Wet-Hopped Hanse
Schilling Beer Co.

i like this on a number of levels, just my second beer from these folks. first of all, fresh hops from vermont is not a common thing, so thats cool, but a wet hopped keller is not common either, and that is a major selling point to me on this one, unconventional and interesting, and the execution here is super impressive, a really well done lager at its core, and not overly hopped, its an accent to a beautifully made lager, very drinkable and high end overall, memorable even. i first of all am taken by the visual lightness and indeed clarity this has, obviously keller is unfiltered generally speaking, but this one still looks very well refined to me, maybe its the overall lightness that is making it look so clear, but its lovely, bubbly, high white headed, and frankly quite pretty, champagne tinted with just about as much pop to it. the aroma and flavor on this are herbal, botanical, fresh, chinook in this, but not pungent and dripping alpha like the northwest grown stuff, and its so conservatively dosed that the base beer, which ive never had on its own, is fully in tact and present, lager yeast is forward in nose and taste, german, professionally done, fresh doughy crackery bready pils malt of some interest, and just subtle citrus and grassiness to the hops, cohesive and balanced, brisk bitterness at the end but not aggressive in any way, and it has some body for being as light colored as it is, easy drinking but fluffy and uplifting feeling, not thin or vacuous at all, complex but from simple ingredients, which is rad, the way it should be in a style like this, the water chemistry is bang on, patience in fermentation is apparent, and the wet hops are subtle but appreciable, like this is hoppy for a german lager but not hoppy by american standards really, and its a neat expression of a different type of chinook, green tea, lime, lemongrass, all quite subtle. rushing and peppy carbonation, dry as a bone, gorgeous flavor recall after each sip, then clean again and gone. this is elite in terms of quality, clever in terms of the fresh hops and the proportions, and it has me eager to track down more from these guys, a truly beautiful brew, grossly underrated, what more do you people want?! magnificent!

 

 

Pale yellow body with a modicum of haze; dense carbonation; thick head, white and frothy, very long-lasting. Vibrant and fresh aroma; very floral with a light spiciness; perfumy. Soft and balanced taste; light, biscuit-like malt backbone with an easy hop bitterness; delicate lemon tone; fresh green herbs such as thyme and parsley. Medium body; crisp; mineral snap on the palate.

This is a phenomenal beer, full of flavor with a well-rounded mouthfeel. The appearance is incredible and adds to the overall pleasure of drinking his beer.

ABV: 5%; pouring temperature: 54.0 ℉; canning info: 091025
Source: local purchase (Coaltrain Fine Wine, Craft Beer & Spirits)

 

 

 

 

Canned 2022/09/19
Pours a frothy creamy 2 finger head with great retention, sticky lacing, hazy pale golden color

Nose grainy pilsner malt, straw, cereal, doughy, hint of cake batter, little creamy malt, light piney but fruity hops

Taste starts with fruity pebbles, cereal grain, straw, doughy and little creamy batter, hops are fruity with a touch of spice and pine, light bitterness up front, med dry finish with med to a bit higher spicy hop bitterness lingering

Mouth is med bod, soft lager but a bit creamy, med to higher frothy carb

Overall not bad, Keller base is decent, hops don't seem to add much and maybe detract

 

Can. Pale gold light haze with lasting head and lace. Beautiful. A pils can't look better than this. A little bit grassy with some non-descript but not unpleasant very light pine and citrus. Light grainy sweetness with a little breadiness Very clean grainy finish with a hint of bitterness. Light and lively without biting. I'm having trouble discerning the hop notes because I am too high. Anyhow... even though I prefer traditional German pils, this is fucking delicious! Shit, I hope I don't have covid.