Bohemian Pilsner
Brock Street Brewing Company

 

 

 

473 mL can from the LCBO; there's a date stamp, but it's smudged. Served slightly chilled.

Pours a brilliantly clear golden-yellow colour, with nearly one finger of foamy white head situated atop. It holds together for the better part of two minutes, fading briskly until only a thin collar and patchy cap remain; no lace, but it looks alright otherwise. Rather subtle on the nose - I'm getting hints of doughy malt and cereal grain sweetness, with much fainter suggestions of grassy hay and citrus rind.

The flavour profile doesn't drift far from that theme, tasting of bready, doughy malts and cereal grain sweetness for the most part. Hints of grassy, floral hops, lemon rind and earthy bitterness crop up towards the finish, with the latter carrying through into the aftertaste, albeit briefly. Light in body, with moderate carbonation levels that lightly tickle the surface of the palate, resulting in a smooth mouthfeel and excellent drinkability - indeed, that might just be this beer's strongest feature.

Final Grade: 3.48, a B-. Brock Street's Bohemian Pilsner is a serviceable, no frills pils that I didn't mind at all. That being said, I'd prefer several Czech imports over this facsimile (and those brews also happen to be cheaper), so I doubt I'll be returning to this any time soon. I still finished my glass without a fuss, as this is a decent lager that I wouldn't discourage others from trying.

 

 

473 ml can served cold into a pint glass. An LCBO purchase for around $3 CDN. Canned March 8, 2018.

Appearance - Clear, very pale golden color. Minimal carbonation. A small half finger of white head is poured and the retention is modest.

Smell - Clean with some grassy notes, a touch of lemon for good measure, but certainly not a robust nose by pilsner standards.

Taste - Grassy, with a slightly metallic and earthy funky taste. Not much grain and pretty watery. Not loving this on the first two sips. After a couple sips, the grain rushes back in diminishing the other unsavory flavors. Actually turns quite viable for the balance of the glass.

Mouthfeel - Smooth, light and crisp, carbonation is towards the high end, but appropriate.

Overall - Not a bad pils, but better imported and craft domestic options are available. Still quite viable in summer's heat.

Edit February 15, 2021 - Revisited this again, not much as changed the grain forward flavor still dominates here, but the look of the beer was underrated. Have given some extra points for that.

L - poured from a 473 ml can. Pours a 3 inch frothy head that drops down to 1 inch after 4 minutes. Very little lacing. Very pale yellow. Very clear.
S - very subtle, some malt
T - a faint touch of sweet bready maltness, but not enough. Bitter after-taste, not too balanced with malt sweetness. No hop flavour.
F - not much maltiness. Highly carbonated.
O - one of the better pilsners in Ontario (Ontario is significantly behind in terms of good Pilsners), but not malty and balanced enough to match a Pilsner Urquell style of beer. The balance went a little too far towards bitterness rather than maltiness. It also lacks that special melanoidin character of Czech beers. Likely a decoction mash was not employed. An addition of melanoidin malt, or a decoction mash, as well as the addition of a flavour hop might have brought this pilsner into a world-class level.

Very ordinary. None of the faults of a macro, but none of the finesse of a proper craft. Clear clean pale gold in colour, big white head settles to a ring, no lace. Subdued across the board, a whiff of hops, a touch of sweetness followed by gentle bitterness. Mostly characterless. Won't kill ya, but won't thrill ya, neither.

Pours a light golden colour, with a midsize white head. Corny, yeasty flavour and a smell to match. I’ve tasted better pilsners. The carbonation is good, mouthfeel is somewhat dry.
March 13 2020