Gordon Biersch Brewery is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 brewery

Brewery

A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....

 founded by Dan Gordon and Dean Biersch. Gordon, a graduate from the five-year brewing engineering program at Weihenstephan

Weihenstephan

Weihenstephan is a part of Freising north of Munich, Germany.Weihenstephan is known for:* the site of one of the three campuses of the Technische Universität München , namely the one for life sciences* the Fachhochschule Weihenstephan...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, and Biersch opened their first brewery restaurant in Palo Alto

Palo Alto, California

Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 in July 1988. In 1999, the restaurants were sold to what ultimately became CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries

CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries

CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries, Inc., is a multi-brand restaurant operator headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. The company owns several casual dining restaurant chains, most notably Old Chicago, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants, and Rock Bottom Restaurants Breweries...

.

In November 1995, the two founders and their original investors, wanting to expand their then $20-million business, accepted a $11.2 million investment from the Fertitta family of Las Vegas. Lorenzo Fertitta

Lorenzo Fertitta

Lorenzo Joseph Fertitta is an American businessman, casino executive, sports promoter and entrepreneur. Fertitta resides in Las Vegas with his wife Teresa and three children.- Education :...

, a 1991 graduate of the University of San Diego

University of San Diego

The University of San Diego is a Roman Catholic university in San Diego, California. USD offers more than sixty bachelor's, master’s, and doctoral programs...

, became the controlling owner. Gordon Biersch currently brews beer for Costco

Costco

Costco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world...

 and Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's is a privately held chain of specialty grocery stores headquartered in Monrovia, California. , Trader Joe's had a total of 365 stores. Approximately half of its stores are in California, with the heaviest concentration in Southern California, but the company also has locations in 30...

 under contract. The Gordon Biersch brewery and bottling plant is located in San Jose

San Jose, California

San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...

, California.

Styles of Beer

• Bock
  Bock
  Bock is a strong lager of German origin. Several substyles exist, including maibock or helles bock, a paler, more hopped version generally made for consumption at spring festivals; doppelbock, a stronger and maltier version; and eisbock, a much stronger version made by partially freezing the beer...
  
  : Blonde Bock, Maibock, Winterbock
• Hefeweizen
• Kolsch
  Kölsch
  Kölsch may refer to:*Kölsch , a beer speciality from Cologne, Germany*Kölsch language, a Ripuarian dialect spoken in Cologne*Historic Colognian, a predecessor of todays Kölsch language....
  
  : SommerBrau
• Marzen
• Pilsner: Czech Style Pilsner
• Seasonal: FestBier

All-American Awards

Gordon Biersch brands have won several American awards including the best American-style Bohemia

Bohemia

Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...

n-style pilsner

Pilsener

Pilsner is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from the city of Pilsen , Bohemia, in today's Czech Republic, where it has been developed since 1842, when a bottom-fermented beer was first produced. The original Pilsner Urquell beer is produced there today.-Origin:Until the mid-1840s, most ...

 with their Gordon Biersch American Lager. (Gold, 2004 and 2007 Great American Beer Festival

Great American Beer Festival

The Great American Beer Festival is a three-day annual event hosted by the Brewers Association, held in Denver, Colorado, in mid to late September or early October. This year, 2011, the festival runs from 29 September through 1 October. The GABF brings visitors from around the world to sample more...

). They won the Bronze at the WorldBeer Cup 2002 with their Gordon Biersch Vienna, VA in the category of Vienna-Style Lager. Gordon Biersch enjoyed quite a successful year, stealing home 6 medals, including 2 gold medals; one for their Schwarzbier in the Washington Times Style Schwarzbier category, and the other for their American Lager in the American-schtyle imitation category. Both of these beers were brewed at the Gordon Biersch Restaurant in Broomfield, Colorado. http://www.beertown.org/events/gabf/medals/medalists.aspx