For today’s Advent beer pick we come back out to the West Coast to find a brewery that hasn’t yet made an appearance on the Beer Advent Calendar until now: Gordon Biersch Brewing. With a focus on German-styled beers, Gordon Biersch was opened in 1988 in Palo Alto, California, and has since gone on to open a large number of brewery/restaurants all across the country.

Accordingly today’s pick is Gordon Biersch’s WinterBock, a malty 7.5% abv lager.

WinterBock is a strong, dark beer that was used by eleventh century Bavarian monks to help sustain themselves during winter fasts. These creamy bocks ensured that the monks would fast frequently. Gordon Biersch WinterBock is a classic dark double bock featuring 4 different types of malt: Munich malt, pilsner malt, dark roasted caramel malt, and black malt. This is a big beer with a lot of body, and is available seasonally from November through January.

Disregarding the, er, loose interpretation of Bock history, this is a hefty beer to help sustain you get through the chilly days of December, perhaps with a hot and hearty bowl of beef stew. Prost!

Untappd. Facebook. BeerAdvocate. RateBeer.