Italian Pilsner
Fremont Brewing Company

it sure looks like these guys have put out a number of italian pils types with different names and recipes, but this one was on the menu at the bar just as fremont italian pilsner, so adding as a new beer, assuming maybe it was all test and trial batches working up to this, which is easily good enough to be a full time offering in this emerging style space, if someone knows better, let me know. its also possible that this one is also known as esr, brewed for the restaurant group, so just being called italian pils where sold outside of that group, which is most likely the case, it is not yet listed here on BA under that name either, so this seems more inclusive this way. i liked this a lot, its light in body and in grain flavor, maybe lighter than some of the others out there right now, less of that italian malt personality, but really well hopped and still flavorful as a result, bright and springy and drinkable, hop forward without high bitterness, very well lagered and super clean and refreshing, very professional quality, no surprise, but this is a side of fremont that is a little less celebrated so very cool to have it be at this level, they nailed it. blonde and clear as it should be, more yellow than golden, a little lighter than some of these tend to look, decent white head from the tap, plenty of carbonation activity. aroma and flavor come with herbal grassy green tea-like hops, some light citrus, and a soft sweetness to the grain, nice minerality like a dolomite white wine, really, theres out italian terroir, perhaps from the malt itself, not sure if they use eraclea in this or what, would love to know, but its real clean while at the same time being distinctive, i get some white florals in here, a little bit of hop snap, and its drier at the end than it starts. well lagered with a recognizable yeast personality, refreshingly high carbonation, light hoppy recall, clean without any of the sulfur or anything that sometimes creeps into the hoppier lagers, very bright and will be a ripper in warm weather, but probably also a nice pasta beer, which might have been how it was designed, flavorful enough to stand up to a range of preparations but not filling at all with filling food, smartly built if thats in the plans. i hope they can this one...