Sampan
Melvin Brewing

 

Can. Clear straw yellow. White head with some lace. Really unique and tasty Pilsner. Not sure what’s in this to make it Asian. Maybe rice, maybe sake yeast? Earthy, grassy, floral. Dry finish, but has a somewhat bubbly feel.

 

 

Type: 16-oz. can
Reviewed as: Imperial Pilsner
Glass: Burgeon .5L pilsner glass
Price: $4.59
From: Windmill Farms in Del Cerro (San Diego), Calif.
Purchased: Aug. 12, 2020
Consumed: Aug. 17, 2020
Misc.: Canned on July 9, 2020 at 2:11 p.m. MT

Was looking forward to this one and the first that I’d be reviewing as an Imperial Pilsner (I still need to go back and change a lot of other pilsners to Imperial Pilsners). Online description read, “This round of RUMTUM label art had us dreaming of the brightly colored sampan boats floating in the Pacific harbors of the Far East, and our palates yearning for a rice lager. So we started with an Asian-style Pilsner recipe made with jasmine rice, then added our Melvin brew Kung-Fu, amping it up to 8% ABV and fermenting it with sake yeast. The result is a crisp and bright beer with a fluffy mouthfeel and pleasant minerality that leaves it dangerously drinkable. You’ll be anxious to pull up anchor and sail these seas.”

Poured a medium yellow-to-gold clear color with 6-to-7 fingers of rocky white head. Could see lots of fast-moving bubbles coming up the sides and bottom of the glass. World-class foamy lacing. World-class foamy retention. (Sight - 4.75)

Smelled lemon zest, sake, wild rice, pear, green grape, apple juice, hints of watermelon, sweet grain and grass. Much of the same from the can. (Smell - 4.00)

Tasted at least as good as the nose. First thought was that it was pretty smooth for 8 pct. ABV. Got spicy wild rice, sake, pear, green grape, apple, hints of watermelon, lemon zest, black pepper, sweet grain and grass. (Taste - 4.00)

Medium body. Oily texture. Lively carbonation. Long, fruity, spicy finish. (Feel - 4.50)

Really liked this overall. Nice mix of spice and fruit. A little price at $4.59 for a 16-oz. can, but glad I got to try it. (Overall - 4.00)

4.10 | 92 | A-

A bit heavy handed, too sweet. Slight spice, cracker, decent dose of caramel. Medium warming heat, I’m not sure if there’s sake in this or not, but maybe they used sake yeast. Regardless, different take- sweet and spicy, not clean. Medium body.

 

 

 

 

Clear and golden body; excellent, slowly rising carbonation; incredibly thick and creamy white head with a sculpted top; rings of foam cascading down the glass. Floral, grassy aroma; slight sweetness. Wheat and biscuit up front with the malt; watermelon and very light sense of honeydew melon; alcohol note late in the taste; a bit of hop bitterness on the back end. Medium-light body; some thin boozy warmth and dryness.

I'm not a big fan of imperial pilsners, but this one nicely satisfies. The sake yeast seems to give this a bit of a light and dry character and tames the perceived ABV in a fine manner. I personally prefer a lower ABV in my pilsners, but if this one stays on the market over time, I may add it to my regular rotation as it drinks well and does have a nice, hidden kick to it.

i love sake yeast in beer, and i love a good rice lager, so i was pumped on this one. something happens though, in my experience, almost every time, in imperial type lagers like this, where the yeast always gets estery and the beer seems to take on witbier properties, and that happens here a little bit, even with the sake yeast. its still lager-esque, still has some crispness, and the rice part of this is awesome, but the way the yeast seems to be done so warm, and in combination with the alcohol, there is an almost belgian layer to this, green pear in the aroma, more white grape and white pepper in the flavor, a little citrus character from the sake yeast too, im not saying it doesnt work, its fully compatible here, its just a neutral observation i keep noticing in the style, no matter what the specifics seem to be. i like the floral character this has through it, the light lime i get, and the obvious jasmine from the rice. it also seems to have some hops in here which is cool with the yeasts, and the alcohol stays well hidden, i feel it but i do not taste it. they were wise to carbonate this so well, and the technical execution overall here is exceptional again from melvin, who always seems to hit in terms of quality. a little outside their usual wheelhouse, and a little weird really, but a very solid brew here that is a cool edition to their lineup, just full of flavor and summery somehow even though its stronger. very nice.

 

 

 

 

 

16oz can from Brewers Haven. Bright golden pour with one finger foamy head. Grainy, malty aroma and I'm guessing rice. Taste brings a touch of sweetness, brief fruity flavors, a lot more of the malts and a tiny tingle of hops at the finish. Smooth throughout, slick.

Canned June 24th 2020.

It pours a clear pale gold with a healthy head of foam.

It smells fruity, malty, sweet, lightly bitter.

The taste is more of an earthy malt, light fruitiness, light bitterness, sweet but not overly sweet. I think that I taste some pear?

It has a fullish mouthfeel with medium carbonation.

Interesting and quite different from the norm.