BREW REVIEW - Trader Joe's Parallel Tasting!

Let me start by saying, I'm a big fan of Trader Joe's. I don't very often (partially because there are about 15 grocery stores closer to my house) but every time I do go, I'm glad I'm made the trip. Their wide variety of healthy, fresh, wholesome food, priced reasonably, and presented thoughtfully, creates in an atmosphere that makes grocery shopping a real pleasure.

For booze hounds like myself, the icing on the grocery store cake is their large and diverse selection of beer and wine. In keeping with their 'affordable quality' theme they stock a huge selection of moderate to low priced wines, and downright inexpensive beers. In addition to beers from around the world they also pedal a few 'home brew's'. Yesterday I set out to take their brews for a go-around. Here's what I tried:

1. Bohemian Lager
2. Bavarian Style Hefeweizen
3. Vienna Style Lager
   
4. Hofbrau Bock

Now, with as much as I sing TJ's praises, I would like to clarify that I did not go into this tasting expecting greatness... I bought a TJ's mixed pack hoping for beers that were tasty, fun, well balanced and little more. What I got--with the exception of the Hofbrau Bock--was a 4 pack of disappointment. Allow me to elaborate...

I started with the lightest beer in the bunch, the Bohemian Lager. It tasted as if they took a 12 ounce beer bottle and filled it with 4 ounces of Budweizer, 4 ounces of a cheap Hefeweizen, and 4 ounces of Tempe's finest tap water. It showed a 'little' bit of barley, a 'little' bit of malt, and a 'very little' bit of wheat. The only flavor that came through with any umph was a dry, hefe-like, lemon zest.

From the Bohemian Lager I moved quickly on to the Bavarian style Hefeweizen. This beer was ahead of the lager by leaps and bounds. It was zesty, robust, and true to style. It was NOT, however, terribly impressive.

After the Hefeweizen I moved quickly on to the Vienna Style Lager. This beer was another fairly complete disappointment. It tasted watered down, slightly stale, and left an all around unmemorable impression on me.

The last beer I tried was their Hofbrau Bock. Now this beer had something... The color was a nice rich amber, the flavors were more pronounced than with the other beers. There were clear notes of caramel and malt. The yeast came through and there was balance between the sweetness of the sugars and the and bitterness of the hops. It even had aftertaste!
In retrospect I'm a little afraid that the only reason I was such a fan of the Bock is that I had it immediately after having three disappointing beers. I trust my initial analysis though and feel I can confidently recommend that next time your doing some shopping at TJs you pick yourself up a sixer-just don't go for the mixed pack.

By the numbers?

1. Bohemian Lager 2/10 [Flavor 2/10, Balance 3/10, Complexity 1/10]
2. Bavarian Style Hefeweizen 3/10 [Flavor 4/10, Balance 3/10, Complexity 2/10]
3. Vienna Style Lager 2/10 [Flavor 1/10, Balance 3/10, Complexity 2/10]
4. Hofbrau Bock 5/10 [Flavor 5/10, Balance 6/10, Complexity 4/10]

-Prost!
D.Lux