West Coast Pilsner
pFriem Family Brewers

Canned 4/18. Pour is an unfiltered pale straw with a frothy white head. Heady aroma of fruit along with a bit of yeasty goodness. The beer has that definite, but moderated, bitterness from the first sip that's typical of IPLagers, supercharged with ale-centered hops.

ABV is just 4.9%. PFriem packed in a lot of taste in this one.

Pours a clear, pale yellow color; fairly dense and lively carbonation; thick, long-lasting white head, a bit sudsy in appearance yet sports a sculpted, rocky top; decent rings and fingers of foam inside the glass; The aroma starts with a grassy note then evolves to a tropical fruit and berry quality, fairly bold; muted lime and mango blending with cantaloupe. The taste yields a good biscuit-like malt backbone which carries and reinforces the fruity esters noted in the smell. Medium bodied; crisp; balanced dryness offsetting the sweetness.

This is a very appealing and easy drinking beer. The beer has a rather classic pilsner appearance while the smell and taste brings out the hops (especially the Citra and Krush varieties) which reinforces the India pale ale side of things. Rather unique and a pleasure to sip.

ABV: 4.9%; pouring temperature: 46.7 °F; canning info: 03/20/25
Source: local purchase (Coaltrain Fine Wine, Craft Beer & Spirits - single)

16oz can from Homebrewstuff. Cloudy pale golden pour with a frothy, white head., clumps of lacing. Aroma is grainy with a light hoppy kick and floral notes. Taste is light bitterness, fruity, citrus and a hint of sweetness. A bit more bitter than I like, but pretty good

Look: Pours a cloudy medium yellow with a dense white head that settles to a pillow and retains well

Aroma: Kiwi, hybrid tea rose, tangerines, starfruit, white table grapes, sweet box, tart raspberry, and soda crackers

Taste: Opens up with a nice combo of tangerine, starfruit, and rose flower that sets the stage well, before developing depth. Kiwi, grapes, and berries trickle in to join and the cracker-led malt is ever-present through to the close

Mouthfeel: Light but full, clean, medium-high carbonation, and lightly dry on the finish

Overall: I dig it. I’ve been digging modern brewers take on the “West Coast Pilsner” as I still feel the Pilsner platform is great for showcasing hops, which this one does nicely. A unique floral/starfruit/kiwi/grape/berry combo that sets itself apart and per usual pFriem standards, is very well-made. Definitely worth checking out

highly refined, not overly bitter, which is how these are trending lately in the west. to me this is still definitely pils first, not hoppy beer first, but there is nice modern balance, high drinkability, and in typical pfriem lager fashion, its polished to the nines. rather light looking, brassy yellow in the glass with some mellow shine and a high airy white head, pure and clean, visibly light in body. id love to know what the hops are in this, it hits northwestern in a way, but also remains delicate, its not just abusively hopped, very intentional here, and it flows well, green lawn and verdant herbal character from the hops up front, more lime and citrus zest as it moves along, and some dankness and possible pithy bitterness on the swallow, a little weedy, a little gasoline thing that works, and some oils but never making it heavy, its fast finishing overall, nearly gone on the swallow. the pils malt is light, somewhat continental to me, mineral packed, and well extracted, this has an almost decocted spectrum to it, light as it is, just enough of a foundation for these hops, anything less would be overwhelmed, and its cool how dry they let it get. to me the ferment is near neutral, i can smell a little lager yeast character but in the flavor is lost to the hops, which is appropriate for the style, super crisp and technically excellent in fermentation though, as expected from these guys. some middle bite from the hops but cleaner later, feisty carbonation keeps it refreshing, real flavorful and summery, nicely selected hops for this, restrained enough to make this a ripper. another gem in their lager portfolio.

edit: enjoying a can about a year later, so good, seems somewhat more overtly hoppy than i recall, still lighter than many on the actual pils elements, so the hops really shine, citrus abounds but there is like green grape and subtle pear too, fruity in a cool way, and the bitterness is subtle but important on the finish. the whole thing is super refreshing in hot weather, it loves spicy and fresh flavors, and is one to put on repeat. sneakily one of my favorite examples of this booming style around right now. killer hop profile makes it memorable. top notch!

Normally I love nearly all pFriem offerings, but this one is a miss for me. I get nothing except diesel, assuming from Nelson. It's overpowering anything else. Heavily carbonated, a bit much for my taste.

One of the rare few disappointments from them for my palate and preferences.