Spellbinder Pils
Upright Brewing Company

I had this beer on-tap in a nonic at Churchkey Pub in Edmonds.

Appearance: nice golden hue with an almost totally clear body and a thin layer of white foam. Nice!

Smell: light and slightly sweet malt aroma. The volume could be turned up a little, however.

Taste: nice light malt flavor with a smooth sweetness and a bit of hop bite at the end. Quite nice.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a good carbonation and creaminess for the style.

Overall: a smooth and refreshing pilsner, with just enough bite to be interesting.

downright awesome beer, a logical evolution from their heady saison and wild wheelhouse. an open fermented lager, crisp but interesting on the ferment, very old world and process intensive, as this seems decoction mashed to me, and the use of a less common but also noble-esque hop in contessa is super cool, had to google it! super sexy pour, yellow and clear but not overly filtered at the expense of character, just some softer edges to it visually, and a huge puffy white head, looks incredible. the nose on this is lovely too, the open fermentation elements are subtle but identifiable, and this is lightly funky without being bretty or anything, hints of wet concrete, dried grass, minerals, and bread dough all meld together, some herbal hops, some biscuity pale pils malt, and a real rustic but dialed in brew, i love this kind of lager, so much know how in it, but also designed to let the ingredients do the talking, thats upright in general i guess, but its cool in this beer too. the flavor rules, all these elements combine wonderfully well, a dry cereal base on the malt, european a little bit, and peppy with some finishing bitterness from the hops among dried lemon rind and honeysuckle notes, what impresses me most though is the fermentation profile, a free and open sort of yeastiness, but also still with a cold conditioned crispness, really compelling and so rarely found. technical excellence here, clever and thoughtful recipe, and a beer i could drink endlessly. outside of their typical range a little bit, at least from my experience, but as good as just about anything they brew. love upright!

On tap at the source.

A clear light yellow with a dense white head with good retention and lacing. The nose is great. Loaded with hops, minty, lemony, spicy, mildly oily but appropriately so for a "classic" hop-forward pilsner. Straw and pilsner base malt are present. Clean fermentation character. The palate opens bitter and resiny, pungent, clean, oily with mint, esrth, lemon and moderate floral notes. Drying, crisp, cracker like malt character. Snappy, crisp finish. Excellent.