Bringing citrus zing to a supposedly traditional Holiday ale, lemony grapefruit, orange and pineapple zesting gains sugary spiced pale malting (sweetened further by champagne yeast) to contrast grouty hop molding of sharp 8.4% ABV Imperial pilsner. Not sure specifically what it has got to do with holiday season though.
Updated version of brewer’s Pilzilla (circa 2017) relies more on earthen tea-like herbal musk than dry piney grapefruit sustenance. At the finish, grassy hop astringency upends tart lemongrass spurt (and subdued leafy foliage).
Transcendent 2015 spring seasonal brings expressive Citra hop ‘mantra’ to sweet Vienna-malted lager yeast. Bright yellow grapefruit, orange peel, pineapple, nectarine, tangerine and mango tang ascends above oily pine sap and fresh-cut grass. Brisk tropical fruited finish retains clean-watered crispness.
Sensationally sessionable sunny-yellowed German-styled pils plies mellow floral-spiced IPA fruiting to mineral-grained biscuit malt base and grassy dry hop resin. Lemony orange tartness and piney grapefruit bitterness blend well with honeyed herbal nuances. Minor alcohol astringency at finish provides sharp bite.
Emphatic Imperial Pilsner (with corn liquor-like 9.4% alcohol burn) upholds preponderance for sharp IPA fruiting. Wafting floral sweetness embraces assertive lemony orange-grapefruit tang and grassy hop bittering over honeyed cereal grain malting. A bold hop-head alternative.
Aggressive lemony grapefruit bittering and musty orange-rotted souring lead the way for well-balanced pilsner that compares favorably to Saranac’s White IPA. Tropical pineapple-mango-passionfruit stead increases fruity nature above grassy dry-hopped spicing and peppery earthen minerality. Floral-perfumed jasmine, lilac, rosebud, dandelion and lavender nuances flutter by.
Rustic German-styled pilsner brings musky grain minerality and mildly embittered Noble hop astringency to gentle citrus midst. Pungent vegetal herbage suits dewy peat-like malting but minor aspirin-chalked acridity may be drawback.
Sessionable Sorachi Ace-hopped Imperial Pilsner (an updated 2012 version of original top-fermented golden ale) plies sugary soda-fizzed citric spritz to candied pear-peach-pineapple fruiting, mild green-skinned grape Chardonnay wining and ginger-honeyed herbal nip. Grain-toasted crystal malting grounds detailed contour of heady bottom-fermented lager. Aspirin-like astringency negates perfection. Another exotically distinct offering from world class Japanese brewer.
On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, robust German-styled pilsner appears to be less brisk and more musty than fruitier Victory Prima Pils. Dank lemon-soured pungency soaks into grassy-hopped herbal peppering, grain-toasted Vienna malting and floral-dried honeyed peach tone to wheat cracker spine. A tinge of cilantro, lemongrass and basil found beneath gritty citric surface.
