Lager of The Lakes | Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store

3.67/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Well, fry me for an oyster! I bought this CAN on Friday at The Beer Shoppe in Ardmore, PA with a more nefarious intent than including it in Even More New Odds & Sods Beer Sunday (Week 747), not realizing that I had NOT previously reviewed & rated it on here! What a bit of luck! Two birds, one stone, etc.

From the CAN: "As refreshingly crisp as a morning swim in the Great Lakes, this Golden Lager sparks thoughts of sandy beaches and freshwater islands."; "Bohemian Pilsner".

I CANnot explain why I am so excited about all of these Lagers (& a Kölsch), but I think that it has a LOT to do with my recent bout of Stouts! If you think that cheese is binding, try a day & a half of nowt but Stouts. 8=p Man, it felt like I was the goose in foie gras yesterday & the clearing house giveaway only beCAN late today! 8=p

The Crack! was like music to my ears. I celebrated the opening of the vent by CANducting a slow, gentle C-Line Glug, which resulted in the quick formation of just under two fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, bone-white head with very good retention. Color was Straw-Yellow (SRM = > 2, < 4) with NE-quality clarity. Nose had a pleasant malty biscuitiness along with a grassy, hay-like hoppiness. Yum! Mouthfeel was medium, big for the style. The taste was not as hoppy as the style dictates, meaning a mark-down in that aspect. It was not bad-tasting, but the focus in a Czech/Bohemian Pils should be the Noble hops and I was getting more of a maltiness. Finish was semi-dry to dry & highly refreshing. I CAN easily envision filling the cooler with these CANs & engaging in any of the multitude of activities depicted on the label. YMMV.

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4.16/5  rDev +14%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On draught at Frontier Brewing and Taproom.

Pours a clear straw gold, long lasting head of foam, lacing is good.

Noble hops nose, some biscuit, lightly sweet, less lightly bitter.

Taste is refreshing. Noble hops bring a nice twang. Some balance with biscuit, finishes with more of that pleasant hop bite. Again, very refreshing and has a good mouthfeel to it.

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3.77/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Look: It pours golden with a full white head. Head retention is excellent. It has very good clarity.

Smell: It has a light herbal and bready aroma.

Taste: It has moderate bread flavors with a balance in the hops which is an herbal and spice combination. The flavor is clean.

Feel: It has a medium body with moderately high carbonation.

Overall, a clean refreshing pilsner with a good balance between the malt and the hops.

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4.41/5  rDev +20.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz can. Absolutely fantastic Bohemian pilsner. Crisp yet soft mouthfeel, bright European hops with a light floral hint. I need to get more of these this summer.

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3.93/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear straw color with a little white head decent retention

Smells bready wiht notes of mineral

Taste is grainy, grassy, with a hint of lemongrass on the finish. A little peppery spice

Smooth, crisp, below average carbonation

Overall a very solid beer....would be great for the outdoors

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3.99/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Golden yellow in color with a deep hazy appearance. Poured with a tall, dense, rocky, bright white foam with excellent retention. Bready and biscuity malt aromas with very light herbal and floral notes in the background. Medium light bodied with delicate, yet medium high, carbonation and a light smooth feel. Mellow herbal hop flavors with bready, pilsner malt beneath with very light buttery notes. Medium bitterness near the end as this finished cleanly with light, lingering herbal bitterness that quickly tapers. Soft, subtle hop and malt characters with a delicate feel and easy finish. Very tasty and easy drinking.

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4.08/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Draft at horseshoe
Big creamy dense head good retention and lacing, steaming bubbles and clear straw color

Nose nice sweet grainy malt, grainy bready like, little floral almost spicy saazer hop, straw pilsner malt,

Taste fair hops, medium bitterness with nice floral slight herbal hop and mild spicy with a crisp bitterness on the finish, hint sulfate to add the hop crispness, nice light lager notes and little grainy sweet pilsner malt, clean lager, medium dry finish long bitter hop finish

Mouth is med to lighter bod, medium to as little higher carb

Overall pretty nice, good malt profile, nice strong hops with good bitterness and flavor, very enjoyable, really not sure why it's so low rating

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3.56/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

12oz canned 1-21-19 (opened 3-16-19).
1 1/4" stark white head, excellent retention and sticky foamy lacing follows. Deep gold, clear and clean with a ton of bubbles actively racing towards the top. Good looking beer.
Quick hit of sulfur on the nose. Grainy, corn. Subtle breadiness. Spicy Saaz-like hop aroma.
Grain and a grassy hop. Simple. Well made. Good. Afternoon over the bbq pit.
Crisp, clean, high carbonation. Decent bitter punch that lingers.

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5/5  rDev +37%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Finally a great craft pilsner. I love when a brewer doesn't try too hard. I had founder's PC pils and in a vacuum it's not a bad beer, but it just tastes like and IPA. This will have a regular place in my fridge. Keep it up bells... I'm from Michigan and i appreciate this great beer

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4.33/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured from 12 oz. can into a glass. Hazy gold color with nice white head. Maintained a good lace throughout. Mild yeasty smell but not off putting. Plenty of flavor for a Pilsner, neither sweet nor sour, hits the right notes. Crisp and clean finish. An unexpected delight thanks to my wife bringing it home on our grocery run. A great alternative to mass market Pilsners when in the mood for for a thirst-quenching beer with character.

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3/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Another terrible example, I did not like this beer on bit. This one had a very weird bitter taste to it. Not a well done lager, just a strange tasting beer that reminded me more of weird vegetables rather than anything else.

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3.84/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Nice pale gold beer with a fluffy white head. Globs of lacing left behind. The aroma is grainy and hoppy. Taste is light, sweet, hoppy, grainy with some tart lemon.

https://i.imgur.com/meTlzfI.png

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3.87/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12 oz. Can
PKGD: 083018

Pours a pretty nice clean/clear golden yellow color, pretty nice carbonation, with a pretty nice thick/creamy one-finger plus white head, which leaves some nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, hoppy, lemon. The taste is pretty nice, malty, hoppy, with a nice touch of lemon. Medium body, ABV is hidden nicely, with a little dry/bitter finish. Overall, a pretty tasty brew.

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3.94/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

12oz can in the Gray Lot at UM-SMI game.

Pour: drank from the can...

Nose: drank from the can. Maybe a slight aroma

Taste: Crisp malts with slight earthiness, slightly bitter hops. Really clean and refreshing.

Mouthfeel: Medium carbonation, crisp feel in the mouth but still some body.

Overall: a solid pilsner that works in nearly any situation or food choice. Well done.

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3.94/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap.

A - Pale gold colored pour with nice carbonation and creamy head retention.

S - Light citrus and earthy cereal grain.

T - Crisp cracker cereal grain from start to finish, light citrus, a hint of herbal earthiness, and a small amount of honey. Ends with a pleasant balanced bitterness.

M - Medium body with just the right amount of pricklies on the tongue.

O - Crisp, refreshing, and deserving of a higher score than the current 3.64 rating.

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4.08/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

12 oz. can. Clear yellow body. Smells of doughy malts, floral hops, and a bit of honey. Tastes of doughy and bready malts. Stronger spicy hop flavor throughout. Perfectly clean finish. Light body. Not a beer that bursts with flavor, but that's not what I'm looking for here. It's a very well crafted beer.

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3.98/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I have been drawn back to traditional Pilsner beers. I became Tired of IPAs, Imperial Stouts, double IPAs, Belgian, etc. , you get the point. Not that I don't enjoy them, but the pleasure was losing it's luster. Turning to The Pilsner has helped . Lager of the Lakes is fantastic. Nice crisp flavor, easy to drink. Just what you want in a Pilsner. Bells delivers again

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3.72/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12 oz can.

Pours deep gold with decent clarity and a small white head. Aromas of spicy, herbal hops backed by biscuity malt. Very mild. More of that bitter, herbal spice in the flavor. Decent balance. Clean finish, medium-light bodied.

Hard to find any technical faults with this beer, as it's a pretty straightforward textbook Czech-style Pils. However, the sum of the parts is rather dull and unexciting. A solid lager but not something I'd be in a rush to revisit.

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3.58/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Transparent golden in body with white frothy head. Aroma of grains, lemonskin, light honey, grass. Tastes of honey grain cereal, vague lemon, light floral notes. Light bodied with light carbonation.

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4.04/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

The pour is the a vivid maize, just the slightest bit of haze, and a substantial white head that follows the beer down the glass.

The nose is full of enticing aromas - cracker, lemongrass, bread, earthy grass. The definition of a Czech Pilsner, IMHO.

The lemongrass is prominent on the taste, but the bread and cracker notes are also present, and the earthy notes lend this a substantial character that is present in the best beers of this style.

Just a pleasure to drink, especially on a hot summer evening.

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4.15/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Look: Pours a light yellow that is slightly hazy, but with a hearty clean white head that leaves droopy lace and settles to a minimum of a ringed film.

Smell: Mild cracked grain and faint yeast beckon you to take a sip...

Taste: This is delicious! It is amazing, with a clean minerally quality and underlying biscuit malt that finishes with a flash of grassy and herbal hops on the back of the tongue.

Feel: The cleanliness is supported by the lightness of the body which is aided by the carbonation and backed by the brilliant hopping.

Overall: My favorite thing about this beer is the minerally, clean overall flavor. The balance is excellent, the malt is biscuit and cracker while the hops are grassy and herbal so it's drinkable and satisfying. It is even cutting through the flavor of the sharp white cheddar and grain crackers I happen to be enjoying alongside the beer.

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4.11/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours a clear, bright golden yellow with a nice head (which dissipates quickly). Aroma is just slightly grassy / herbal hops with classic pilsener malt. Taste is pretty much the same. It is a no frills beer but very well done for the style. Body could be a tad lighter & have more of a crispness but otherwise really good.

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3.35/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured a hazy gold from a can. Huge head gives it a great look in a pint glass. Taste is unremarkable with a hint of citrus and malt. A little too much fizz hurts the feel for me. Not bad not great

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3.92/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

I had this years ago when I first started trying craft. At the time I thought it was too bitter. Well, times have changed as I've become a fan of IPAs. This poor a semi hazy yellow with a smallish head that leaves some nice lacing on the drink down. Medium mouthfeel but good for a lager. Some nice bitterness to the taste. This is the first time I saw it available here in NC and I'll pick it up again if I see it. Great summer brew.

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4.08/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12oz. can served my Spiegelau pilsener glass. Pours a lovely straw gold with a slight haze to the clarity and a fluffy, half inch, bright white head. Textured swaths of lacing are revealed as the head dissipates. Nose is clean and grassy. Taste follows nose with a delicate, spicy/earthy character in the middle and finishing with a light, bready quality. Mouthfeel is light in body with a lively carbonation and a semi-crisp finish. All and all, delicious and drinkable.

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