Gordon Biersch Brewing Company

This brewery hosts events regularly, and their beer is really good. I only tried two styles, both of which were solid. I attended their Oktoberfest, but I think the venue could use some improvements. First, it needs more shaded areas, especially for outdoor events. Also, considering the number of events they host, the bathrooms should be in better condition. Another thing to work on is the food variety. The event was advertised through Off the Grid, so I expected more food trucks, but that wasn’t the case. Despite these issues, I had a good time, and so did most people around me, though the main complaints were about the lack of shade and the state of the bathrooms. Hopefully, they’ll improve these things for future events.

Stupid company, your delivery trucks are always blocking the driveway and you take forever to open the gate.

Oktoberfest review: No shade, forced to buy their glass, expensive, dirty toilets, Jazz Band (at an Oktoberfest?), no NA-beer or sodas, limited food options.

USPS says they're sending a package, but I have not ordered anything. Concerned it's a brushing scam.

They don’t have ANY option but water for non-alcoholic drinks. No shadow and they force you to buy the glass for $25

USPS delivering a package from them that I DID NOT order. This place is a brushing scam!!

This brewing company location was super fun. This Thursday they had live music and many food trucks to choose from. It was outdoors and there were tons of big tables. They also had a good selection of beers and one gluten-free cider to choose from and the prices were very reasonable. Parking wasn't too bad and it's in a good location, Downtown San Jose. We only went at night time, but I imagine during the day it's cool too. Last call was at 9pm and even though we arrived late, we still had plenty of time to enjoy everything. I'm looking forward to visiting again.

This place is CLOSED to the public - they used to do tours and I suppose have a restaurant for dining, and it is incredibly difficult to locate this information from what is online. Their delivery dock even still outlines a visitor access point and Yelp and Google both list it as still open, as they must still brew and operate this location.

I've been to the particular night market, a handful of times, pre-pandemic and post-pandemic it's still a lot of fun! Every week they seem to get new/different food trucks, and the games and environment is always family friendly!! I also like the fact that they have a farmers market and this particular Sunday apparently I was mistaken, but I thought the farmers market went until 1 PM on Sundays, which I was glad they had a signed posting. It was from 9 AM through 12 PM. Oops! I'll catch them next Sunday! I also love the fact you can buy directly from Gordon Biersch and they give you a bit of a discount since you're buying it wholesale from them. Two for one! I get my groceries for the week and some beer to cool off the summer heat! Lol.

Came by this past weekend for the Sazon Latin Food Festival, the outdoor event held in the back of the building, a spacious setting with plenty of tables and seating, and food trucks and stands along the border, including of course a Gordon Biersch drink tent. I'm sure the setup is similar for the Gordon Biersch Night Market held on Thursday nights as well as other foodie events that take place here. I had the hazy IPA to go along with the empanadas I snacked on at this event. There was no wait, service was sufficient, and the beer was cold and satisfying, poured from a tap even though the "menu" had GB beer cans on display.

No matter where I am in the world... I'll always come back! I've been dining here since my childhood THE GARLIC FRIES and SHRIMP/LOBSTER TACOS (Yyyeesss) The service is always great (which makes you feel so good) And they have a live band sometimes as well (that's always a plus) I think I'm re-craving the food right now!

It's a brewery not a restaurant. It's listed as a restaurant at this location. Change that. It was a wait if time trying to walk around looking for "the" restaurant that was listed open for lunch.

GB makes the best beers in the area! I love this place. The actual site of the brewery makes such a good venue for the Thursday night markets during the summer season and the Japantown farmers market; both have Gordon biersch beer for sale of course! The price is great especially for the 24 pack sold at the farmers market. My only complaint is I wish they would reopen for tours and open a taproom on site! Looking forward to their Oktoberfest day!!

This place is amazing. especially for Sunday farmers market and Thursday night, night market. love the music, food and most importantly the beer. Where else have you ever seen pro lucidores wrestlers at a event at a brewery? One of a kind!!

This brewing company location was super fun. This Thursday they had live music and many food trucks to choose from. It was outdoors and there were tons of big tables. They also had a good selection of beers and one gluten-free cider to choose from and the prices were very reasonable. Parking wasn't too bad and it's in a good location, Downtown San Jose. We only went at night time, but I imagine during the day it's cool too. Last call was at 9pm and even though we arrived late, we still had plenty of time to enjoy everything. I'm looking forward to visiting again.

Took a tour of Gordon Biersch today with (Sirs) Our tour guide name was Scott, he did a fantastic job explaining the history of the business and how they make the beer. All the Gordon Biersch beer sold in the world is made right here in San Jose. They have a new beer that will only be sold in California made exclusively for the San Jose Sharks organization called Chum I tried it unfiltered and filtered and it is awesome. They will sell it only during the Shark Season. Oh and we all got a cool class to drink the beer out of.

Great brewery. Husband loves this place. Really great beer. We kept on meaning to do the tour and then the virus hit but he keeps talking about it. As soon as this is all over, this is the first place we're going to. Nothing like fresh, tasty beer!! Excellent!

Came here with my colleagues on last Tuesday morning for their Brewery Tour. The two gentlemen who helped and gave us the tour were extremely nice and friendly; they sure have the best knowledge about their beers and provided us very detail and informative history. The tour lasted about an hour; we had one bottle of beer and a pint at the tour, AND gave us a 6-pack to take home at the end (how awesome)! I was hoping to purchase some more but they said they don't sell them there. Overall experience was amazingly impressed; highly recommended for big group especially when someone coming to visit from out of town. You'll need to contact them to schedule the tour; minimum of 8 people and 25 max for one session.

I came here wednesday night with a friend of mine and requested to sit outside. Although no one was currently sitting outside and there is no one hosting/serving there, they were more than happy to change that for us. The beer selection was good. it had a little bit of everything for everyone; from sours, pilsner, ales to stout a little bit for everyone. I felt like the flight was more than worth it. The food selection were also a little bit of everything. we had the steamed mussels and the sausage sampler. The mussels were cooked perfectly in a spicy beer broth. it came with some grilled pretzel sticks and it was great for sopping up all that broth. The sausage plate we ordered had a few grilled skewers of sausages, warm cheeses and toasted bread. All of the food were super delicious. They were super attentive and nice to us. enjoying our beer, explaining out choices and just a really good atmosphere. I'll definitely be back. I want to check out their HH.

They are a classic name in the Bay Area known for brewing authentic German style craft beer. Their staple styles include unfiltered Pilsner, Märzen, Hefeweizen, and Blonde Bock. The restaurants may not be around in the Bay Area anymore, but you can still find their beer at grocery stores or at Dan Gordon's restaurant in Palo Alto. They have a pretty state of the art brewery in near downtown San Jose that's worth a visit too. In the trendy market of IPAs or bust, it's always refreshing to have some great, carefully crafted lagers.

I attended a Gordon Biersch Brewery tour with a bunch of UC Davis alum, and it was a fun time! We were able to learn all about the process of how they made their beer, which was really cool. They even offered us a bottle of beer to drink as we listened. I was very excited to try the Chum, which is the Sharks beer. Very delicious! As we walked to the area where they actually made the beer, we were given another pint of fresh beer. The beer was smooth and refreshing! Along with the two free beers during the tour, we were given pint glasses and a six pack to take home. Cheers!

Cute place for venue. Next to the old train tracks in San Jose. Area has changed a lot. Jazz festivals are held here in the evenings with food trucks. Casual but very charming atmosphere. Bring a hat, there's no shade here.

Kash led our group tour of this facility. Impressive history, delicious beer, and a wonderful way to spend an evening with friends. I enjoyed learning about the founders' vision and how the company partners with other entities to ensure their spent grain and yeast do not go to waste. A sustainable local brewery, nice! A few of us tried the Wildcide Wild Mule, which many of us agreed "tasted healthy," kind of to our initial dismay. Meaning, we were expecting more of a beer/alcohol taste. But, Wild Mule is amazingly refreshing with a delicious, not overwhelming, natural ginger tang. Not a fake, why did I pick this one, flavor. How do they get it to taste so fresh?! Watch it with this one, you might not taste the alcohol, but it's there and it could creep up on you. Looking forward to buying more GB in the future to support! You should sign up and take a tour. Cheers!

We are trying to figure out if location is open. It has a live Google page that say Dine in but can't confirm the brewery has food or any info. No hours listed and the phone number goes to voice-mail at every extension.

Did you know... Dan Gordon, the owner of Gordon Biersch invented garlic fries?! He was a guest speaker for my beer & brewing class a year ago in college (btw, best class ever!) and said so himself. So obviously, order the garlic fries here! My friends and I ordered plates after plates of them. Heh. I really like the Hefeweizen since it's lighter and has a sweet aftertaste. The mixed drinks here taste like freakin' juice/soda, it's amazing. And if you get these drinks during Happy Hour, it's amazing x 10. But seriously, get the fries. And Google "inventor of garlic fries" if you don't believe me.

Came here for a friend's Birthday on a Friday night, and it was a night to remember. The sampler comes with 6 different beers that they have on tap. The day I went in they didn't have their dark beer so they gave me 2 extras to make up for it, and boy did it make up for it! I would recommend the Märzen BBQ burger which is amazing with their world famous Garlic Fries! An appetizer you have to try here is the crispy crab risotto fritters! The filling was warm and full of flavor Service was perfect, our sever brought our food out very quickly and he was somehow able to split out complex bill out to 11 people. This place is a must try if you love beer and good food!

Let's be honest here. If this brewery keeps doing those free tours, they will get 5's every time. The only reason why anybody would give the brewery a lower score is if they got a DUI on the way home, or they're actually reviewing the restaurant. Fun Fact: The brewery has nothing to do with the restaurant and are actually separate entities. As long as you can get a group of 6 or more people, you can e-mail the brewery to set up a date for the tour. The tour itself is pretty awesome. You get to learn about the history of Gordon Biersch, how their beer is made, what an engineer's average day is like, and the best part of it all is you'll be sampling beer throughout the whole tour. The guide I had, Tanner, was pretty awesome and was very accepting of all the random questions I had. As far as the samples go, they're not samples. You get bottled beer and have a choice between their seasonal beer (I had the summer's SommerBrau), the Blonde Bock, and their Hef. My 2nd beer that day was their Hefeeizen and it actually pretty tasty. I swear there was a hint of bubble gum in there. I don't know. Upon learning about the brewing process we got to take a walk around the factory to learn about what was happening in every silo. By the time we got to learning about the filtering process, we actually got to try some beer unfiltered beer right off the tap. The cool part is if we wanted the glass full, the tour guide would do it. Not to mention we got to keep the pint glass, which is pretty cool. The filtered beer itself was a pilsner, and it had that nutty after taste I love. At the end of the tour we found ourselves in a freezer, wondering WTF. That's where we were handed a Marzen six pack. A SIX PACK. For free. This is why you see all of the sudden 5-star reviews. So in this 1-hour tour, I had two bottles of beer, a pint of unfiltered beer, a bottle opener, a recipe guide, and a six-pack of Marzen. This is totally inappropriate for Yelp... but I have to say it here. #winning I noticed that a lot of my fellow Yelpers here have done the tour more than once. I definitely see myself doing that. This was a graduation gift for my friend, and all of us found ourselves enjoying the experience... and beer. Tanner, you the man! This brewery should never change. EVER.

Came in with a group of 15 yesterday for a free brewery tour! Everything about this tour from start to finish was top notch. Booking a tour was easy via email. They do book up fast, so make sure you reserve a spot 6-8 weeks before your interested date! All needed information was included in the confirmation email. Upon arrival, we were readily let in the gate via phone & the call box. Once everyone arrived, Tanner, one of the head brew masters, came out right away to greet us & start the tour. He was informative, welcoming of questions, & humorous. We were walked through the beer making process, their brewery, & what makes GB unique. We were also generously offered full beers at several points during the tour, both in the bottle, & straight from the tank feed in our own commemorative glass we could take home. Everyone also was given a 6-pack from cold storage to take home. Our tour took about an hour and 45 minutes. Everyone in our group was impressed & had a great time coming out to sample and learn about a local San Jose business! Wonderful experience & community outreach on GB's part. I highly recommend!

This is my second time attending this FREE tour. It was as memorable and fun as the last time I went a few years ago. It was in honor of a friend's 30th birthday. Thank you to Tanner and Shayla for hosting us! They were very friendly and informative. First, you get a good lesson about the history of GB and the brewing process in the control room. While there, they offer everyone a bottled beer. Then, you walk around the facility and at one point, taste fresh, cold, unfiltered beer. The cool thing is you get to keep the glass and of course, it is very delicious and refreshing. Finally, you end up in the freezer section. While you are amazed by all the packaged beer, you are surprised with the news that everyone gets to take beer home! How amazing is that!?! I highly recommend this tour for any beer lover or for any celebration. I will definitely upload pix from this trip later.

Yes, please!!! Free group tour by appointment, drinking a beer or two or three along the 1+ hour extremely informative tour, plus you get to take a 6 pack home and your tasting glass. Are you kidding me? Amazing. Our tour guide, Tanner, was honest and chill. We got to try the Czech Pils fresh from the tap... delicious and better than the bottled version Tanner gave me along the tour. Highly recommended and very cool to have a brewery right in town.

I grew up in san jose and there is so much I haven't discovered and that includes this brewery. Not much of a beer snob, but when a friend invited me to a free beer tour in san jose I couldn't say no. Highs and no lows: -ample free parking spots nearby -Tanner was an awesome guide -drinking is encouraged during the tour -munched on the barley they use--tasted like crispy rice and I couldn't stop eating them -entertaining facts disclosed about the history -witness the pallets of great work being done -souvenir glass to keep on chugging -given a 6 pack to celebrate at home What I also learned is: Gordon Biersch comes from Dan Gordon and Dean Biersch.

Excellent tour and it was free! Very knowledgeable staff and we got to sample a couple of their beers. All other breweries have IPA's so it was refreshing to see one that maintains their tradition in German style brewing. Definitely recommend.

I just went back again recently. This time with the co-workers. It is great to plan these for big groups since it cost ZERO dollars! The co-workers had a blast and were talking about it the next day at school. They are thinking maybe next time a company trip?? :) Anyways, lucky us we got Tanner as our tour guide again! Unless he is the only tour guide then...its just normal...but STILL Tanner has not lost his touch! Created memorable moments for the whole group! Thank you!!! P.S. we still need to find out how to remove wrong posts... it is terrible that your 5 star-dom is being tarnished by people reviewing in the wrong place!

Got to go on a tour of the brewery - it's free which is always a plus! We didn't get the free sample at the end since the tour was part of the Kraftbrew fest, so I was a little bummed that we didn't get to sample what we had just learned about, but aside from that the tour was great!

My friends and I went to their 25th anniversary event and took the tour.It was real fun and we learned a lot about beer and the brewing process. We did taste some seasonal beers and we enjoyed the experience. + educational + fun + quick + beer fans Bottom line: Check this place out next time they hold an event for the public or go for a tour!

The Greatest brewery in the By Area! They sponsor local nonprofits in the Bay Area. Our experience was excellent and we thank them for sponsoring MS BACA. Their support generous donations enables us to give individuals living in the Bay Area a new road bike, helmet and other accessories to participate in a Bike MS ride. Thank you Gordon Biersch! MS BACA

This is the kind of company I feel good about supporting. They are very generous about donating and giving back to the community. Of course, they have delicious beer, yummy cider (WILDCIDE is my favorite), and awesome brewery tours, but their generosity is what makes me a dedicated fan. We hosted a social event to raise money for scholarships this weekend and it was an incredible success, due in large part to the donation of Gordon Biersch beer and WILDCIDE hard cider we received. We raised more money for scholarships this weekend than ever before -- it wasn't even close. We are very grateful for the generosity of Gordon Biersch Brewing Company. They are worthy of your support.

If you can find downtown parking,it's nice, if not.....it's still nice,you just may need to walk a bit.The vaulted ceiling and outdoor alley way is cozy.The service is fairly good......younger professional crowd during the weekdays.The location to most anything else you would want downtown is convenient and of course the beer selection of ales and mini brews via bartender suggestion will hit the beer taste bud pallet in a good way! I enjoyed and would recommend!

Great beer and generous donors! We are doing our first annual Tacos & Tunes fundraiser for South Bay Musical Theatre. Gordon Biersch Brewing Company was kind enough to make a generous donation to our event. (We couldn't very well serve tacos without beers!) I was always a fan of their beer, but I'm even more of a fan of the company now!

Gordon Biersch in San Jose gave soo generously to our nonprofit Launch Party, Heart For Youth USA, an organization that is dedicated to helping at-promise youth reach their full potential through thoughtful and ongoing adult mentor ship. GB donated cases of beer and made the process super easy. Everyone loved it at the event!! Thank you GB for giving back to your community and indirectly making difference in the lives of youth in our area. We need more companies like you!!

Funny thing is... Almost all of these reviews are 100% wrong. And that's a fact, because they are all reviewing the Gordon Biersch Restaurant in downtown SJ. If you look at the address of this listing, it's the actually Brewey, NOT the restaurant. There is no dining, no walk-in, no servers. It's just a straight up brewery with tours by reservation only. Thing is, I'd agree with the consensus, the restaurant is just okay. But this Brewery on Taylor and the tours they give?... 6/5 stars!! They give tours to folks as long as you can get together more than 6 people. AND it's FREE! It was, hand down, the best brewery tour I've ever taken. It was very detailed, led by one of the actual brew engineers, and free beer. We got a bottle beer to start off with, then we got to taste a full pint of winter bock straight from the fermenter (we also got to keep the class it was served in), then out guide sent us home with a six pack! Seriously... how can you not give this 5 stars?

I am huge beer fan and a huge beer nerd. Very very subpar beers that is pretty close to water. I would be okay otherwise and not complain too much about drinking a pretty mediocre beer, but why does it have to be sooo expensive? I've paid so much less for a tall glass of a delicious IPA or any other variety that is just not wheaty beers. The hoppiest beer they had was their pilsner which has saaz hops, but do not expect that hops taste. saaz is czech and is a very very mild hops, so you won't get that bitterness that I was looking for. Very appropriate for a czech pilsner, but definitely not my taste. I was thinking that this place would be a good place for people who are trying to get into beers, but I wouldn't go as far as saying that either. I think that it would have deter me from beers if I was introduced to this. i have certain qualities to look for when drinking beers, and maybe this place is just not my place.

I have been a few times with groups and they have a large broad spanning menu that has many american food options. The beers themselves have a german direction to them, but they always seem to be very carbonated. Over time I have seen a lack of attention to cleanliness both on the restaurant flooring and in the bathroom. They should keep up to date with cleaning.

Came here earlier this week for the free brewery tour. My GF organized this event. It seems like these fill up quick so you have to make a reservation 1-2 months in advance. We had a group of about 12 or so , and I think you can have as many as 20. How to find the loading dock: It's in the back, so go through the parking lot on the East Side of the building and drive through the 'Gordon Biersch' archway/gate, or go through the gate on the West side. It's a large brick building with a smoke stack, you can't miss it. We had the pleasure of having Tanner as our tour guide. As far as guides go this guy is definitely the perfect man for the job. He's friendly, funny and informative. The tour starts outside near the dock with a general overview of GB: origin, history, market, etc. We were then guided to what I refer to as the control room. It was in here that Tanner broke down the entire process, from the four ingredients all the way to bottling. We had tons of questions and he did a great job answering them all. Oh and I forgot to mention that the tasting starts right away here in the control room. You'll get 1-2 beers depending on how fast you drink, just don't chug on purpose, lol. The next part of the tour seemed more unique compared to other breweries, and it was where we got to go out amongst all the machinery. We didn't just walk through a roped off area, We were walking over hoses and under piping. We were in there! The 2nd tasting is from one of the fermenters, you get to try a beer 1 week into the fermentation process. They purposely don't schedule tours during the bottling or 'kegging' process because of how loud it is. So you wont get to see any of this. The tour concludes in the refrigerator where you get a good idea of just how much beer they ship daily! This is also the part of the tour where each person gets their own 6pack!! Overall this was an awesome tour!!! Tanner was great at explaining the brewing process and addressing our questions. He was also just really fun to listen to. Loved the in depth tour, the tastings, the 6 pack, and the complimentary tasting glass. Highly recommend this tour!!

Went here on a Friday night for some late-night food and beer. Had the chicken wings and sausage platter with garlic fries. Food was perfect! Our server even brought us different sauces for the chicken wings. The restaurant only gave parking validation for 2 hrs so beware of that.

I've been on this tour twice, and I loved it! Free beer and you get to learn about the process. The cool thing is that this brewery actually brews most or all of the gordon biersch beers out there. (Except for the restaurants, they brew their own) You get to learn a lot from the control room, and then tour the actual facility ANDDD you get to drink fresh fresh beer from the silo. It's unfiltered and taste amazing. the best tasting beer ever. I believe we had Marzen. You get to keep a cool glass and take home a six pack to party with your friends. This tour is definitely worth it. Everyone should do it! And did you know that Dan Gordon, the master brewer, works here!?

Been on this tour 4 times and I still learn something each time. Great for birthdays, special occasions or just to get your peeps together to hang out and have a good time for FREE!!! You must ask for Tanner cuz he's so dope! Why should you check it out? 1. You learn about how beer is made. 2. You get faded for free w/ your friends. 3. You get to taste the beer throughout the 1 hour tour. 4. You (and every1 else in the group) get to take home a 6 pack of beer!!!

We love being able to serve Gordon Biersch beers and WILDCIDE hard cider at our fundraising events for Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY). GB brews the best in the Bay Area and it gives just the right impression to our guests, showing them that we care about providing high-quality refreshments for them to enjoy. It also shows GB's community spirit!

I went on a tour of the Brewery with my running group. They start the tour with a choice of one their cold brews, mid-tour we were served with a glass of FRESH, cold glass of beer from the tap (You get the keep the glass) and the tour ends with a free six-pack FTW! Kash our tour guide was very informative and on top of that, he was funny! I would highly recommend this tour to any group. And the beer is real good too!

Had a delicious breakfast. VERY fast and friendly service.

GB has the best motto ever: "never trust a skinny brewer" My friends and I took the FREE tour of the brewery in Japantown and it was super AWESOME! This is NOT one of the restaurants but the facility where they bottle the beer. Any time you see bottled GB beer, it was bottled locally, right here in San Jose! You get to learn all about the history of GB, the beer-making process, and you get to sample beer...all for free - how can you resist? Tanner, one of the senior brewers (what a cool job title!), gave us the tour and he was great - friendly and very well-versed in all things beer. One of the coolest parts of the tour was going into the brewmaster's office because 1) it's like mission control with the computer equipment and 2) it has the "magic" fridge of beer (they will tell you what this is all about). The whole beer-making process seems very technical and science-y, which is very cool. And if that still doesn't convince you do to this, you get a free six-pack of GB beer to take home with you at the end! :D This is one of the best things you can do here in San Jose. You have to make a reservation/appointment to take a tour, check out their website for more information. And I just got to reiterate, this is NOT the restaurant in downtown. There are reviews here for the restaurant and people are talking about food and they're reviewing the wrong place. The restaurant is on San Fernando and this place is on Taylor. There's no way anyone could give the brewery and the tour anything less than five stars. :D PROST!!!

Responsive and fast service at our table of 7. Food was good. An overall go to place to get together with family and friends in a relaxed atmosphere.

We can not thank Gordon Biersch enough for their generosity! We held an event for San Francisco's Fleet Week and it was a huge success! Gordon Biersch donated a generous amount of their beer and WILDCIDE hard cider and all our guests were excited to see Gordon Biersch beverages being served. Thank you Gordon Biersch for supporting the efforts of the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association!

Fantastic beer from an incredibly generous company! I've always loved their beer, but it is their generosity that makes them one of a kind. My personal favorite is the Marzen, but you really can't go wrong. We recently hosted a fundraising event for Well Constructed (wellconstructed.org), a charity that provides clean water to communities in Ghana, and Gordon Biersch donated an ample supply of beer and WILDCIDE Hard Cider. The event was successful, much thanks to the generosity of Gordon Biersch. Thank you Gordon Biersch for making great beer and supporting Well Constructed's efforts to provide clean water to those in need!

Great place to go for appetizers/lunch/dinner/drinks! We got two tall beers for $6.00 during happy hour. Very positive vibes, bartenders are professional and well mannered. Casual or dressy!

This is excellent beer. Try the Chum red ale, the official beer of the San Jose Sharks. You won't be disappointed. Great flavor!

Gordon Biersch Brewery, its all about the marzen barbecue burger and garlic fries. Or the burger of the week, they both are usually pretty good! You get a lot of food for your money. On another note, feel free to park across the street in the parking lot or garage, they provide parking stamps and will pay for your parking! so why not walk around downtown too?