Strissel Pilz
Crux Fermentation Project

a great, and i mean really great, czech style pils to go next to their much more common house german pils, which is also nice beer, but there is something about this one that just pops for me, its so old worldy and good, so well refined, and so flavorful, its among my favorite american made examples of the style i have had in a long time, near perfect beer for what it is, and something id love to see in their regular lineup, but i believe it to be only a special occasion thing. its yellow and clear and frothy from the tap, which is how i want it to look, i can see carbonation rising up, and there is nice lace left in the wake of each sip i take. its such an easy drinker that big gulps are demarcated by wide increments in the lace rings on the inside edges of the pint glass, only a handful of them before im down to empty. its crisp but with a defined citrusy hop character well beyond what i am used to in the style, and quite different, i wonder if a newer wave hop like a hallertau blanc or something was used in it, but i dont have any details on the beer. the malt is dry and clean, but not too sterile or anything, it has a serious dry cereal taste to it thats supports the earlier onset hops well and still has that light dusty european character. the yeast is light in this, old world for sure, crisp and drying, lightly floral and doughy, really tidies this up in the finish, this has really good snap to it. the balance of the elements and they way the come together is unique, and i could easily pick this out from a crowd of pils types in this style, its very distinctive and not just from the hops. a bit more body than a lot of these have, tangerine notes at the end with the graininess, and a overwhelmingly satisfying swallow after each slug. its awesome lager, exactly what i want this time of year, they really should make this a full timer! gorgeous.