Roggenbier
Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant

 

Pours a dark, barely translucent honey-golden-brown with a fairly thick and frothy white head. Aroma is strong, yeasty and malty with an undertone of what must be rye. Flavor is malty and yeasty with some of that rye flavor - not complex but still pleasing and enjoyable. Thick, tingly texture leaves behind a good fizzy feeling.

On-tap at the San Jose location. Review from notes.

Dark ruddy brown, with a small off white head that lasts for a few seconds before dying. Minimal lacing. Aromas of spicy rye, and a bit of background malt depth. Not much hops to speak of. Taste is similar a bit of the spicy rye in the foreground, witha decent biscuit malt backing and faint, faint, hop finish. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and almost too thick for the style. Drinkability is decent, but this one was too boring and one dimensional for my liking...

The last in the line of the 6x Sampler at the Rockville restaurant and the one placed on the paper mat over the "seasonal" label. The waiter described it as "an unfiltered rye beer." Having only tried a Roggenbier (a German import) once previously, I didn't quite know what to expect other than the sharp "tangy" flavor of the rye grain. The color in the glass left something to be desired--a kind of cloudy gray brown, with swirling sediment. Not really attractive to look at. The banana/clove hops came through immediately in the nose and, when tasted, that flavor jumps out and is enhanced, perhaps, by the sharpness of the malted rye. As GB beers go, this one is pretty complex. A lot going on. And, while not particularly my choice for session beer, definitely something worth trying. Unique, if nothing else.

Served in a 20 oz glass, the beer is a hazy opaque dark straw color. Decent head and lacing.

The nose is of grains, apples and rye bread.

The taste is of slightly toasted malts/rye and a bit of citrus that adds a nice counter point. This beer is brisk, refreshing, and pleasantly bitter.

Nice mouthfeel as the beer is slightly thick. Easy drinker, by far the best GB beer I have had at any of their locations. Well done!!