Chum
Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant

Picked up a 6 pack of this when it came out. Then a client brought me a 6 pack of it when it was over a year old. Thanks I guess? Anyways, only the first 6 pack will factor into this review.

Pours red, crimson like interior. 1/2" off white head. Bonus for being an awesome design to support the Sharks. Aroma had the usual toffee, caramel descriptors for a red ale. Light hopping, bittering. They brag in bold letters about dry hopping, but what there is isn't really much to brag about in terms of quality or quantity. Its not Altamont quality jams for a sports team, but it is still better than your average red ale methinks.

Malt holds down the fort the entire time. But it does have an amped up carbonation and enough bittering hops to make it interesting. Reminds me of a redwood forest a little bit. The alcohol is warming and not problematic in terms of being too hot.

 

 

A bit mass euro-feel, but otherwise a malty, hop balanced red ale that I think of as "friend" rather than "bait".

A) Clear, red honeyed body with a solid 1 finger off white head that lasts and laces.
S) Candy store, forest floor, summer porch.
T) Malt dominant, which works for red ale, but the dry hops are subdued. Apples, earth, caramel, sun-baked grass meld together in a friendly, easy, food savvy flavor that does not evolve or see saw much.
F) Nice bite, stickiness, creaminess that's expected in a great red ale.
O) A bit sweet, but true to style, almost Germanic. I'd try again. Perhaps GB's best along w their Marzen.

This dry hopped red ale pours a nice dark caramel hue with decent foam. A bit of a sticky caramel malt sweetness comes across on the nose, met by a cloyingly sweet body.

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance - Pours crystal clear and a brilliant amber red in color, with a sandstone colored, half finger head that dissipates rather quickly, leaving a mostly barren surface and a razor thin ring of suds along the edge.

Smell - Light aroma, more so malty than hoppy. Hints of caramel, bready, toffee. Hops come through with faint floral character.

Taste - Follows the nose to an extent. Maltiness that hits prominently with grainy bread character, with lesser toffee sweetness. Hops come through with pure floral flavor. Light, fruity esters add a hint of red apple and banana(!?). Light, sweet finish.

Mouthfeel - Light-to-medium in body with moderate, tingly carbonation. Slick texture makes this an easy drinker.

Overall - A red ale that drinks more akin to a euro red lager, IMO. Not unexpected from Gordon Biersch, though. It's a decent brew, but nothing I'd get again unless my options were severely limited which, in today's market, would probably take a severe catastrophe to happen. If I were a bigger Sharks fan, I 'd be slightly tee'd about this being the beer representing my team.

 

 

Poured into a tulip glass from a 355mL bottle.
Bottle Date: Sep 8, 2016
Pour Date: Oct 24, 2016

APPEARANCE
Red honey, full clarity. Head is 1/2 inch, pure white, reducing to just a thin halo around the glass with medium retention; inhomogenious lacing on the surface.

SMELL
Pear Jelly Bellies, applesauce, dry grass, woodlands

TASTE
Very malty, as expected from Gordon Biersch. The dry hopping doesn't show up in the taste so much, but really helps balance the maltiness. The taste does not evolve so much; the flavours are well-married.

FEEL
Perfectly efervescent, with a stickiness you would expect with the ABV. It's just the 'bite' you seek in the mouth feel.

OVERALL
The marketing may seem gimickey, but I will say that it's one of my favorite beers from Gordon Biersch. I give them huge credit for producing malty brews in the IPA-demanding state of California. This beer is just hoppy enough to accommodate that need, yet without abandoning their trademark taste. The bottle itself is very handsome, containting some true underdog pride.