A Place To Stand Ontario Pilsner
Sawdust City Brewing Co.

473 ml can served cold into a pint glass. Canning date appears to be May 19, 2017. LCBO purchase for $3.15 CDN.

Appearance - Very pale, slightly hazy golden colored brew. A finger and a half of fluffy white head rests on top. Middling visible carbonation. Retention is well above average and lacing is quite nice.

Smell - Some grains initially, but certainly a leafier, hoppier pilsner. Earthy notes with some lemon zest and pepper.

Taste - Quite like the nose with grass, grain, pepper and lemon shining through although finishes with a sweet malty off-flavor.

Mouthfeel - Smooth, crisp, moderately dry finish

Overall - A solid if unspectacular local(ish) pilsner. Better than a lot of the mediocre beers on the market and for those looking for a leafier, hoppier pilsner, this should hit the spot nicely.

 

Tallboy can from the LCBO; dated May 18 2017 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a bright golden-yellow colour, with two fingers of foamy white head situated atop. Within five minutes or so, it has wilted down to a frothy collar and cap, complete with a spotty coat of webbed lace. The hops seem to be responsible for most of the aromatic elements - quite spicy and floral, with notes of lemon, pine and grapefruit, while hints of grainy, doughy pale malts round the bouquet out nicely.

A fantastic pils, albeit somewhat hoppier than this style tends to be - not to mention that the North American strains impart some atypical flavours. Citrus notes, in particular stand out, with grapefruit and lemon zest combining with grainy, doughy pale malt flavours and biscuit sweetness. The pronounced bitterness - for a pilsener, at least - assumes a rising crescendo form as you approach the finish, with floral, spicy hops and a few herbal notes preceding a green, grassy bitterness that fades into the aftertaste. Light body; not exactly heavy, but with a little more weight than most pale lagers, with a smooth, satisfying mouthfeel. Supremely drinkable.

Final Grade: 4.08, an A-. A Place to Stand Ontario Pilsner is definitely one of the best domestic pilseners that I have tried over the years. Not a traditional example of the style, by any means - the Mount Hood hops do help to give it some semblance of "traditional" pils hop flavour, but the Cascade and Chinook provide their own unique tweaks to the profile, and the end result is something closer to an APL than something you'd expect to be exported from Germany. Thoroughly enjoyable for what it is.

 

I am not a Pilsner afficianado but... lovely golden colour with thick head that held until the beer finished. The aroma is oddly hoppy for style but it works for me. I am guessing US hops rather than the usual Saaz. The flavour is therefore more hoppy but nicely balanced by bready malt. Relatively full mouth for a pilsner.

 

This is a pretty decent craft lager made with quality local ingredients. I guess it's called a pilsner because it's made with pilsner malt, but that's a bit misleading with Mt. Hood, Cascade, and Chinook hops taking the place of the noble hop varieties you'd normally encounter. It's actually quite reminiscent of Victory's Summer Love, which is basically made by combining a pilsner malt bill with American ale yeast and dry-hopping with Cascade, etc. Not a bad beer to emulate, but not a pilsner.

In the style of North American pilsners, and little hop and lots of foam, yeast and malt. Not so interesting to finish much of the can. Not so much to celebrate.

 

 

 

Really nice golden pour with two finger white soapy head. Strong carbonation. Minimal lace with a decent finger retention.

Restrained aromas of grass and herbal notes

Herbal, grassy, earthy hops and some nice crackery and sourdough malt notes.

Decent bitterness, low-medium body, and good carbonation.

That's a good Pils. Nothing wrong here.