Oracolo
Modern Times Beer

16oz can at share. Pale golden pour, small foamy white head. Aroma is grainy, biscuity, grassy. Taste come in crisp, mildly dry, bready flavors and a small bite at the finish.

Slightly hazy unfiltered golden body. Medium floral and herbal notes, mild citrus, grainy cracker, a bit of minimal yeast ester, mineral. Medium lighter bodied, crisp, easy drinking, medium floral bitterness on the backend. Heavy noble hop presence, nice.

Nice head production, and a very lively body. Crystal clear, and a light golden body a shade paler than lemon yellow or straw. Retention and lacing are merely OK.

Aroma is nice, but quite restrained. Grassy, herbal, biscuity, earthy, floral; a touch sweet. Very pleasant.

Similar on the palate, but with a huge hit of pine and, to a lesser extent, citrus, up front. Really reminds me of SNPA. It lacks the huge bitterness of an old school IPA, but it has a similar profile - and is very different from a traditional pilsner. That's not to say there's nothing pils-like about it; up front, in particular, the pilsner malt and German hops are notable, and they do last throughout, returning for a light show after the hit of the hops has mostly faded.

Crisp, lively, drinkable.

If "Italian Pilsner" is code for "India Pale Lager," then this really fits the bill - perhaps just a touch less hoppy and bitter than you might expect from, say, Jack's Abby. But if it's really just supposed to be a dry-hopped German pilsner (as Google suggests), then I can't help but feel that this one is just a bit overboard. Delicious, drinkable, crushable, but missing the bullseye by just a bit.

 

2021 Batch, canned in mid-February but type on bottom of can is smudged and illegible.
L: Pours a pale gold with a medium head. Retention is slightly poor, not much lacing which I don't expect from a pilsner.
S: Smells lovely; bready, hoppy, and clean in equal measure.
T: Taste mostly matches the nose, yet I can't shake that the promises of the aroma are not matched by the actual flavor.
F: Light, crisp, hoppy.
O: Modern Times cranks out world-class lagers, and this is a tasty addition to their large family if not one of their standouts. Ticks all of the boxes for its style, but can't help feeling that a collaboration between these three breweries should have resulted in an all-time great!

Canned 06 May. Thanks, Sam!

A clear light orange with a dense white head with good retention and lacing this looks good. The nose has the classic Italian Pils character with the bright hop burst, a blend of gooseberry, melon, mint and the usual lemon. A soft doughy sweetness is present, softly honey like. The palate opens with a blend of mild bitterness, mild sweetness and moderate hop flavor. The intensity of the hop flavor really calls to mind Tipopils- it borders on soapy even though it's crisp and clean. The mid palate has some honey, a little dough, but also has more hop flavor with gooseberry and a Honeydew/Crenshaw melon note. Drying, bitter, crisp and obnoxiously clean on the finish, this is bright and tasty. Mildly spicy from the hops as well.

seems like italian pils is a real thing in portland, i feel like i had them all over town, and this is another good one, probably the hoppiest of the ones i had, a collaboration with a couple of other regional studs in wayfinder and heater allen, pretty good trio for a hoppy lager! this is well refined but not perfectly clear, white headed and bubbly looking from the tap at their spot, a perfect beer for the rooftop patio on a hot summer afternoon, honestly perfect, i drank this in just a couple of sips and then wished i had another one in front of me. i get some light spiciness from the hops, a bitterness not just on the swallow but for pretty much the whole drink, and there is a light lemon rind freshness to it as well. the grain is simple and clean, the yeast is definitely a european pils type but doesnt contribute anything unique really, its the hops that drive this one, approaching india pale lager for sure, but the european yeast and grain make it more of a crossover. i sure like a pils with this much character, the freshness pops too, and the carbonation is on point. this is really good, i hope italian pils spreads its wings in this country, so much potential here. i always say there is no room for innovation in a good pils, but i think this niche kind of carves out some space for that. i need more of this.

Type: 16-oz. can
Reviewed as: Italian Pilsner
Glass: Modern Times 16-oz. Willi Becher glass
Price: $14 for a 4-pack
From: Modern Times Lomaland in Point Loma (San Diego), Calif.
Purchased: May 13, 2020
Consumed: May 15, 2020
Misc.: Canned on May 6, 2020; Batch #360

Pre-ordered this the previous Saturday, along with a pair of hazy IPA 4-packs, a dopplebock and a barrel-aged stout. Was in when I saw that it was a Pilsner collab with Heater Allen, let alone Wayfinder. The email description of it read, “Our latest collab with the homies at Wayfinder and Heater Allen is a crisp and gloriously hoppy Italian-style pils that showcases some extremely choice American grown hops (Super Saaz & Crystal, specifically) with a supporting cast of classic German hop varieties. Prepare thy thirst for a thorough smiting.”

Poured a medium yellow clear color with 1-to-2 finger of fizzy off-white head. Good deal of bubbles coming up from the bottom of the glass. Below average watery lacing. Average retention. (Sight - 3.25)

Smelled just like I hoped it would with a little bit of hops and pilsner like qualities. In order got sourdough bread, Cheerios, grass, hay, Saaz, black pepper, unknown spice (cinnamon?), herbal and floral. Even better out of the can with Saaz, sourdough bread, Cheerios and some dank spice. (Smell - 4.25)

Taste wasn’t quite as good as the nose. In order got sourdough bread, Cheerios, cracker, biscuit, lime, grass, hay, Saaz, black pepper, hints of cinnamon stick, herbal and floral. Grew on me as it went down. (Taste - 4.00)

Medium body. Oily texture. Lively-to-fizzy carbonation. Abrupt, dry, spicy finish. (Feel - 4.25)

Just an excellent pilsner overall. Glad I picked up a 4-pack of this. Might have underrated this. (Overall - 4.25)

4.09 | 91 | A-