Born in 1988, the Gordon Biersch Brewery and Restaurant network were the children of Dan Gordon and Dean Biersch. The combination—Gordon the brewer and Biersch the restaurateur—proved to be exceptional and lasting.

They began their operations with a brewery restaurant in Palo Alto, and things sort of grew from there. In 1997 they opened a modern production brewery in San Jose.

By 2010 the restaurant group, now a totally separate company from the production brewery, had grown to 29 locations in 19 states. Each restaurant conducts its own on-site brewing and prepares their beer fresh from scratch using traditional Gordon Biersch recipes.

Back at the production brewery in San Jose, success surely hasn’t deterred the focus on producing superior craft beer. Dan Gordon, who was schooled in Germany in the classic Bavarian beer styles, still keeps his unsurpassed passion for German lagers and ales, He literally knocks them out every day in San Jose.

Drinking a bottle of Gordon Biersch Pilsner or Marzen, you could easily mistake it as coming from a boutique German lager house. The Gordon Biersch Hefeweizen announces its south German heritage with its banana-clove nose and soft yeasty taste. They drink easily, cleanly and are oh so food friendly.

So whether sampling bottled Gordon Biersch beers or trying them on tap at the San Francisco Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant, you will be tasting beers produced in adherence to the true German brewing standards, made with authentic brewing ingredients.

The Brews

Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants keep four or five full-time beers and one seasonal beer on tap at all times. They believe that focusing their production on only a few styles at a time allows them to better master the production techniques and nuances required to keep each beer style at the peak of perfection. New beer styles appear with the seasons, but you can pretty much count on all of them having German roots.

Some beers to look for

Golden Export – A smooth lighter-styled lager beer. Golden colored with a fresh hop and mild malt taste. Slightly bitter. ABV 5.0%

Czech Style Pilsner – A solid malt backbone and zippy  hop bitterness characterize this brew. Very clean and crisp. Aromatic. Has an affinity for food.  ABV 5.2%

Hefeweizen –  A true-to-style Bavarian wheat beer with yeast not filtered out. Highly effervescent. Hint of sweet banana, citrus and clove. Easy to love. ABV 5.5%

Marzen – A rich amber lager. Toasted biscuity malt flavor with caramel touches. Lingering malty finish backed with just enough bitterness. Pairs well with many foods. ABV 5.8%

SommerBrau – Made in the style of the Kolsch beers of Cologne, Germany. A breath of herbal bready aroma. A classy light-bodied beer with very refreshing bitterness. Finishes crisp and dry.  ABV 4.8%

Schwarzbier — A light-bodied, black beer with lots of dark roasted flavors. Dry and clean. ABV 4.3%