Ah, the elusive, mysterious Josephs Brau Brewing Company… really a front for some of the Trader Joe’s line of beers. I’m sure there’s more of a story there somewhere. But what’s more curious is the source of this particular beer, Josephs Brau Winterfest (a "double dark Bock"); apparently it’s too new to have shown up on the web anywhere yet. The usual sites still refer to it under it’s (older) nom-de-plume of "Trader Joe’s Winterfest," so that’s what I’ll point to.

I imagine they’re just trying to diversify their line a bit. It’s all good. This is a 7.5% Bock style of beer, at the unbeatable Trader Joe’s prices. The packaging has been updated from the images that are showing up on the review sites, too.

Appearance: Deep mahogany red, very clear. Thick tan head.

Smell: Malty, some molasses, dark but not burnt/roasted. Sense of alcohol. There’s something vegetable-y too; maybe the off-aroma of cooked corn.

Taste: Malty with some alcoholic bite. Black toast. Corn (creamed?). Mild hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Thin, light. Fairly smooth, but not the body you’d like to feel here (for a Bock).

Overall: It’s decent, but not great. Like with their Oktoberfest, though, you absolutely can’t beat the price, which makes it worth it.

The version of it that shows up on BeerAdvocate scores 82 out of 100, with 94% overall approval. On RateBeer it scores 3.19 out of 5 and is down in their 59th percentile.