spring Prost from Trader Joe's Brewing Company
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 155 ratings