Zeit Pils
Oxbow Brewing Company

I had this on draft 11/29/23 @ the Hopleaf.

Semi-opaque orange/yellow appearance.

Nice white head; a thick curtain of tree-rung lacing remained.

Honey & mild pine notes on the nose.

Medium mouthfeel. Honey & wheat flavors up front; a dry pine bite on the finish.

A bit sweet for a pilsner, to this palate at least; this tasted like a Helles Lager / Pilsner hybrid in my opinion. Still enjoyable, however.

 

 

Flavor-wise, this is a big German pilsner. But it's not over-hopped. The hops are on full display, but they are sufficiently balanced out by a crackery, bready malt backdrop. Hefty carbonation helps as well, because you shouldn't just toss this one back; each sip deserves its due. There's a peripheral lemony zest at play. This is a fantastic entree to craft pilsner for an IPA-head, because there's no denying the hop-forward character, but the bitterness (and the ABV) are wisely held in check.

 

Slightly hazy golden color with a substantial foamy head and awesomely messy cling to the glass.

Aroma is Pilsner malt, bready, a little sweetness, a mild touch of lemon, floral/herbal hops with a little grassiness.

Definitely liking the malt here, slightly sweet, bready. The hops aren't shy - big impact of herbal and floral, a bright note if lemon, then fading into a slight spiciness. Bitter comes on mid-taste, fades a bit then finishes with a decent smack to the taste buds. Once that fades, there's some more peppery spice that lingers pleasantly.

Medium bodied, fairly robust carbonation, soft except for the bitter.

Overall, another Oxbow offering that screams to be paired with foods - its just meant to be. It's a solid Pilsner with the slight nitpick on the bitter finish.

 

 

5/30/22 can from Blending and Bottling in Portland, ME. Pours a clear pale yellow golden with a finger of rocky white head that sticks around, nice lacing; smell is biscuity/cracker malts, oats, buckwheat, mild grassy funk; taste is wheat biscuits, bran cereal, funky hay, grassy finish, hints of lemon bars and sunscreen; feel is medium bodied, creamy carbonation, crisp/snappy finish. A very well executed grain forward crispy pils.

Canned 2022/04/22
Pours a frothy foamy 1 finger head with good retention, fair messy lacing, very clear golden straw color

Nose big grainy pilsner malt, straw, bread dough, sweet cereal, hint lemony cereal, light floral herbal hop

Taste more grainy sweet pilsner malt, cereal, bread dough, straw, cake batter and fair sweetness, soft lager, big hops, herbal floral turning very spicy, med bitterness fades to high bitterness and spicy crisp bitterness on the finish

Mouth is med bod, higher frothy carb, soft lager

Overall pretty nice, good base pilsner although too sweet, big lingering spicy hop bitterness, general Czech pils level bitterness but German pils finish

 

A: The beer is crystal clear yellow in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high white head that quickly settled down and left a thin collar around the edge and some lacing on the surface.
S: Moderate aromas of grassy hops are present in the nose along with notes of spicy hops.
T: The taste follows the smell and has additional notes of underlying bready malts and a light to moderate amount of bitterness.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied, crisp and somewhat dry on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This is a hop-forward pilsner that is easy to drink and has a refreshing mouthfeel.

Serving type: can

Pours a pale golden straw. A bouquet of herbaceous spicy hop character greets the nose. That hop character certainly dominates this beer, unsurprisingly. It's got some spice, some lime pith, black pepper, it's tingly but not overwhelming. Not as biscuity or malt forward as other American-made German Pilsners but not in a bad way. This stands out and is unique.