Subsidiaries
4.5/10
—
Appearance 4
Aroma 6
Flavor 4
Texture 4
Overall 4
Bottle from, where else, Trader Joe’s. A pretty malty smell with a lacing of hop nose. Pours a touch light for an amber, thin temporary head. Some definite malt taste, but the hops I smelled are somewhat missing. Kind of phenolic. Of course for the price, it’s pretty good.
Tried
from Bottle
on 21 Apr 2006
at 21:50
6.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
12 oz. bottle from Trader Joe’s, Downers Grove. One of the "store brands" brewed for TJ’s by Goose, Schell’s etc. Pours a nice ruddy brown after a nice smell of English malts and hops. Decent tan head. Good drinkability Good caramel maltiness, done to a dry, nearly winy finish. Very likable. I would note that it ranks very much the same as Goose’s Kilgubbin Red.
Tried
from Bottle
on 29 Mar 2006
at 21:19
5.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5
Pretty typical from my experiences with Trader Joe beers. Pours pale golden-orange with a medium thick bone white head and decent lacing. The aroma is a little musty, with sweet malt and a bit of citrus. Medium-bodied and clean with sweet malt flavoring, as well as some citrus and hops in the background. Lingering spicy hops aftertaste keeps the malty flavor from becoming cloying, yet overall this brew is not quite balanced enough to be an enjoyable session beer. Just a little below average, but worth the roughly 83 cents per bottle.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Mar 2006
at 10:17
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Near black colour. Light aroma, kind of figgy, pruney, plummy. The flavour again has figgy notes and is mainly malty (dark but understated malts with the usual molasses, brown sugar type stuff, but quite mellow). Hint of alcohol late and a hint of the Unibroue yeast.
Tried
on 09 Mar 2006
at 00:22
8.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottled. Dark brown, clear. Sparkling berryish aroma. Medium sweet and medium bodied with lively, soft mouthfeel and notes of lingonberry. A light yeast character. Feels fresh and intriguingly flavourful. Unibroue-quality...
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Feb 2006
at 13:37
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle. Dark beer with a big beige head. Fruity (plum/date) aroma with sweet malt. Sweet malt flavor with caramel, fruit, and a nice yeasiy spiciness. Dry finish. Could use just a bit more depth.
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Dec 2005
at 12:45
6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 8
Overall 6
Bottled. U.S. Beer 28 of 31 for American Beer Month! Nice beery malt ’n’ hops smell when opened. Pours a civilized Vienna amber with a bubbly head. Taste is pretty clean, but perhaps a bit of phenol. Wish I knew whether Gordon Biersch used its own recipe, or did TJ’s ask for a few economy moves, like lighter malts or a quicker ferment. Make no mistake, it’s all right for a store brand beer; nice touch o’ caramel ond other toasty malts. Hop taste is pretty standard, but at least it’s there. And who knows, if one store chain tries to improve its private label drinkage, maybe others will, too.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Jul 2005
at 18:57
5.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
Bottled. U.S. Beer #18 of 31 for American Beer Month! Batch dated 3/14/05. Well, someone brings in one Trader Joe’s, and I think "Let’s see what else they’ve got." So this one pours a yellow body, tending toward gold, with a fluffy head and a big stream of bubbles. Basic "beer" smell with a slight bit of oxidation. Decent German hops are mostly for bitterness, with a scosh of aroma. Pretty decent for a store-brand beer. But no, I wouldn’t run out to get more.
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Jul 2005
at 10:01
6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6
Bottled. #10 of 31 U.S. beers in honor of American Beer Month! Foamy head sits atop a yellow body. There’s the usual big banana nose and taste. This does have a noticeable wheat component here, but this beer could do with a little more balance.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Jul 2005
at 08:37
5.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
Bottle. Very dark brown-mahogony with a thin light beige head. Light sweet malt aroma. Roasty flavor that’s not at all overpowering, along with some malt, caramel, and nuttiness. Very drinkable.
Tried
from Bottle
on 29 May 2005
at 11:53