Barstool Warrior
Barrier Brewing Company

 

good pilsner beer , smooth nice after taste

Such is the nature of the backlog here at Chez Woody that, despite having CANpleted a recent run-through with & of CANned Barrier beers for The CANQuest (tm), one just showed up! This was a purchase at Hunger-n-Thirst at one point. I'm so CANfused. Time does not seem to have any meaning any more!

From the CAN: "Brewed with our friends[,] Dream Theater".

The Crack! of the vent gave me a little spritz across my fingertips, thanks to its being a brimful craft CAN with nowhere for the tongue to go. I CANtinued with a slow, gentle C-Line Glug into my favorite Pilsner glass, where it foamed up beautifully without creating a mess. That is always my CANcern when starting out with an overfilled CAN - leaking, dribbling & other unwanted messes. I finally wound up with two-plus finger of dense, foamy, rocky, bone-white head with excellent retention. Color was an oh-so-slightly-hazy Straw-Yellow (SRM = > 2, < 4) & I might have chalked it up to chill haze from my reefer, were it not for its style. No problem. Nose had a metallic tang along with a citrusy lemony-grapefruit quality and a dry, biscuity maltiness. Mmm. Mouthfeel was medium, solid for a Lager. The taste was unexpectedly malt-driven, very dry and biscuity. Mmm. Man, I have been really impressed by just about everything that I have had from Barrier & this was no exception! Warming, the taste took on a light, citrusy bitterness which only enhanced its dryness. Finish was dry (duh!) & very pleasant. It might be a little spendy with which to fill the beach-bound Summer cooler, but it could be a CANdidate. YMMV.

 

 

Poured from a tallboy can into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Nearly clear pale golden pour with thick fluffy white head. Sticky lacing all over the glass.

S: Lemon zest and spice. Citrusy and floral.

T.F: Honey, grains, and lemon citrus up front. Mild spice and grape must. Leafy hop bitterness... light bodied and zippy on the carbonation. More citrus and spice at the finish. Crisp and clean.

O: A solid pilsner. Easy drinking... not sure how this ties into the band, but it's a good opportunity to take out 'Metropolis part 2' and give it a spin.

 

DATE: August 18, 2019... OCCASION: watching Serengeti with the boys as our closing looms.. GLASSWARE: nondescript pilsner... what does Dream Theater taste like? about to find out... this pours a sallow gold body with bubbles the pacing of "When Day and Dream Unite"... its head is off-white, fizzy, and effervescent before diminishing into an uneven ring... a classic salty, metallic aroma of iron, hay, lemon grass, and light citric twang... songwise, it's maybe something Desmond Child helped write during the "Falling Into Infinity" sessions... its mouthfeel is smooth, thin and refreshing, with a tinge of texture--both like and unlike DT's catalog... the flavor profile is largely lemon zest and lime, with floral accents, biscuit sweetness, some toasted oats, and honey.... late, some wood grains surface... thus varied, more diverse than its aroma, and in this respect, a bit like "Lifting Shadows Off a Dream"... is this beer worthy of Dream Theater? Not by a long shot. Does it suggest Mike Petrucci wanted an easy-drinking thirst quencher low in carbs and high in label art? Yes, that makes sense... glad I found this one--and DT deserves recognition from this business sector--but as long as you don't expect Kevin Moore on keyboards, this will work, even if its price point is a bit selective...

 

Clear golden body with white bubbly. Aroma of fresh grain, honey, light lemon skin. Tastes of fresh grains, honey, light lemon, maybe some apple? Light bodied. Sweet.

Got in a trade with beergoot. 16 ounce can into lager glass, canned on 5/30/2019. Pours moderately hazy/cloudy pale golden yellow color with a 1 finger dense and fluffy white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of lemon, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, wood, peppercorn, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. A touch fruity/yeasty aromas, but not overwhelming. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance of pale malts and moderate earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of lemon, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, wood, peppercorn, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Light-moderate herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of lemon, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, wood, peppercorn, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great robustness and balance of pale malts and moderate earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and no lingering hop astringency after the finish. Fairly crisp/clean finishing. Very clean on lager flavors, with minimal fruity/yeasty notes. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth and moderately bready/grainy/sticky balanced mouthfeel that is great. Slight lingering resins through the glass. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 5%. Overall this is a delicious German pilsner. All around nice robustness and balance of pale malts and moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth, crisp, clean, and refreshing to drink with the modestly bitter/drying finish; not aggressive. Very flavorful and not watery for the ABV. Great clean pils malt showcase, with great noble hop presence/balance. Minimal residual sweetness with crisp drying. A very enjoyable offering. A little too hazy, but spot on style otherwise. More of a kellerbier. Quite impressive, really well made.

Pale yellow body; vigorous and lively carbonation; relatively thin and frothy head. Toasted wheat and cracker nose; very faint estery notes. Very mild cereal grain backbone flavor; slightly vegetal and minerally; ecent hop bitterness. Medium body; watery; mild sweetness but with a moderate dryness throughout.

Not a bad pilsner, but rather mundane and not very memorable.