Nimbus A-1 Pilsner
Nimbus Brewing Company

Nimbus A-1 PilsnerNimbus A-1 Pilsner
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From:
Nimbus Brewing Company
 
Arizona, United States
Style:
American Lager
ABV:
4.2%
Score:
80
Avg:
3.35 | pDev: 21.19%
Reviews:
18
Ratings:
25
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 28, 2014
Added:
Sep 20, 2010
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  3
The historical A-1 brand has returned. During the 1940s and '50s, Arizona Brewing Company's A-1 beer was the most popular brew in the Grand Canyon State. Today's revival is more of an European-style pilsner.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by ebrauser:
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Rated by ebrauser from Utah

3.75/5  rDev +11.9%

May 01, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3 by Lobina from Arizona

Nov 28, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by kgrichards from Texas

Mar 30, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Bobhoya from Arizona

Feb 27, 2014
Photo of AzImbiber
Reviewed by AzImbiber

4.47/5  rDev +33.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A-1 was an AZ/SW staple in the 50's/60's...cheap and easy and similar to what Old Style and Schlitz means to the Midwest. I believe it went out of business in the mid-70's.

Nimbus revived A-1 in Tucson recently. I dislike ale by nature so I stay away from all the Indy Ale Companies like the plague. I've been drinking beer for a long time, and I defy any reader of this review to name an Indy Ale Brewery that doesn't treat lager or pilsner like an afterthought or a red-headed stepchild...

But Nimbus gave this a lot of thought and their A1 is top-notch. It's gorgeous and honey colored, but most of all, it's replicated as a malty, grainy pilsner. It's a throwback beer to when Macro-beer tasted like Micro-beer.

It's light and crisp. On the tongue is a tight malt and hop taste, not gratuitous, and not corny and chemically either. The quality of ingredients is readily apparent. Finishes slow, but apparent. The particular grains are fresh. It's hard in words to describe a quality and tasty swallow in terms of brilliance.

Nothing cute is going on here (fruits, sugars), it's just a straightforward tasty beer. It costs too much or I'd make this my daily drinker in a flash. But I think this is one of the most enjoyable (non-ale) beers on the market. I really hope this beer gets a following so the price goes down.
Feb 12, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by t0rin0 from California

Nov 25, 2012
 
Rated: 3.25 by Peller80

Aug 05, 2012
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Reviewed by Dave1999 from North Carolina

4.2/5  rDev +25.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This beer poured a transpant amber with a white foamy head.

The smell was really nice, fresh cut grass,earth,honey, lemon
biscuit and even some dark fruits.

The taste had all the same aspects of the smell, quite complex and tasty.

The mouth feel was medium bodied with medium carbonation.

I wasn't expecting much from this beer but was pleasently surprised as pilsners are a style often done poorly. Sounds like the brewery has changed the recipe as most of the other reviews sound like a different beer.
Jul 26, 2012
 
Rated: 2.5 by JasonB

May 02, 2012
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Reviewed by Wowcoolman from California

4/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The beer I experienced seems different from the one described in the reviews below. Was the recipe changed? Pours a light amber with half inch head. Some lacing. Smell is biscuit dough and honey with some fruity esters. Taste has more malt presence than what I associate with the style, balanced with sweet orange citrus. Finishes smooth and sweet. Very pleasant and enjoyable. Very full mouthfeel for a beer in this weight class. I'd say this is an A-1 product by Nimbus and would go well with session drinking, Mexican food, and whatever other beer activities they do in the Grand Canyon State. I would certainly like to try again.
Jan 29, 2012
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Reviewed by drabmuh from Maryland

3.03/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Random bottle gift from my mother, thanks! Served in a DFH signature glass. Beer is yellow and clear with a white head of medium and big bubbles, no lacing, low retention, moderate to strong carbonation. Looks fine.

Aroma is slightly sweet, slightly vegetal. Interesting but not inviting.

Beer is corny on the back end, mildly dry, sweet up front, not a great pilsner, a pretty big disappointment from Nimbus here, a brewery I generally like but not this particular beer. Not a repeat for me.
Nov 04, 2011
Photo of ccrida
Reviewed by ccrida from Oregon

3.15/5  rDev -6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured into a tall tumbler, A-1 Pilsner is a hazy dull gold with a small white collar.

Smell is sweet, cereals, a little corny, some herbal hops.

Taste is also sweet, corn pops, but not thick or heavy in the mouthfeel, which is dry, light. Simple and quaffable.

Drinkability is okay, it's a strait-forward lager, a little sweet, nothing special.
Sep 23, 2011
Photo of BeerAmbassador
Reviewed by BeerAmbassador from Arizona

1.88/5  rDev -43.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Pale yellow in color, clear with a slight head. Large looking carbonation, but a bit of lacing is left on the glass. Aromas of corn and lightly toasted grain on the nose. Not much in the way of hops. Similar flavor, but I get a bit of buttery diacytel. Also the first few sips had some kind metallic aftertaste. It seemed to go away after a while, but still not desirable. Not to add to the pileup, but this beer didn't have any of the hop characteristics of a Pilsner, more like a blonde ale. Mouthfeel was alright. Definitely won't be coming back to this one.
Jul 09, 2011
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Reviewed by kawilliams81 from Illinois

2.68/5  rDev -20%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5
Served in a pint glass.

A- very cloudy for a pilsner, must be unfiltered. Decent foam head for a lighter beer.

S- Not a lot there. Some sweet malts. No hops that I detect.

T- Not bad for a pilsner. Get some sweet malts with a very light hop balance.

M- Thin to medium. Some creaminess to it.

O- Would not drink this usually if I had almost any other option, but I didn't hate it.
Jun 02, 2011
Photo of trappistlover
Reviewed by trappistlover from Arizona

2.26/5  rDev -32.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
(12oz bottle from Total Wine Desert Ridge). Pours clear golden color with white head. Light carbonation. Aroma smells like super sweet canned corn. Oh my God! It smells wretched! Taste is sweet with more corn and some grass. There is a slight hop bite at the end. Thin bodied with an oily, slick texture. Ughhh. This is terrible.
Apr 30, 2011
Photo of Nerudamann
Reviewed by Nerudamann from Oregon

3.55/5  rDev +6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a bottle into a pilsener glass.

Look - pale golden color with about 1.5, almost 2 fingers of very close to white colored foam that dissipates slowly.

Smell - sweet, malty, roasted qualities. Doesn't smell much like a pilsener, thus giving it the pale lager description here in BA.

Taste and Mouthfeel - malty and roasted quality in the beginning and middle. Roasted quality is mild, however. Little transition in the finish, just a fade of the initial tastes. Texture is pretty well-balanced and smooth.

Overall - not a bad tasting brew at all, and mildly interesting in taste, but otherwise not very intriguing. Still tastes good though.
Apr 25, 2011
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Reviewed by HoppyToad from Arizona

3/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Picked up a case at Costco, after talking my dad into splitting it with me. He's into old-school lagers. Doesn't care much for overly hoppy beers, either.

The retro "wild west" packaging is pretty cool. I'd heard that an Arizona brewer had bought the rights to the old A-1 brand, but I didn't know it was Nimbus until now.

Poured into a Goose Island pub glass (I'm still mourning AB's recent acquisition of GI). Surprised by the frothy head and slightly hazy, honey-gold color. Was expecting straw yellow. Sweet, bready malts in the nose mask the usual Czech hops character found in traditional Pilsners.

First sip:

The hops are there but don't overpower. Grainy, sweet flavors. Clean, fizzy finish. Refreshing.

Second beer:

Not so great. Is there high-fructose corn syrup in this bottle?
Mar 30, 2011
Photo of mmciz
Reviewed by mmciz from Oregon

2.46/5  rDev -26.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Bought one 12 ounce bottle from the cooler case at Sun Devil Liquor in Mesa poured into a 17 ounce Pilsner glass - turns out I needed the extra room! I poured carefully, slowly and gently but still ended up with about three inches of buttercream foam on top. The thick, pocked head looked a bit like the scum churned up below the rapids of a rushing river. This was the first indication this beer was not going to live up to the standards of the otherwise pretty impressive Nimbus lineup.

A: Darker than a typical Pilsners, with lots of bubbles rising up even after so many of their brothers had gone up to form the ridiculous head.

S: Ripe and oily. Smells a bit like a cheap bar of fruit-scented soap, especially at first. Sniff hard enough and there's a little kiwifruit, but it's buried.

T: Grassy with a little lingering sweetness on the finish, which is the best characteristic. I don't get either citrus or malts - the A-1 is sort of oddly "non" tasting, actually, though without really reminding me of the fizzy yellows. I imagine I could drink a few in a short time span, which might be why this recipe was once so popular in old timey Arizona.

M: The problem is the "nosefeel" - hard to get the fluid out from under the giant head without coating your nose. Nice bubbles on the tongue but pretty thin.

D: Very drinkable - you'll almost forget you drank it.
Jan 29, 2011
Photo of Lucklys
Reviewed by Lucklys from Arizona

4.64/5  rDev +38.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
Poured into my fancy crystal Pilsner glass (it was a random splurge), the A-1 appeared a slightly hazy, deep golden honey color - otherwise known as melichrous - with straw yellow accents when held up to the light. A fluffy two-finger thick egg-shell colored head was piled on top and it quietly fell to a thin, soapy island that blanketed the top of the liquid while a medium collar ran around the outside. The island slowly shrank, but never fully disappeared and any lacing followed the beer down the glass as I drank it, leaving behind clean walls.

The nose was predominantly a huge bouquet of floral hops and pale and grainy malts. Quite a bit of sweet grass mingled cheerfully underneath a lightly tart lemony cover with hints of yeast and something reminiscent of pear and kiwi, which is a first for me. There was a definite sour-bread dough aroma that held its presence in the forefront, though as it warmed, there was something that smelled like dried corn - almost like what you'd expect to find in a barnyard or silo - but it's not completely off-putting, and actually makes me yearn for the dairy farmlands of Wisconsin in the summer. Quite odd considering they state that they didn't use any corn in the brewing process.

The taste was very bright and fruity right from the start, offering itself up with a tart lemon, smooth kiwi, and crisp pears - much like the nose. It carried along a light bitterness, but otherwise it was ridiculously smooth thanks to the pervasive rich grainy malts. A surprising amount of sweet fresh cut grass also flowed between the fruits and malts, driving this beer from pilsner to pale lager, and has been continuously labeled as such across many product descriptions. A-1 offers a light mouthfeel with spicy, crisp carbonation that keeps it on the lighter side of a medium body - as well as very, very refreshing despite its slightly dry, faintly lingering bitterness at the end. I think the next time I need a beer for the weekend, I will pick up a six-pack and easily be able to finish all of them off. This is a very summery beer, nice and light and invigorating - not to mention, there are not that many lagers out there in the local craft beer market, so this is a welcome escape from all of the ales.
Jan 24, 2011
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Reviewed by CarolinaCardinals from North Carolina

3.83/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Picked up a sixer from Total Wine in early November for $7.99. Bottled in September.

Beer pours a straw yellow with a nice foamy white head that is leaving lacing behind.

Nose is of floral hops.

Taste is malty balanced nicely by a lemon zest hop.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and is very refreshing from the fair amount of carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I like the Nimbus spin on the A-1 recipe. This is a perfect summertime beer!
Jan 22, 2011
Nimbus A-1 Pilsner from Nimbus Brewing Company
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 25 ratings