If this near oppressive heat wasn’t obvious enough, then the launch of Gordon Biersch Sommerbrau should be a strong clue that summer has arrived. When translated, Sommerbrau essentially means “summer brew”. The beer is a kölsch; an ale equivalent of a pilsner, and is named from its city of origin, Cologne (Köln), Germany.
The Gordon Biersch brew pubs have their tapping events about once a quarter with each one highlighting the seasonal beer du jour. The also debuted a new carribean themed menu featuring many island-inspired dishes. As usual, the San Jose Gordon Biersch held their tapping events in the wonderful patio area to take full advantage of the awesome weather.
Working the taps that night was San Jose Gordon Biersch brewmaster Dan Satterthwaite. Missing in action was his assistant brewer, Matt. As usual, Jazz Unlimited were up on stage playing a variety of jazz tunes and jazz-inspired covers. Appetizers were being brought around by the staff and everyone seemed to be having a good time.
Sommerbrau, 4.5% ABV
Sommerbrau poured out a brilliantly clear gold color with a white head. The aroma was subtle: a little bit of pilsner sweetness, light fruit notes and noble hop aromas. The flavor mimics the aroma: light sweetness followed up by a lo/medium-low hop bitterness with equal noble hop flavor and shadows of fruit character. This is a medium-low bodied beer with high carbonation and a moderately dry finish.
I’m not normally one for light beers but when drinking seasonally, the lighter lagers and ales, such as Sommerbrau, really hit the spot. To top things off, this beer is only 4.5% ABV so that you can really session this beer. I had 2 glasses and felt great. Unfortunately for Mrs. BetterBeerBlog and I, we arrived late and all of the commemorative glasses were out. Dan said they ordered over 200 of them but when you have nearly 4 times that many people at the restaurant at one time drinking this beer, you’re going to run out of glasses. Traditionally served in a tall, narrow, 200 mL glass called a Stange, I can’t help but feel a little jealous of all the folks that did have the proper glassware. I suppose this will teach me to put work before beer.
The Gordon Biersch Sommerbrau Tapping Party ended up being a blast. As usual, we had a lot of fun hanging out with our friends, enjoying the music and drinking good beer. I look forward to the next event.
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