NOTA Pilsner
Three Heads Brewing

 

a solid lager, but a little overly crackery and european tasting to me on the grain side, a bit out of balance, and as much as the flavors are quite traditional in it, the proportions are strange and the beer drinks heavier than it should to me, especially next to their straight up lager, which seemed more refined and drinkable than this one, all of us at the table agreed on that too. its not bad beer though, crisp in feel, bubbly and dry, and with a flavorful lager yeast strain to it. mellow hops are lost a little to the boldness of the pale pils malt, but they are there at the end, giving the right amount of bitterness here, just not adding that stereotypical freshness that i look for in these. it somehow feels a little heavy for being as light and bright as it is, high minerality may be partially to blame for that, not at all unpleasant, dont get me wrong, but not really an all day kind of lager for me. i liked the hoppy beers better than the pale lagers here when we visited, but this has an old world appeal and is more robust than many, some will love this i am sure...

 

 

This was excellent. Poured clear and gold. very pale with a substantial white head that lasted well. Nose was malty with light hop pepper. Taste is excellent. A mere drop of buttery diacetyl very much in line with German lagers and a a shy hop. What kept it from being a 4 all around is that it is not fully attenuated. There is one brief moment int he finish where you can taste it. Otherwise crisp and well defined. Excellent!

Bought from Beers of the World on 5/20/17. Served cold in a pilsner glass. Standard brassy gold with white head. Not much lacing. Aroma is beguiling and top notch; fresh cut hay and faint lemon peel. Taste is subdued and balanced pilsner malt and noble hops. A subtle but delicious beer. Mouthfeel is perfect with just the right amount of carbonation. This beer is a home run and I plan to buy more soon.

On tap at Three Heads Brewing in Rochester, NY.

This one pours a light yellow color, with a small head, and a solid amount of lacing.

Smells like good ol' noble hops, spicy and grassy hops, with a decent but slightly too sweet malt aroma.

This is a good start on a style I had no faith in Three Heads doing right. The hop character seems right to me, nicely grassy, peppery, and spicy, with a good solid bitterness. The malt character isn't quite right, it feels a little sweet, and maybe a bit caramelly for the style. I expect a more doughy/bready sort of malt thing going on for this style.

This is lighter bodied, with a pretty crisp finish.

Not a bad attempt at pils by these guys- some tweaking and this would be really nice.