trader joes vienna lager

[studentofbeer]

another of the trader joes brand beers.

pours a nice clear copper color, with a short white head. smell is very sweet and malty, almost like an octoberfest.

taste is grainy with some sweet and slightly nutty toasted character. this is better than the bohemian, but still something is a little off tasting. it's just not clean, and the hop finish is flabby or something--not very well integrated and even a bit metallic. the finish is the least appealling part--dry and a bit astringent.

overall this is a drinkable brew, but again one i probably won't seek out again. and also, this is a style im not that familiar with but this is no great lakes elliot ness, which i enjoy very much.

[steveh]

Originally posted by studentofbeer
this is a style im not that familiar with...

Think of Vienna Lager as a sort of light-bodied, often softer, Oktoberfest Märzen.

Don't know what you're trying to describe in the hop character, but a Vienna should have a very low hop flavor and nose. On the other hand, an astringent flavor is way off. Sounds like the TJs stuff is getting a little better, but still lacking.

S.

[threecb]

Who brews these beers for them?

My local brewpub does job with a nice Vienna Lager once in a while. I'm a fan of the style.

[steveh]

Originally posted by threecb
Who brews these beers for them?

In his review of their Pils, Student said he had heard rumors Gordon Biersch may be contract brewing for TJs.

S.

[threecb]

Thanks, I must've missed that. 2 lagers? GB seems likely...

[MiScusi]

I just sampled this as well. Poured at just barely below room temp (didnt let it sit long enough in the freezer).

Copper/orange color as student said. Thick head upon pouring dissolved within a minute.
At first I did not enjoy it. However once I got half of it down, I really began to get a huge sweet aroma when I would smell it. Very sweet like candy. Although still warm, the last 1/2 tasted much smoother, very little hop presence, and a lingering sweet taste in the mouth. Now I'm gonna have to get another and get it nice and cold before I drink it:rolleyes:

Here's a picture I took of it
http://uploads.savefile.com/users/uploads/vienna_000.jpg

[steveh]

Originally posted by MiScusi
Now I'm gonna have to get another and get it nice and cold before I drink it

Don't get it too cold - you won't taste anything! 45°F is probably about right.

S.

[MiScusi]

I remember you telling me that the first day here and i've tried to follow that.... actually I have followed it. I wanted to get this one just a little chilled but apparently I didnt leave it in long enough at all.

Its funny though, me and my buddy go down to this happy hour at a local joint because macroswill pitchers are $4. He loves bud light (its weird though because he also has an appreciation for stuff a step up from Bud like Killian's, Stone etc, but the guy is obsessed with bud light). So we go down and get a pitcher- to me its very easy to drink but there's really no fun in it anymore because it doesn't taste like anything. But this place serves its bud light pitchers as a Bud Light Slushee. You seriously have to chew on the slushed ice sometimes. But I wouldn't want bud light any other way.

[hopjack13]

Originally posted by MiScusi
a step up from Bud like Killian's, Stone etc, but the guy is obsessed with bud light).

BLASPHEMY!!!!! How dare you put stone in the same category as killians!!!! how dare you say stone is just "a step up from bud"!!!!


SOMEBODY GET ME A ROPE!!!!!!:mad:

[MiScusi]

not trying to put them in the same category, just trying to remember some of the beer he will drink now and then, but still trying to say that they are both obviously above bud.

[hopjack13]

sorry, beer's always a touchy subject with me ;)

[MiScusi]

hehe, its cool, my screenname (italian) preceeds whatever I say in my posts. I couldn't even begin to rank breweries, although I'm getting a fairly good general view (BMC at the bottom and everything else above). When it gets a little more specific than that (like discerning the positions of those in the "everything else above") I wouldn't do too well at this time, although like I said, I am getting a feel for it.

[chazwicke]

Did anyone confirm who brews the TJ beers? Is it Gordon Biersch?

[steveh]

Originally posted by MiScusi
Its funny though, me and my buddy go down to this happy hour at a local joint because macroswill pitchers are $4.

See below.

S.

[MiScusi]

:D

[steveh]

I found myself in the neighborhood of the closest Trader Joe's and couldn't resist - and at $4.50 a six-pack, these brews are a steal. The Weizen was sold out and the Bohemian nearly so, but I opted for the Vienna and Bock.

Trader Joe's Brewing Co., (uh huh) San Jose, CA - 12 oz. bottle, 5.7% ABV. Label carries a "batch number" with a date - here's hoping that it's a bottling date, not a drink-by: 01.18.05.

Pours a clear gold-amber with a thick, eggshell-white head that holds up pretty well.

Mellow toasted malt nose with subtle hints of noble hops back. Mild DMS apparent.

Initial taste carries smooth, soft, toasted malt flavor with mildly bitter hops back. sweet, clean finish with a lingering, crisp, bitter hop aftertaste. None of the mettalic, astringent noted by Student.

Medium-light body (as opposed to just light, and not quite to medium) with a smooth, soft mouth-feel.

This brew tastes just as it should to style - a sort of Oktoberfest-Märzen light. Not as big in flavor or body, but sublime enough to please your palate. Because of its lighter body, the Vienna tends to balance more between hops and malts than an Oktoberfest, but not overpowering.

While the malt in this American brewed rendition isn't fully melanoidin-packed, it comes very close in its toasted flavor and soft sweetness - as Student said, slightly nutty.

Stude, I don't know if you had a batch past its prime, but I found this bottle to be very nice with no off flavors. I think I'll be finding my way to TJ's more often.

S.

[chazwicke]

I do not often visit my local TJs but this thread has peaked my curiosity.

[denver brewhoo]

per Ratebeer, it is indeed Gordon Biersch:

http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer/trader-joes-vienna-lager/43176/

interestingly those guys place it in the 48th percentile of all Vienna lagers, making it (at $4.50 per six, per somebody--steveh?--above) one of the screaming deals of the century. We don't have Trader Joe's around here though. And it's a pretty good sample size too.

[steveh]

Originally posted by denver brewhoo
interestingly those guys place it in the 48th percentile of all Vienna lagers,

The caveat being that there are only 11 Viennas in their listing...and a couple I don't agree with to style. Nonetheless, the TJ's is pretty good at that price (which I have to double-check to confirm - it's so low that I'm doubting myself now).

Why does RateBeer say GB is in New Orleans? Their micro is in San Jose, isn't it? That's what it say on the label, hmm.

S.

[studentofbeer]

think it's $4.99 a six. man, i don't know if i don't like the style, got a bad bottle or am just weird. i may try another single again at that price now that it has the steveh stamp of approval. i think maybe i should start with the classics of vienna lager (which are...?) before moving on to American interpretations.

[Robo]

The only variety available at our TJs is the Weizen (Bavarian style) at $5.49 a sixer. If I had one left, I would try to do tasting notes on it. It was nothing that would knock your socks off but did hit all the right notes for the style. When you factor in the price, it's a very attractive beer.

[studentofbeer]

Originally posted by Robo
The only variety available at our TJs is the Weizen (Bavarian style) at $5.49 a sixer. If I had one left, I would try to do tasting notes on it. It was nothing that would knock your socks off but did hit all the right notes for the style. When you factor in the price, it's a very attractive beer.

it was alright, but for $5.99 a six at my local TJs you can get Franziskaner, which i think tastes a lot better. Maybe nothing is wrong with these TJ brews, they just don't stand out to me.

[steveh]

Originally posted by studentofbeer
or am just weird.

Well, you know.... ;)

[i]i think maybe i should start with the classics of vienna lager (which are...?) before moving on to American interpretations. [/B]

Therein lies the rub... There are few true Vienna Lagers around these days. The ones still available in Austria aren't exported, and Grolsch's amber is supposedly a close style. Sam Adams actually had one out in the past that was pretty good, and Capital's Wisconsin Amber is supposed to be in style...Great Lakes Eliot Ness is too, though it's too strong and probably too hoppy to style

BJCP also lists Negra Modelo and Gösser Dark -- I think we've hashed over the Modelo in past threads.

I once made an Oktoberfest home-brew that turned out to be a very nice Vienna Amber! :-P But that's actually the case - a VA is sort of a lighter, softer, Oktoberfest-Märzen, which is what I thought the TJ's achieved well.

Stude, you ought to compare a TJ's Vienna to a GB Märzen - that's the one they make available year-round, right? Considering that I think they're one and the same, a comparison would be interesting...and we can't get GB products in Chi.

S.

$5.99 for Franzi? That ain't bad at all.

[chazwicke]

What about Dos Equis? I had an Eliot Ness last evening and it was superb. I have more.:D I'm working on an inventory of my beer stash right now. I'll post it when I'm done.

[steveh]

Yeah, I guess Dos Equis can fit the bill, maybe BJCP just likes Modela better?

And I didn't say the Ness wasn't good, just a little too far out there for the Vienna Amber style.

S.

[chazwicke]

I know you were'nt saying anything bad about Eliot Ness. I was just saying I had one last night and it was delightful. I think Vienna style is one of my favorite lager styles. I agree with your assessment of Oktoberfest maerzen soft or light.

[studentofbeer]

Originally posted by steveh


Stude, you ought to compare a TJ's Vienna to a GB Märzen - that's the one they make available year-round, right? Considering that I think they're one and the same, a comparison would be interesting...and we can't get GB products in Chi.

S.

$5.99 for Franzi? That ain't bad at all.

if i can hunt down a GB Maerzen I'll try the comparison-- I've had it at "beer on the beach" at school a few times and found it pleasant. So if they are the same or close, it would be interesting to compare.

and yeah, i love the franziskaner and spaten premium for $5.99 a six (and i can pull singles, so usually get 3 of each). i hope they don't cancel it or raise prices since they now sell their own hefe.

[Stodbrew]

You should be able to find the GB Marzen all over the city. Any Safeway will have it.

[steveh]

Originally posted by studentofbeer
love the franziskaner and spaten premium for $5.99 a six (and i can pull singles, so usually get 3 of each). i hope they don't cancel it or raise prices since they now sell their own hefe.

You know, since I pay $10.99 for a 12 of Spaten Premium at my local, I ought to see what they're charging for the Franzi.

I just enjoy picking up a .5L once in a while, not having a six to go through, but maybe as the weather evolves it might be a nice change.

And I thought the same as Stod about GB around SF, their neighborhood in a way.

S.

[TrojanAnteater]

remember also if you don't want to buy a whole 6er TJ's lets you buy singles. I think they price their TJ beers at 80 cents per 12oz.

[xtalman]

Had the GB Marzian recently and it is very similar the TJ's Vienna Lager. I didn't do a side by side but did find a similar flavor profile if memory servers.

[denver brewhoo]

Originally posted by steveh
The caveat being that there are only 11 Viennas in their listing...and a couple I don't agree with to style.
S.

steveh, are you referring to their "best viennas" to the right of the entry for trader joes? Because that's not the entire data base, which is here (76 viennas):

http://www.ratebeer.com/findbeer.asp

actually, this is every beer with Vienna in the name I think. But in any event, more than 11.

[steveh]

Just a little bump on this thread because I picked up some TJ's again last week and was sampling the Vienna.

At first I tasted it and was a little disappointed, I think I was expecting Oktoberfest (don't know why, says Vienna onna label don' it?). Anyway, that struck me -- it's a Vienna style, so I started to re-think the characteristics of the style and damned if it wasn't just about dead on.

So I was going to write a review, but did a quick search and...yeah, been there, done that:

Originally posted by lagerboy
I found myself in the neighborhood of the closest Trader Joe's and couldn't resist - and at $4.60* a six-pack, these brews are a steal.

Trader Joe's Brewing Co., San Jose, CA - 12 oz. bottle, 5.7% ABV.

Pours a clear gold-amber with a thick, eggshell-white head that holds up pretty well.

Mellow toasted malt nose with subtle hints of noble hops back. Mild DMS apparent.

Initial taste carries smooth, soft, toasted malt flavor with mildly bitter hops back. Sweet, clean finish with a lingering, crisp, bitter hop aftertaste.

Medium-light body (as opposed to just light, and not quite to medium) with a smooth, soft mouth-feel.

This brew tastes just as it should to style - a sort of Oktoberfest-Märzen light. Not as big in flavor or body, but sublime enough to please your palate. Because of its lighter body, the Vienna tends to balance more between hops and malts than an Oktoberfest, but not overpowering.

While the malt in this American brewed rendition isn't fully melanoidin-packed, it comes very close in its toasted flavor and soft sweetness - as Student said, slightly nutty.

'Nuff said, really great brew -- and I'm sorry I forgot how good it was, I nearly didn't grab a six pack.

S.