Rhapsody
Columbus Brewing Company

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From:
Columbus Brewing Company
 
Ohio, United States
Style:
Bohemian / Czech Pilsner
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.78 | pDev: 13.49%
Reviews:
7
Ratings:
11
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jul 16, 2013
Added:
May 07, 2010
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
Part of the hop odyssey.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by metter98:
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

3.85/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On-tap at Columbus Brewing Company, Columbus, OH

A: The beer is clear light yellow in color and poured with bright white lacing on the surface and a thin ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: There are light aromas of floral hops in the nose.
T: The taste has flavors of bready malts and floral hops, the latter of which contributes a light amount of bitterness. The hops are a lot more prominent in the taste compared to the smell.
M: It feels medium-bodied and clean on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: Unlike some pilsners, the hops really stand out in the taste a bit more. This might be a good beer for hopheads that don’t want an imperial pilsner.
Aug 16, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.25 by E1D0L0N from Ohio

Jul 16, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by zimm421 from Ohio

Feb 24, 2013
 
Rated: 2.5 by jaidenjb from Ohio

Nov 11, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by astebelton from Ohio

Oct 24, 2012
Photo of garuda
Reviewed by garuda from Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
A - Clear straw, decent head has some retention and lacing.

M - Light/medium in body, lively carbonation, finishes crisp, clean, mostly dry.

S/T - Herbal, grassy hops with some lingering lemon bitterness, hay. Bready, biscuit malt backbone.

O - Pleasantly surprised by this easy drinking, hoppy pils.
Sep 17, 2012
Photo of nrbw23
Reviewed by nrbw23 from Ohio

3.97/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A- Pours a slightly hazy light golden amber color. Head is pretty solid and bright white. Head has ok retention and the lacing is pretty light. Head does turn into a very thin ring around the edge of the glass.

S- Hops are grassy, lemons and a really light spice. Quite a bit of malts here a bit of roast and biscuity.

T- Taste follows the nose really well. A bit more of pine and tropical hops are more present here than the nose. Quite a bit of grass and floral hops here too. Malts are here for sure in a bready/biscuity way. Pretty dry overall too.

M- Light in body and a good amount of carbonation.

O- Overall, I found this beer pretty easy to drink.
Sep 14, 2012
Photo of Ryan011235
Reviewed by Ryan011235 from Ohio

4.27/5  rDev +13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
On tap in a pint glass at the brewpub on 5/7/10

Finally, after the June Hop Odyssey release, I'm typing my review from May. I am on the ball.

Hazy & cloudy light tangerine/orange color with bright yellow highlights. Looks rather dense. The pour offered a 1/4th inch of white head all bit disappeared after but a few moments, leaving a minimal patch of bubbles on tops. Basically no retention & nothing in the way of lacing.

The aroma is chock full of earthy hops; spicy & floral notes. It's quite grassy as well, with a lemon zest bent that makes it seem like lemongrass. Pilsner malt & grain are also apparent. The aroma is light enough for the style, yet dense enough to accommodate the Hop Odyssey. While it's decidedly CBC, this is the first departure from the tropical citrus hoppiness of the Hop Odyssey thus far.

The taste is a step or two up from the nose. Lots of earthy, European hop flavor: mildly spicy with an appropriately pronounced bitterness - not overly so, but not wanting, either. Eric (the brewmaster) told me Tettnang hops were used. Lemon zest undertones. Similar to the nose, it's also grassy; maybe not to the same extent, though. Pilsner malts are notable. The flavor is crisp & bright yet done is a dense fashion. It's very dry, especially on the finish.

Rhapsody leans toward the heavy side of light bodied; definitely heavy for the style. Carbonation is moderately zesty; enough so to more move the beer but not at any point does it overwhelm the taste. Finishes dry & mostly clean; grassiness & hop bitterness linger.

I really like Rhapsody. I'm inclined to say it's the easiest to drink of the series thus far (mainly based on abv). No lie, I was kind of worried how this pilsner would turn out. I'm happy to report my fears were unfounded
Jun 08, 2010
Photo of 2Stout4u
Reviewed by 2Stout4u from Ohio

3.69/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
This beer is not my favorite style so please keep that in mind. The thing I like most about this beer is the lingering bitterness. I can tell this is well done but I like bigger beers. The color on this one is pretty impressive, it's a really nice golden orange hue. I wish I could give a better review but I just don't know this style well enough. I will say I would take this over Blue Moon or even Oberon. Long live CBC!!
May 18, 2010
Photo of prototypic
Reviewed by prototypic from Ohio

4.27/5  rDev +13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Ahhh, May brings the fifth installment of the Hop Odyssey series, Rhapsody. It's a Czech Pilsener, and the first lager in the series.

Rhapsody pours a light gold color. It's very cloudy. Much hazier than I anticipated. Backlighting gives it a slight orange hue. A soft white head caps it. It stands about a finger tall, but falls relatively quickly. Stringy strands of lace line the glass as it descends.

The nose is quite good. For the style, I'm impressed. Hops are very apparent from the first whiff. They have a strong floral scent, with a twist of pine. Smells like some form of noble hops to me. Spicy yeast is also present. The hops and spicy elements seem to play nicely together. I was a little apprehensive as to how that would turn out, but it smells good. There are some grassy and grainy notes, in addition to a touch of lemon rounding it out. Alcohol is buried. I was told by the bartender that this was in the neighborhood of 6%, so no big surprise there. All in all, good stuff. Especially for the style.

The flavor is likewise impressive. Perhaps even moreso. It kicks off with a really nice floral hop flavor. It's definitely a noble hop of some sort. There's a touch of pine in there, but I'm not getting any citrus flavors beyond lemon. Spicy yeast really kicks up the flavor and works extremely well with the hops. My fears have not been realized. Frankly, the decision to go with (I think) noble hops was the right one. They have a bit of a bitter edge, but complement the spicy flavor so well. I'm not so sure a C-hop would work this sort of magic. It is earthy and grainy throughout. Alcohol is never noticeable. 6% abv seems about right. It finishes a little bitter and dry, dry, dry. Grab some water to go with this one.

Rhapsody has a light-medium body that's nice and smooth. Carbonation is mid-range and works well. Drinkability is very high. This stuff is tasty, goes down too easy, and has a very approachable abv. I shared a bit of the growler, but I could tackle one alone. It's that good, and that friendly. Impressive.

Honestly, I wasn't all that excited about Rhapsody. This isn't an easy style to pull off. But, I'm impressed. It's spot-on for a Czech Pilsener. I love the interplay of the hops and spicy yeast. I anticipated that the first lager in the Hop Odyssey series would easily be my least favorite so far. Not so. This is damn good stuff. If you're into Czech Pilseners at all, you simply must try this one. Methinks you'll be impressed.
May 08, 2010
Photo of MbpBugeye
Reviewed by MbpBugeye from Ohio

4.07/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Ive been anxious every month for the next beer is Columbus Brewing Company's Hop Odyssey. This is the 5th installment of what has been a very good series. Ive been feeling lucky to have access to these beers.

Rhapsody is a Czech Pils just in time for summer and warm weather. Im hoping that this will be a good picnic/bbq beer.

A- Surprisingly cloudy and dark. It is not just an average, clear, yellow, fizzy pils. My first glass from the growler is a partially hazed, golden orange beer. It has highlights of pale orange and yellow. The head is decently large and pure white. The retention is next to not with moderate lacing as it fades. The beer doesnt look dead though. There is a nice ring and small pillow floating on top with lots of effervescence.

S- Right away I could smell some grassy hops and that classic pilsner smell. To me, that smell reminds me of skunk a bit, even though this beer is as fresh and you can get it. (My friend actually got this growler filled by Eric before the keg tapping, and for free I might add!). Thats just the way pilsners smell to me... There is lots of lighter hops, fresh cut grass, clover, lemon, and interestingly; some banana. The malts are nice and rich. Mostly pale and lightly toasted smelling. The smell is very balanced.

T- Light and delicate. Starts sweeter and malty. Nice lightly toasted bready malts. Hops take over from there. They are sweet and fruity. Pineapple, apricot, and lots of lemon-lime at first. They then abruptly change from tropical fruits to a bitter pine. The finish is decently bitter, especially for a pilsner. This is really what I wanted though. I was dying for a hopped up, bitter pilsner that gives your teeth a little kick. With Rhapsody the aftertaste is slightly medicinal and grassy but nothing upsetting.

M- A lot fuller than any other pils Ive had. The carbonation is lower than most pilsners also. Its still light bodied and prickly carbonated but isnt what Im used to in the style. The feel and finish is pretty dry which I like. It really makes you want another sip.

D- A really nice warm weather brew. I dont know what the ABV is but it is obviously quite low. I can tell just from sipping my first glass of this beer that it is a solid sessioner.

This is a really solid little lager. I would have no problem bringing a growler of this to a party or bbq and sharing it. This beer wont offend even the most timid beer drinker nor will it disappoint a very seasoned beer geek.
May 07, 2010
Rhapsody from Columbus Brewing Company
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 11 ratings