French Pils
Tahoe Mountain Brewing Co.

 

an impossibly underrated and underappreciated beverage, that bothers me, this is too good to go ignored and disrespected. it definitely ranks among the more exciting takes on this style i can think of. a classic euro pils type also fermented with a funky french saison yeast strain, and it truly is the best of both words here. the pils malt is fresh and crackery and crisped up with all the classic lager elements, its mature and dry and effervescent to the point the head rises as high as the beer does in my glass, equal parts white airy foam and straw colored slightly hazy beer, its rad. the funky saison yeast creeps into the nose, where i get white wine notes and green still hard pear, and a weird funk, not quite bretty, but mature as well for this strain, cleaner than many other expressions of it, and just loving the pils malt base to chew on. dry and interesting at the same time, malty and simple, but also yeasty, rustic, and elegant. carbonated to high heaven, and fairly priced at under 7 bucks a go. i could not be happier with this beer, and plan to buy it up as much as i see it around. a perfect summer elixir for the beer nerd who needs just a little more from his pilsener types. man oh man, i loved this!!!

 

 

 

 

Consumed on September 8th, 2015 from a bottle marked "440 - 5/14/15."

Beer pours a cloudy light yellow, making a massive pillowy bright white head. The head subsides slowly, never getting less than a finger high during consumption. Sticky and clingy.

Aroma is more saison than anything else, though softer and less intense than most. Some juicy melanoidins and mild herbal hops.

Flavor is spicy and a little peppery. Yeasty. Some citrus and grass, but subtle. Some pilsener character comes through in the finish, which is sort of dry and bitter (like a Europils maybe should be) and in the malt profile, which is ever-so-slightly sweet and cracker-y.

Mouthfeel is medium-bodied and well-carbonated.

Overall, it's an interesting experiment that failed to make me a believer.

The beer is pale yellow with good clarity. White head with lots of volume, a big cloud of bubbles. Lots of lacing. The aroma has a simple crackery grain character, fairly fresh and bright. Some dusty saison yeastiness. A little bit of raisin and cider fruitiness. Mild lemons and grassy hops. Taste is dry and mildly to moderately bitter. Grassy hops with simple dried out malt flavors. A tiny bit tart. Light and effervescent feel. Nice enough saison.

 

This is described as a Pilsner-style beer brewed with a Saison yeast blend. Unfortunately it seems to bring out the worst in both styles. It's too flabby for a Pilsner and too bitter for a Saison.

Attractive golden amber brew with a nice pile of suds in the straight Zunft Kölsch glass. A little perfumey with a pleasant flowery hop note. Quite tangy and yeasty with a distinct hop bitterness but not enough hop aromatics. Bitter and plain aftertaste.

It's an interesting beer that might be an acquired taste, or maybe it needs more tinkering. From the 500 ml bottle purchased at Bottlecraft in San Diego.

Batch 440. Bottled 5/14/15. 5.4% ABV per the label.

Pours a hazy golden-yellow with a foamy tan head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of grain, earth, spice, pepper, and Belgian yeast aromas. Taste is much the same with grain, earth, pepper, spice, and Belgian yeast flavors on the finish. There is a medium amount of yeast and spice bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that leans more towards the saison style than a pilsner.

Serving type: bottle.

 

A nice saison, not overly exciting, but a great price point (at least at my local bottle shop). A bit of malt, a little spice, and some tropical notes. A very light, summer swill. I'll grab this one again.

Pours a thin head on a clear medium straw body.
The aroma is subtle floral and tropical fruit.
The taste is fairly sweet, floral honey and mild bitterness.
The texture is smooth.
It's a nice, easy drinking beer.

 

 

 

This pours a golden color with some nice, white foaming atop the pour.
I get a great estrery/flora-hop note on the aroma. There’s a lightly flora hoppiness to this, with a great biscuity finish—that bicarbonate/toasted baked good combination that I love so much. Good one.