Pfaffenheck
Night Shift Brewing

PfaffenheckPfaffenheck
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From:
Night Shift Brewing
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
German Pilsner
ABV:
5.2%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.83 | pDev: 9.66%
Reviews:
35
Ratings:
150
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 16, 2021
Added:
Oct 25, 2014
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  21
Pfaffenheck is a bright, crisp, traditional pilsner. Floor-malted German grain delivers soft notes of honey and biscuit, balanced by a floral, zesty hop profile.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Flounder57:
Photo of Flounder57
Reviewed by Flounder57 from Massachusetts

3.81/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
32 flip top growler was poured into a pilsner glass.

Appearance: A one finger head was poured that reduced to a thin layer. It is a golden straw yellow color with great clarity and vision of bubbles coming up through the glass. Spotty lacing down the glass as the beer was drank.

Smell: Toasted, biscuity, and slightly sweet pilsner malt followed by lager yeast and spicy, herbal, and grassy Noble hops.

Taste: Pilsner malts flavor, lager yeast, and Noble hops.

Mouthfeel: Crisp, refreshing, medium to high carbonation, a little dry, light bodied, light bitterness, lager yeast bite, and a little chewy.

Overall: Pretty nice pilsner. A little less malt flavor and crispness would make this beer better. I'd still enjoy more of these in the future.
Apr 20, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 5 by CornedAgain from Massachusetts

Jan 16, 2021
Photo of Rug
Reviewed by Rug from Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Canned 7/15/20

I don't really have many pilsners in general, and this is my first German pils. I'm sure it's not too different from a Bohemian pilsner

Pours a lightly cloudy yellow gold with 2 fingers of white head that fades slowly and leaves minimal lacing, streaming carbonation from the bottom of the glass

Lots of grassy hops in the nose, some light lemon, pepper, honey sweetness, and crackery malt. It's simple but I like it

The flavor profile starts off with moderate sweetness and just a touch of spice. The swallow dials up the hops, bringing out more lemon and floral notes, which is counteracted by sweet malt

A light medium body combines with very subtle carbonation to result in a very smooth beer. It finishes mostly dry and a a touch sweet

This is a solid beer, light and simple but does not sacrifice flavor or aroma
Oct 06, 2020
Photo of VelvetExtract
Reviewed by VelvetExtract from Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Can. Pours very clear an bright. There is a very light haze that shimmers around but overall: clear, clean and illuminated. Very mild head. Soft nose. Bready and a bit sweet. Just a bit of hops and maybe a light spiciness. Flavor and body are actually fairly robust for the style. Fuller flavor than the nose led me to initially believe. Sweetness, honey-wet bread, bread crust, spicy and a bit of citrusy hops. A very light tickle of alcohol. Drinkable still, but not among the elites in this area. Lighter carb. Solid but not exactly built to my taste specs for the style. A bit bigger and denser.
Aug 27, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by DBosco from Massachusetts

Aug 11, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by paulish from New York

Feb 22, 2020
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

3.83/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: The beer is clear yellow in color and has a light to moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high white head that left a patch of bubbles on the surface, a narrow collar around the edge, and lots of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Light aromas of honey and biscuit malts are present in the nose.
T: The taste follows the smell and has flavors of honey (with a touch of associated sweetness) and notes of biscuit malts. There are some hints of floral hops, which mostly serve to mask most of the sweetness of the malt and honey and contribute just a faint amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied and quite clean on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is a tad bit maltier compared to other beers in the style but still has a good dose of underlying hops to mask most of the associated sweetness.

Serving type: can
Feb 18, 2020
 
Rated: 3.9 by SiepJones from Pennsylvania

Jan 01, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by Iski100 from Massachusetts

Nov 19, 2019
Photo of Harrison8
Reviewed by Harrison8 from Missouri

3.84/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Pours a translucent honey-yellow with a finger of white foam that retains okay. Aroma is straw, lemon zest, grassy, herbal, spicy hops over biscuity, bready, doughy malts. Just a kiss of yeast at the end seals it up. Flavor profile is lemon zest, straw, barley with grassy, herbal and spicy hops alongside bready, doughy, biscuity malts. There is a little yeast that swells up in the middle and recedes, allowing the malts to see through and linger at the end. The touch of zest alongside doughy yeast keeps it drinking interesting. Mouth feel is medium-thin with a fuzzy effervescence. Overall, intriguing and on the right track, but lacks a little balance as the malt and yeast notes sit on the tongue for a long while.

Served in a 15.5oz Speigalau tulip from a 16oz can.
May 01, 2019
Photo of malrubius
Reviewed by malrubius from Vermont

4.56/5  rDev +19.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Can. Gold with slight chill haze and dense white head and lace. Beautiful noble crackery malty aroma. Medium light crackery honey grainy sweetness with medium herbal noble long bitterness. Light lively and with nice soft touch. FUCKING NAILED IT.
Mar 26, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by LAM01833 from Massachusetts

Feb 01, 2019
Photo of Gavage
Reviewed by Gavage from Nevada

4.13/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: golden yellow in color with a 1/2" head that lasts a bit.

Smell: some biscuit and grassy tones are picked up by the nose.

Taste: biscuit, grass, hint of lemon, and a decent grassy bitterness.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer. Crisp and refreshing.

Overall: a very well balanced pilsener that is satisfying and very easy to drink.
Apr 07, 2018
 
Rated: 3.54 by Hughespjh from Massachusetts

Feb 09, 2018
 
Rated: 4.08 by Heftklammer from Massachusetts

Jan 09, 2018
 
Rated: 3.96 by vecchionem from Massachusetts

Dec 27, 2017
 
Rated: 3.93 by Synesthesia from Massachusetts

Oct 27, 2017
Photo of EMH73
Reviewed by EMH73 from New York

3.92/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Pours a clear straw yellow with a well retained half inch head that left a little lacing. Smells of bread (lightly toasted), malts, floral notes and grass. Taste follows the nose, a classic pilsner . Light bodied, ample carbonation, clean and crisp.
Oct 17, 2017
 
Rated: 3.98 by Hombo3 from New York

Oct 15, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by GravityKills from Massachusetts

Oct 02, 2017
Pfaffenheck from Night Shift Brewing
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 150 ratings