Vienna Lager
Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant

 

 

 

I had this beer on-tap in a half-liter glass at the Seattle location.

Appearance: medium amber hue with a light cloudiness and a finger of creamy ivory foam. Not bad!

Smell: very light and bready. Not bad but not particularly interesting.

Taste: quite bready with a little bit of toast. Rather light in flavor, but it's refreshing.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a decent carbonation and creaminess.

Overall: a totally reasonable Vienna lager.

Offered up as a seasonal, it's what everybody was drinking... so why not me. The beer proves worthy of Vienna status, displaying a rich burgundy hue with a lightly tanned and stubborned head retention. Aromas of rich bread, caramelized malts and a good dose of earthy (Saaz) hops. The flavors begin sweetly of caramel and barley malts with a rich sweet, bready / yeasty flavor, soon overtaken by strong hop bitterness, grassiness, and spiciness. The body is rich and weighted without becomming heavy of cloying. A hop bit gains intensity into the finish and is the only deterant. The beer finishes with a lingering sweetness and breadiness and with the astringent hop bite.

Sampled on tap at the Las Vegas brewpub.

This lager poured a clear, red-amber color with tan foam that settled but left good lacing on the glass. The smell was sweet and malty with a bit of caramel. The taste was a little sweet: malt, some caramel, alcohol, and some bitter hops. The mouthfeel was smooth and almost creamy with medium-light body and moderate carbonation. The flavor lingered briefly. This was an OK Vienna lager, but as with most of their beers, a little thin.

This one pours a nice-looking reddish-orange with a foamy white head. The smell has notes of sweetness and a biscuit aroma with a nice dose of hops. The taste is sweet but not unpleasant or cloying. It went nicely with meat loaf and garlic mashed potatoes. This is the best-tasting beer I've had from GB so far. I only wish the Winter Bock had been available when I visited.