Scratch Beer 17 - 2009 (Glacier Pils)
Tröegs Brewing Company

Scratch Beer 17 - 2009 (Glacier Pils)Scratch Beer 17 - 2009 (Glacier Pils)
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From:
Tröegs Brewing Company
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
German Pilsner
ABV:
5.6%
Score:
91
Avg:
4.09 | pDev: 10.02%
Reviews:
49
Ratings:
56
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 08, 2013
Added:
Jan 13, 2009
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  0
O.G.: 12.7 Plato
A.B.V.: 5.6%
IBU: 43
Malt: Pils
Yeast: AugustinerShow More
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Hojaminbag:
Photo of Hojaminbag
Reviewed by Hojaminbag from Colorado

4.03/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I got this beer today from Deuane, who went out of his way to meet me despite the fact that I was late for our meeting. Thanks Deuane!

A slightly hazy, straw colored body with about a finger and a half of white head. Some really solid lacing and retention on this one; a great looking beer.

Big pale pilsner malt in the aroma. Tons of sweetness and some biscuity aroma.

Up front there is a bit of lemony hop presence that fades into big, sweet pilsner malts and biscuit like malts. The finish is nice and
Hoppy, giving flavors of lemon and grass. The malts are the strongest flavor in this beer for sure, but the hop profile is great.

Mouthfeel is light and airy with a very dry finish.

Pretty drinkable beer, another winner from Troegs. However, This might have been better a little fresher, and I still prefer sunshine pils.
Jul 17, 2009
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by InspectorBob from New Jersey

Nov 08, 2013
 
Rated: 2.75 by t0rin0 from California

Mar 04, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by oline73 from Maryland

Mar 07, 2012
 
Rated: 5 by rydogg666 from Pennsylvania

Jan 07, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by Gonzoillini from Illinois

Dec 15, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by Khazadum from Illinois

Dec 15, 2011
 
Rated: 3.5 by westcoastbeerlvr from California

Nov 15, 2011
Photo of orangesol
Reviewed by orangesol from Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Thanks to whoever brought this one to our IPA day party. Yet another old scratch beer tick. This one is now almost three years old.

A - Pours crystal clear golden yellow with a nice one finger tall white head leaving light lacing down the glass.

S - Smells of pale malt, dulled grassy hops, and some bready malt. For being this old it has held up surprisingly well.

T - Starts off with the pale malt quickly giving way to a mix of dulled grassy hops, some bready malt, and some light oxidation. Some light sweetness creeps in as it warms up a bit. The finish is a bit dry with some light chewiness, lingering for a short period of time.

M - Light body and flavor with moderate carbonation. Crisp, clean, feel with a bit of chewiness at the very end lingering through the finish.

O - While this one is obviously past its prime it is still holding its own. If you still have some of these I would say you should drink them now as they aren't getting any better.
Aug 12, 2011
Photo of brokensail
Reviewed by brokensail from California

3.58/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Thanks to Greg for sending me this one.

A: The beer pours a clear golden orange color with a soapy white head.

S: Not really any aroma to this beer. A little bit of a pale malt and bread aroma. Some mild lager yeast and perhaps some spicy hops and lemon zest.

T: Some sweet bread flavor and some pale malts. Grass and lemon zest with a mild earthy, floral, and spicy (presumably) hop flavor as well. Lager yeast and a mild bitterness on the back end.

M: Light to medium in body with a medium level of carbonation.

O: Can't really expect that a pilsener would hold up this long, but it's done surprisingly alright.
May 17, 2011
Photo of nickd717
Reviewed by nickd717 from California

3.76/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Bottle thanks to dashirey. Review transcribed from notes dated September 2010.

Pours a clear yellowish color with a decently formed white head.

Nice pilsner aroma, if faded. Great pale malt base, slight grain, and faintly floral hops.

The flavor is nice. Sweet pale malt, floral hops, and slight sherry oxidation.

Smooth as hell on the mouthfeel with medium-light body and medium-low carbonation level.

Surprisingly good for an old pilsner. Good job again, Troegs.
Nov 05, 2010
Photo of mothman
Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Pours 1/2 finger of white head. Color is a hazed burnt straw yellow. Good retention with some splattered lace.

Aroma: Grassy hops with biscuit malts. Some corn flavors. Fairly basic.

Taste: Bready/biscuity malt profile. Grassy hops again. Corn. Pretty much just like the aroma. A sweet flavor.

Mouthfeel: Crisp and clean. Lighter bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends dry, a bit bland.

Overall, a regular average pils. Decent drinkability. Nothing crazy out of the ordinary, but that is expected from the style.
Aug 29, 2010
Photo of kbutler1
Reviewed by kbutler1 from Minnesota

3.36/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Bottle. Cloudy golden color with a white head. Sweet malt aroma reminiscent of sweet corn. Very clean and crisp flavor with a balance of malt and hops. Would be a good beer for a hot day outside or something not too heavy. A tough one to really "rate" as this style is just non-complex to me but I don't think it really is suppose to be. If the goal of a Pilsener is to be clean, refreshing, and easy to drink than this one nails it.
Aug 23, 2010
Photo of kkipple
Reviewed by kkipple from South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Massive Mega Scratch Beer Tasting @ the Meat Meet, 8.21.2010. Thanks Unclejedi!

Scores reflect how the beer is drinking NOW, and not when released.

Simply a pretty good German Pils past due. Still surprisingly tasty, but lets face it - a Pilsner can't be great 1.5 years after brewed. Malt has taken over here, but this looks good and tastes fine, still -- just not anything unusually good. Glad to have tried it -- Troegs has crafted a TON of different styles here, most of them above-average. Keep it up, kids.
Aug 22, 2010
Photo of mikey711
Reviewed by mikey711 from New Jersey

3.2/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
I think this one is a little past its prime

A: Cloudy straw color yellow. Minimal amount of white head with spotty lacing. Lots of carbonation rushes up from the bottom, I would have liked this one to be a bit clearer

S: Slightly floral hop note with some mellow caramel and earthy notes.

t: slightly bread taste, some sweet caramel notes, a bit of mustiness. I would have liked the hops to be a bit crisper and cleaner tasting

m: it actually has a very nice full body and a good amount of creaminess

D: past its prime for sure but besides that i was dissappointed with the cloudy appearance. Easy to drink but clearly it would be better fresher
Feb 04, 2010
Photo of wisrarebeer
Reviewed by wisrarebeer from Wisconsin

4.15/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
a: straw-colored, slightly hazy
s: not overpowering, mellow but noticeable noble hops
t: very good, traditional German-style pilsner with nice balance of malt and hops, nothing unusual but just a well-made beer
m: great mouthfeel, not overly hoppy like most American beers today, satisfying
d: very drinkable, well-balanced and great all-day warm weather beer
Jul 07, 2009
Photo of Wasatch
Reviewed by Wasatch from Colorado

3.97/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thanks goes out to mikereaser for this one.

Pours a nice cloudy pale yellow color, nice carbonation, nice little fizzy white head, with some sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, with a nice hop note, with some spices. The taste is slightly sweet, malty, bitter, hoppy, nice touch of spices. Medium body. Drinkable, a nice GP.
Jun 18, 2009
Photo of thain709
Reviewed by thain709 from Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A - A bright golden yellow body...big two finger white head...moderate lacing

S - Nothing special...standard pilsener aromas

T - At first you are met with the pale German malts...just briefly...a strong hop bitterness comes right in...the German malts make a stronger appearance underneath to take away major bitterness

M - Medium bodied...carbonation makes it very crisp

D - I like Scratch 17 better than Sunshine Pils...it seemed to have more flavor and more hop presence...a good beer (if you would still have any) for a hot day
Jun 10, 2009
Photo of mynie
Reviewed by mynie from Maryland

4.21/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Nice pour, very dark, hazy bright yellow with a tight head that's as white as a cloud. Looks more like a hefe than a pils, actually, but that is just fine by me,

Fairly dull smell. Weeds, pollen, saaz. Standard for the style. Or--standard for a well brewed version of the style, that is.

Tastes stronger, with all the standard nodes there balanced perfectly together. Malt, bitter hops, dry hops. It's not complicated, but man is it satisfying, like having a smiley face written on the top of a paper in lieu of a grade and an explanation for that grade.
May 29, 2009
Photo of prototypic
Reviewed by prototypic from Ohio

4.18/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Huge thanks to guinnessdoc for the hook-up on this one. Much appreciated, Josh.

Ahhhh...with Scratch 17, Tröegs brings us a German Pilsner (Pilsener, if it suits you). It's moderately hazy and light golden in color. With a little light, it's closer to yellow. It's topped with a very nice foamy white head that's a couple of fingers deep. It took quite a bit longer to completely dissipate than I would've ever expected and left thick, sticky sheets of lace clinging to the glass. Pretty impressive stuff.

The nose is lacking in strength and suffers a little as a result. Hops are very apparent right off the bat. They smell mostly floral and give it an overall earthy quality. Smells like there's a bit of spiciness to it that might be attributed to the hops. It doesn't smell like any identifiable spice. Lemon is noted, but is pretty faint. It smells a little sweet due to pale (or some other variety of malt). That pretty much wraps it up. There's a good base here to work with, it just needs more muscle.

The flavor profile is damn impressive. It has a very tasty hop flavor. I don't know what the bill is here, but it works extremely well. They're equal parts floral and spicy. The spicy aspect of it gives it an edge that really drives the flavor score higher than I expected it to be. The floral element is grainy and grassy. Pale malts seem to be the base here, though I could be wrong about that. It's a little sweet. Light citrus lemon adds more sweetness and very refreshing flavor. Spicy hops seem to grow bolder toward the end and on the finish. Very nice turn it took there. If there's alcohol here, that'd be news to me. Even though it's low at 5.6%, there's not a hint in the flavor. I waffled a little on the flavor score initially, but it really is that good and deserves the nod.

It features a medium body that's nice and smooth. Carbonation is medium range and pretty well restrained. It's close to crisp, but it doesn't negate any smoothness at all. Drinkability is damn good. I'm loving the flavor, the abv is low, and it goes down smooth and way too easy.

I expected Scratch 17 to be impressive, but not to this degree. Frankly, Tröegs has just about blown me away with this one. Generally speaking, German Pilsners do not hit home with me like this one has. The only thing that could improve it a little is a stronger nose. That's a small complaint. It has absolutely no impact on the excellence that is the flavor of this Scratch release. Damn, this is good stuff. There aren't many German Pilsners out there that command an overt effort to find. This is one that's well worth the effort. Find a bottle (or a few) if you can.
May 22, 2009
Scratch Beer 17 - 2009 (Glacier Pils) from Tröegs Brewing Company
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 56 ratings