Elm City Pilsner
New England Brewing Co.

Elm City PilsnerElm City Pilsner
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From:
New England Brewing Co.
 
Connecticut, United States
Style:
German Pilsner
Ranked #331
ABV:
5%
Score:
84
Ranked #22,097
Avg:
3.74 | pDev: 12.03%
Reviews:
174
Ratings:
416
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 01, 2023
Added:
Apr 01, 2004
Wants:
  17
Gots:
  36
Named after New Havens historic nickname, this is a true German Pilsner made with all German ingredients.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Manoftyr:
Photo of Manoftyr
Reviewed by Manoftyr from New York

4.52/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance-Pours a hazy straw-yellow into the pokal glass, moderate head with excellent lacing, the head quickly recedes to a film.

Aroma-Nice and spicy mix of noble hops steals the show with aromas of lemongrass and early spring flowers, some biscuity notes in the background but this is primarily about the noble hops.

Taste-Similar to the nose, some crackery pilsener malt upfront lays a foundation and then the noble hops do their thing making for a crisp, dry and spicily refreshing beverage.

Mouthfeel-Crisp, light and with lively carbonation; perfect pilsener body.

Overall-A great, quality pilsener; glad to see more good lager styles cropping up in the US.
Aug 09, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.92 by ctbeerman1 from Connecticut

Sep 01, 2023
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Reviewed by Specialmick from Connecticut

4/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Look...grainy yellow white gold with a frothy head.and completely transparent.
Smell...Light grassy herbal citrus zest. Smells like a German pils.
Taste... a punishing bitter but relinquishing its grip into a semi sweet citrus with German components of malt definitely imprinting its style.
Feel...thin phizzy with some lacing but the bitter keeps you somewhat at bay with a continual drying that works perfectly
Overall...This is a perfect example of a German PILS / This beer is really tasty xample. Glad to had this one. I might have to re review because it was so good. Excellent
Jul 02, 2023
Photo of puboflyons
Reviewed by puboflyons from New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
From a sampler on tap at the source on May 25, 2023.

The appearance is yellow-golden underneath a modest white head. Great clarity.

The aroma is much like what I expect from a German style pilsner with its toasted bread crust and grain characteristics. I get some light grassy hops too.

The mouthfeel is light and smooth.

The taste is sweet and traditionally grainy with a quick, dry and grassy finish. Crisp and clean.
May 26, 2023
 
Rated: 3.75 by BEER88 from North Carolina

Jan 27, 2023
 
Rated: 4.28 by The_Kriek_Freak from Pennsylvania

Aug 07, 2022
Photo of DefenCorps
Reviewed by DefenCorps from Oregon

3.38/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
8 month old can.

A clear light yellow with a thin white head. The nose is clean and crisp, but this lacks both, the malt depth and definition, and the hop aromatics a good pilsner should have. A light honeyed sweetness is present. The palate opens clean and soft with mild honey, toast and light biscuit notes. Hop character is mild. Clean, brisk finish. Decent.
Jul 22, 2022
 
Rated: 3.72 by chrishiker1409 from New York

Jul 04, 2021
 
Rated: 3.83 by zachary_snackery from Massachusetts

Jun 27, 2021
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Reviewed by AElfwine_Nerevar from Connecticut

4.46/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Can dated: 01/04/21

L: Pours a pale straw with perfect clarity and a plethora of carbonation streamers rising from around the perimeter and middle of the glass. A vigorous pour yields a fine, white three finger head. The retention is excellent and the head slowly falls to about 2mm which is retained for the remainder of the glass leaving an intricate webbed lacing as the beer recedes. What a beautiful beer this is!

S: On the nose I get herbal notes, fresh cut grass, a hint of spice, some grainy malt, and barley perceptible citrus. That being said the nose is the weakest part of this beer. Definitely muted compared to the taste profile and also compared to some German examples like Rothaus Pils Tannen Zäpfle and Einbecker Brauherren Premium Pils.

T: The front end is fresh cut grass and herbal notes. I get a bit of earth mixing with some grainy malt and an initial hit of light lemon in the mid palate that flows towards the back end. The back continues with the lemon highlighted by noble hop spice and more fresh cut grass finishing with a medium to medium-high bitterness.

F: Light bodied with a medium-high to high carbonation. The mouthfeel is crisp and clean with a nice drying finish that keeps you coming back for that next sip until you reach the bottom and have to crack another.

O: Having done a 5-way side by side with Rothaus Pils Tannen Zäpfle, Bitburger Premium Pils, König Pilsener, and Einbecker Brauherren Premium Pils; I would rank Elm City right below Rothaus with the intensity of the nose being the only thing holding it back. After Elm City I would rank them: (3) Einbecker, (4) Bitburger, and (5) König....Not that that matters for this review, but I since I mentioned it I thought I should at least include it. Elm City Pilsner is well balanced and eminently drinkable. Highly recommended if you are looking for a locally brewed pilsner. Hell if you are looking for a pilsner of any stripe you should check this out, especially at 10.99 a six pack of 12 fl.oz. cans. Don't mind the average here on BA, this is a world class Pilsner in my opinion.

Bonus review on tap at the brewery 03/08/21

L: 5.0
The same beautiful beer that I get from the can, but with the lightest haze (i can still clearly see a sharp, shadowy outline of my finger through the beer, but no detail). Amazing retention with the head leaving large amounts of webbed lacing as it goes down.

S: 5.0
Similar nose profile as from the can: fresh cut grass, grainy malt, hallertau spice, and citrus. That being said, this batch has a pungency and intensity of smell that I don't think I've ever experienced in a pilsner.

T: 5.0
On the front end I get massive waves of fresh cut grass and juicy lemon-lime that ride through the whole palate. In the middle the grassy citrus is complemented by a nice grainy malt sweetness mixed with a bit of spicy earth notes. The hallertau spice continues into the backend and finish. The finish has a nice medium bitterness.

F: 5.0
A light body with medium-high carbonation. The mouth feel is smooth and creamy on the front end, effervescent and prickly in the mid palate, and it goes crisp and clean on the backend and finish. The finish also has a good dryness to it.

O: 5.0
So I was told when I came in that although it wasn't on the menu yet a fresh batch of Elm City had just been tapped. Well of course I went for it! I can only imagine that this has to be close to what a German pils tastes like fresh and from the source. This was definitely the Elm City Pilsner that I know and love, but with everything amped up in intensity and also the mouthfeel was noticeably different. The nose was spot on with the can but so pungent and intense. The palate was amazing and I don't think that I have ever had a pilsner that I could describe as "juicy," but that's what this was.

This was one of those singular beer experiences that I will probably never have again, but that I had to take notes on and document because wow. Freshly tapped Elm City direct from the lagering tank was pretty darn amazing...dare I say a perfect beer experience.
Jan 28, 2021
 
Rated: 3.78 by M4CDO from Massachusetts

Dec 19, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by paulish from New York

Aug 17, 2019
 
Rated: 3.99 by Vylo from New Jersey

Aug 06, 2019
Photo of Fieceheart
Reviewed by Fieceheart from Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Its definitely called elm city pilsner. So i bought this expecting a beer not too dissimilar from nebcos ipas in terms of their characteristic body and feel... hoping it would be some dramatic hybrid with a new slant on pilsner but this is just like a very standard pilsner. Which to me, is a style without tremendous wiggle room. Its a very good pilsner. sour, bright and crisp with a stinging zip into your nose... a bit of lemon and biscuity dry malt... but at the end of the day it cant compare with the body and flavor of nebcos ales. Very fair price point. If i wasnt already ruined by ipa i might find myself searching this out but im not that “pilsner-y” of a guy anymore... but if you are a pilsner drinker, then you will not find fault here. Very good.
Jul 08, 2019
 
Rated: 3.5 by bdiiorio from Connecticut

May 05, 2018
 
Rated: 3.45 by deonreds from New York

May 02, 2018
Photo of Taybeh
Reviewed by Taybeh from Minnesota

3.79/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
On tap into a shaker, clear dull deep gold, puffy foamy head with middling retention and a little lacing. Nose is muted...bready but not doughy, and a little rustic spiciness, but just a little in the way of hops. Taste is a step up..nice and full bready malts, a little juicy grassiness, some earthy and almost mineral notes, and some zip on the mouthful.
Nov 17, 2017
 
Rated: 3.93 by JLK7299 from North Carolina

Oct 14, 2017
 
Rated: 4.19 by ColForbinBC from New Jersey

Sep 03, 2017
Photo of JohnWesolowski
Reviewed by JohnWesolowski from Connecticut

4.23/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
I was expecting a slight bitterness, since it is a pilsner, but this had a slight sweetness/citrus flavor. This is one of those beers that I might increase the rating on, after I get through the case. A beer worth discussing.
Jul 01, 2017
Elm City Pilsner from New England Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 416 ratings