Utopos
Grimm Artisanal Ales

 

16oz can purchased from the fridge as a single for $5.25. Surprisingly for Grimm, no canned-on date. This is pretty fresh as it just reached the stores around here. Based on Instagram it was released on May 4th, which means that this beer is just over 6 weeks old.

Look: Pours a pale to medium straw color with pretty good clarity. Maybe just a slight haze. There was a rocky white head that dissipated to a thin layer. There is nice carbonation rising up from the glass and maintaining the thin white head.

Smell: It has a really nice aroma of lime juice, zest, and pith. Herbal secondary notes. I want to say grassiness and basil, perhaps also sage. Green bell pepper on the finish after swirling the glass. There's a nice saltine cracker malt base underneath the citrusy hoppiness. There's a kind of diesel-type of aroma that reminds me a bit of the petrol note in dry white Riesling wine. It smells really pleasant and refreshing.

Taste: The taste very much follows the nose. Up front, it's very pleasant with nice lime zest and a bit of juiciness. The finish is dry with a nice amount of sharp bitterness and lime pith. After the bitterness subsides, the palate has a lingering lime zest flavor and sustained dryness and pepperiness. I became acclimated to the bitterness over time, and the malt character of the beer became more apparent and enjoyable. It's very light, crackery, and crisp. Really tasty.

Feel: It's fairly light bodied. It has a very pleasant mouthfeel - very crisp, smooth, and refreshing. For a 5.5% double-decoction mashed pilsner, I think that it achieves its intended mouthfeel.

Overall: It's a really nice Motueka-hopped pilsner. I think that personally, I prefer motueka hops when they are used in lagers more than in IPAs. I think that the next time I consume this, I will drink it a bit colder. I left this out of the fridge for a few hours.

Pilsner with Motueka Hops
Double Decoction Mashed

 

 

The gentle pour to attempt to empty a pint can into a clear glass Imperial pint mug fails because of the foamy mess that builds on top of the liquid. Unfortunately, this is becoming a far too frequent occurrence during a beer drinking experience. Not only does the mess expand seemingly endlessly. It's unattractive. Stark white in color, it almost always recedes unevenly and leaves irregular glass lacing that almost looks like some sort of mold. Often, it foretells a beer with an off taste and a thin body. The liquid is a thin amber color. The smell here is undefined and weak, further raising concerns about this one. Pilsners bodies are expected to be light, but this one is very light. So is any taste of malt or some other starch to balance the hop bite. It drinks mildly hoppy until the finish, when they provide a reasonable bitter bite. But, without a contrasting flavor, or at least a little body, that's not enough. Double Decoction Mashed doesn't seem to have had much of a positive effect here. The brewer's description of "crackery maltiness" is a misrepresentation. They do get the hop description fair enough. Let's hope this isn't the trend for the modern American Pilsner.

Lasting moderate head. Nice blankets for lace. Gold color with a light green hue and minor haze.

Soft and sweet aroma of pilsner malts. Light but appropriately floral hop nose. A very good start.

The start is malty but the hop harshly kicks in leaving the expected profile behind. The body and carbonation are within expectations. The finish and aftertaste are strictly bitter, a harsh ending.

 

 

A: The beer is slightly hazy yellow in color and has a light to moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a short white head that left lots of lacing down the sides of the glass and some small patches of bubbles on the surface.
S: Moderate aromas of spices are present in the nose - basil stands out in particular - along with hints of lime. The lime becomes stronger as the beer warms up.
T: The taste follows the smell except that the citrusy flavors of lime are a bit stronger. There is a light- to medium amount of bitterness.
M: It feels nearly medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation. The hops also seem to lend a bit of "bite" to the mouthfeel.
O: This was a very hop-forward pilsner and did a very good job at showcasing the aromas and flavors of the Motueka hops.

Serving type: can

Pours a golden straw color with semi clarity and a big fluffy head of foam and nice lacing. Light malt on the nose but not overly floral. Hop forward on the initial few sips but they really don't overpower the base lager. Smooth on the flow with a nicely semi-bitter finish. Notes of bready malt, grass, wheat, flower, and mixed spices. A light/moderate body that does not sway towards watery at all. Light and crisp with good snap and the hops seem to play perfectly.

Overall, I'm not that into hoppy lagers but this one is pretty damn nice.