Genesee Brew House Pilsner
Genesee Brewing Co.

I've been drinking a lot of this lately, because it is currently the cheapest ($4.99/6-pack), consistently drinkable six-pack I can find. If you hadn't guessed, my review is that it is an inexpensive drinkable beer. It's a more bitter and herbal than a typical American adjunct lager-style beer, which I guess is what allows Genesee to call it North German style, but not hoppy like an IPA or even an amber ale. There is nothing I can point to that's particularly praise-worthy about this beer, but it is drinkable, affordable and currently available in my neck of the woods.

I enjoyed this bottle poured chilled in a willybecker.

The color is apropos golden with good clarity and white head with very good retention. The smell has a light herbal and subtle mineral yeast aroma. The feel is very good moderately bitter yet balanced with a malt foundation, crisp and dry.

The taste is very good -herbal hops with a slight spicy taste and mild toasted malt flavors with light yeast adding a dry mineral element. This is a refreshing German Style Pilsner perfect for summer drinking, spicy food and barbecue perhaps.

12oz brown bottle, sample from the brewery.

This brew has the body and crispness of a German Pils but it does not come off 100% clean. Graininess seems a bit muddled with husky undertones and the hop character is a bit muted. A little bit of oily hop flavor but bitterness is lacking. Malt flavor never really develops fully. Odd finish.

 

 

 

Genesee Brewing Co. "Genesee Brew House North German-Style Pilsner"
12 fl. oz. brown glass bottle, production coded but without freshness dating
$2 @ Wegmans, Collegeville, PA

Appearance: Clear yellow-gold body beneath a creamy head of bright white that holds well and leaves some very nice lacing about the glass.

Aroma: Gently sweet and grainy malt with floral hops and perhaps a touch of herbal character in the background. It reminds me of a smell I recently encountered in the late spring as I stood looking across the sun-soaked fields at a farm in Vermont. There was a fence covered in honeysuckle and I think I'm finding that here.

Flavor: As the aroma suggests. The malt and hop combination is distinctly pilsner. The hops are floral, mildly spicy, and just slightly herbal, mainly in the finish. The malt is a touch grainy or straw-like, clearly displaying Pilsner malt. The balance is quite good, leaning to the softer side - I'd call it a Czech pils in that regard, and certainly not a North German Pilsner as it's labeled as it's just not bitter enough. Clean, dry, hoppy finish with gently lingering malt and hops that draw you back to take another sip. Really quite drinkable.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light in body with a moderate carbonation level that lends a gentle caress to the palate.

Overall: I'm not sure what this beer actually costs as I've simply bought a single bottle, but if it's inexpensive enough it might be an excellent buy (a diamond in the orugh, shall we say?). There is something about it that I don't find quite right, but as a professional brewer I still cannot quite put my finger on it so I'll have to just let that go and give it my full approval. I enjoyed it immensely and my only issue is the "North German-Style" designation. Well worth trying. Really drinkable and satisfying at the same time.

 

Comes in a clear, bubbly straw color with a thin, foamy white head, with good retention and rings of lacing.

Smells of semi-harsh graininess upfront, but then delicate malt characteristics, including crackers, white bread, and a lot of honey. Tons of restrained but captivating honey sweetness. Hop character is even more subtle, but there are white flowers, white pepper, and lemon candy.

On the palate, malt complexity abounds. White bready, even doughy, but with a touch of crackery dryness, a hint of toastiness, but smothered in tons of lip-smacking honey. This pilsner is more balanced and showcases malt complexity over hoppiness. There is some lemon zest, but the residual bitterness is more of earth, with just a touch of grass and green pepper. Very clean, but not quite as watery-crisp as some pilsners, as there is a subtle but lingering earthy, grassy bitterness.

Mouthfeel is as expected for the style, light to medium-light, highly carbonated, crisp, clean, lightly dry, chuggable.

This is a unique pilsner as I've had them so far. I love that honey flavor, but I would prefer a touch cleaner on the finish, and a bit more hops. Overall, though, great stuff!

 

 

Pours a pale gold color with a tall, creamy head. Clarity is excellent. Aroma is a showcase for the pils malt. So much fresh bread and grain, but there is more than enough earth and spice from the hops to balance everything out. Flavor is dry, crisp, and bitter, yet it finishes soft. Medium-light bodied with lively carbonation and very clean.

Wow, this is an outstanding pilsner! Genesee absolutely nailed this one. A great beer for when you're craving something crisp, brisk, and refreshing.

A-pours a transparent yellow color with a white head with good retention
S-straw, fresh bread, slightly floral and spicy
T-sweet malt met with a nice balanced herbal bitterness, a bit of dry bread in the finish
M-medium bodied, slightly above average carbonation
O-cool, crisp and refreshing beer. great beer for the summer

 

 

 

 

 

 

The nose is breaddy. The epitome of bread. Soft middle, golden hard crust. It has it's own complexity and even on the nose a whiff of sulfur can make you think it has touched the bottom of the oven. Hops are vivid with floral, earth and soft but strong spice. Exceptionally bright. Creamy white head, lively bubbles. No diacetyl, no fruity esters from yeast, no DMS. When this style of beer has no dms people think it drinks thinly but really that is crisp. The taste is smooth. As the beer finishes the malt comes to a perfect end on the palate. Sharp, crisp only a hint of that lemon backing from this particular hop. The bitterness lasts and shows the well defined malt. It has a clarity at the finish that is exemplary.