308. Gordon Biersch, San Jose – Maïbock Draft

We got in to San Jose, California pretty late last night due to storms in Dallas, and now we’re headed back into it.  We’ve been in San Jose all day, and now our flight is delayed, as we’re going through Dallas on our way to Nashville.  It gave us some time to grab a bite to eat at the Gordon Biersch in the airport and have a couple beers  before eventually boarding our flight.

Location: On tap at Gordon Biersch in the San Jose, California airport.

Numbers: 7.3% ABV, 25 IBUs, 3.5% residual sugar, Hallertau aroma hops, Weihenstephan 34/70 yeast, 214 Calories

Appearance & Aroma: As expected, it was a very clear amber color.  There was almost no head on it, but it allowed me to pick up on the decent caramel, malty aroma.

Taste & Feel: It had a light body, and the carbonation made it fairly crisp.  There was a very good, clean caramel flavor in middle.  In the finish, the caramel maltiness came through even more, along with a dry hop bitterness.  The caramel flavors stuck around a bit in the aftertaste.

Food Pairing: The malty-caramel flavors went nicely with my burger, but they would probably go even better with a pulled pork sandwich or other BBQ.  The caramel flavors would be complementary, and the dry hop finish would give a little snap to the flavors.

Overall Impression: I thought this was a very clean, crisp, drinkable and refreshing beer.  The caramel flavors were prominent, but not overbearing.  I enjoyed the hop bitterness in the finish and the caramel flavors that stuck around.  Overall, it was a pretty good beer, especially nice for sitting at the airport and looking at the mountains in the background (we don’t have those in Illinois).

My Rating:

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