Originally brewed in collaboration with Italy’s Birra Del Borgo, this busy adjunct pilsner may seem pricey but it’s enticingly original. Immediate candi-sugared yellow-fruited impetus receives herbaceous floridity above grain-roasted spunk. Bitter grapefruit rind tartness lingers through resinous black-peppered juniper slipstream countering honey-glazed peach-nectarine-pineapple tang. Wafting dark floral seduction accentuates herbal fruit-spiced theme.
Pleasant pale straw moderate body tucks minimal cereal-grained malt sweetness and honeyed biscuit trace into bland sourdough retrenchment. Astringent dry-hopped lemony peach bitterness absorbs harmless cardboard-y shred to pungent finish. Reluctant green apple spicing suffocated.
Busy amber-hazed pils promises ‘enormous, almost reckless quantities of Hallertau hops.’ Pungently perfumed pine-resinous spruce tip frontage drops off as bitter juniper berry slope deepens lingering orange-grapefruit-peach tang. Tertiary pumpernickel, buttered popcorn, muted herb and evergreen illusions awaken citric notions.
A bold change of pace. Classic well-hopped bohemian-styled golden lager (listed as a pilsner) gathers rich dark chocolate malting reminiscent of a porter. Funky, but not displaced, grassy-hopped fruit-soured bitterness gains luster when given time to breathe. Brewery defunct: 2005.
Swanky East European-styled malt nose shouldn’t prohibit brewhounds of any stripe from consuming awesome lager-ale hybrid. Cascading eggshell head consumes velvety amber full body, maintaining silk-textured whipped cream froth from eclair entry to nutty bottom. Reminiscent of lighter, sweeter Guinness or premier black and tan, its deep-grained hop roast succinctly counters sugared vanilla malts and dark floral notion, picking up back-throated liquor sharpness. Canned version captures frothy mocha character well.
Perfumed floral-citrus aromatics, sharp nutty grain consistency, and extreme Noble-hopped pine-lacquered orange rind finish define excellent German-styled pilsner that’ll remind bitter hop-heads of a classic India Pale Ale. Gooey caramel malting sweetens syrupy peach-pear conflux, lemon-curried ambrosia tartness, and grapefruit-peeled apricot-tangerine regalia. Floral lavender-rosebud-sunflower wisp and dry grassy astringency complete world class pils.
Reprehensible pale-bodied malt-wafted dullard. Musty, dank, and soapy; strictly for Ukrainian proletariat. Akin to fictional corn-saturated Russian-styled Bud by its annoyingly cloy finish.
Bottled 3-21-06 and teasingly ‘brewed against better judgement,’ this busily majestic pilsner deserves highest praise. Heavily honeyed malts form sweet Scotch-whiskey base, picking up orange-bruised toasted almond snip while its lively Belgian-like yeast complexity scatters butterscotch-caramel niceties beside vegetal asparagus nook.
Busy full-bodied pils, version 2007 of suggestively named Golden Shower, retains honeyed malt heft and candi-sugared spicing countering white peppered grassy-hopped bittering. Lingered lemony grapefruit center skews melon-honeydew-cantaloupe-pineapple fruiting wallowing beneath peculiar herbal-potpourri acridity.
Inconsequential foamy-headed golden-cleared strong pilsner suffers from harshly skunked honeyed wheat malting and nasty metallic musk, lacking proper grassy hop bite. Peppy carbolic prickle nearly dissolves dissipating ultra-dry citric mustiness, rotting apple core and irritating cat urine finish. But ultimately, this drearily creamy spume recalls generic American malt liquors.
Malt-sugared Imperial pilsner-styled pale lager affirms up-front lager yeast pungency with sweet barley-wheat enticement, but lean hops need better bite at moderate sour-fruited finish. Perfect as mainstream fodder.
