Dappled
Ocelot Brewing Company

Germany meets new world hop named Nelson. A very pretty beer, with just a notch off for a bit of a heavy Keller-like haze. Obscuring but not blocking in nature, I can still view the bubbles that are replenishing the meringue-like head through the tall thin glass. The rocky fall of said head creates a nice landscape.

Nicely bready, the Pilsner stands up tall here. The Nelson hops are noticed, but play along nicely with some white wine notes without the more bitter notes I attribute to the varietal. Taste isn’t as bready, and the hop joins in a bit more than the nose. The opening is a pairing of some bready with a light , grassy white wine. The back end gets a little green and peppery (both vegetal and spice) bitterness. Little softer and heavier than the classic style, to me.

This is pretty nicely done, balancing the classic style and hop influence quite well.

Pours a hazy pale straw, like all of Ocelot's pilsners. Notes of white grape and gooseberry on the nose. To be honest, I've never had gooseberry, it smells like Nelson hops smell and that's been a common descriptor. Get just a light touch of white grape, white wine give way to lightly peppery bitter that ends with a dry biscuit finish. It's super refreshing, but of Ocelot's pilsners, it definitely ranks below Sunnyside and Lamp for me.