30th Anniversary Pilsner Series - Mandarina
August Schell Brewing Company
- From:
- August Schell Brewing Company
- Minnesota, United States
- Style:
- German Pilsner
- ABV:
- 6.5%
- Score:
- 82
- Avg:
- 3.59 | pDev: 10.58%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 13
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Apr 12, 2016
- Added:
- Mar 12, 2014
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 2
SCORE
82
Good
82
Good
No description / notes.
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Reviewed by pat61 from Minnesota
4.25/5 rDev +18.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev +18.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
From tasting notes. L: Brilliant straw gold with a thin white foam collar. S: Malt, low background levels of sulfur, floral hops. T: Clean grainy malt, no fruity esters, crisp and bitter finish. F: Smooth, light, above average carbonation. O: A flavorful, refreshing beer that appeals to a wide range of tastes.
Jul 29, 2015
Reviewed by Chaz from Minnesota
3.43/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.43/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Golden in color, and with near-excellent clarity. Slightly hazy. Off-white head settles after a couple of minutes, leaving a touch of lace around the edge of the glass.
Although there is no yeast character (very neutral) on the nose, it still offers more than average fruit esters, being a bit more "Ale-like"than your average Pils. Prominent citrus character, and yes, Mandarin orange-like. A bit odd at first, but I think many might like this -- even in a Pils!
Right away this one is sweeter and more full of malt backbone on the first sip than your average, lighter-bodied and crisper Pils. Lighter bitterness toward the end of the drink, and it settles in and lingers mildly at the end. Bittersweet at the finish.
Citric character of the hop translates to a lemon/lime rind (not quite orange peel, at this point) and there's a slight note of oxidation*, as well.
There's a bigger, bolder mouthfeel, here. I believe this is 6.5%? So it's in Maibock territory, really. When this first hit the shelves I remember getting the impression that I couldn't drink more than two of these in a sitting without having to really -slow down- whereas that wasn't the case for the other recipes included in the 30th Anniversary Pils sampler.
Thankfully, the hop bitterness, although mild,really hangs in there and offsets the punchy-sweet malt in this almost boozy beer.
Overall it is unique and certainly -different- than your average Pils rendition, so I would rate it as being "above average" -- even though I didn't particularly care for it upon it's initial release. Mouthfeel has improved, and drinkability has improved with a bit of age.
Altogether this is a good beer, and this particular bottle (stored in its unopened 12-pack in the back of my 'DBF') held up very well, and perhaps even improved over the fresh rendition. The unique flavor characteristics of the Mandarina Bavaria hop and the alcoholic strength of the beer have finally come to balance one another out, and it is no longer as 'hot' as I found it to be, initially.
*Note: This is another 'year old' bottle.
Mar 10, 2015Although there is no yeast character (very neutral) on the nose, it still offers more than average fruit esters, being a bit more "Ale-like"than your average Pils. Prominent citrus character, and yes, Mandarin orange-like. A bit odd at first, but I think many might like this -- even in a Pils!
Right away this one is sweeter and more full of malt backbone on the first sip than your average, lighter-bodied and crisper Pils. Lighter bitterness toward the end of the drink, and it settles in and lingers mildly at the end. Bittersweet at the finish.
Citric character of the hop translates to a lemon/lime rind (not quite orange peel, at this point) and there's a slight note of oxidation*, as well.
There's a bigger, bolder mouthfeel, here. I believe this is 6.5%? So it's in Maibock territory, really. When this first hit the shelves I remember getting the impression that I couldn't drink more than two of these in a sitting without having to really -slow down- whereas that wasn't the case for the other recipes included in the 30th Anniversary Pils sampler.
Thankfully, the hop bitterness, although mild,really hangs in there and offsets the punchy-sweet malt in this almost boozy beer.
Overall it is unique and certainly -different- than your average Pils rendition, so I would rate it as being "above average" -- even though I didn't particularly care for it upon it's initial release. Mouthfeel has improved, and drinkability has improved with a bit of age.
Altogether this is a good beer, and this particular bottle (stored in its unopened 12-pack in the back of my 'DBF') held up very well, and perhaps even improved over the fresh rendition. The unique flavor characteristics of the Mandarina Bavaria hop and the alcoholic strength of the beer have finally come to balance one another out, and it is no longer as 'hot' as I found it to be, initially.
*Note: This is another 'year old' bottle.
Reviewed by CraigP83 from Minnesota
3.28/5 rDev -8.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
3.28/5 rDev -8.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Light as can be almost clear. Metallic grainy smell synonymous with German pils. Dry earthy hop flavor, metallic aftertaste. Nothing special, I'd grab a mass produced adjunct lager before I sought this out again
Feb 22, 2015
Reviewed by hoptheology from South Dakota
3.73/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.73/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Deleted my old review.
Appearance : flowing, foamy head, about four fingers tall. Mostly transparent, with a very light golden color.
Aroma : crisp, clean aromas with mild corn and wheat, I mean - this is what I envision a good pilsner should smell like. It's fabulous.
Flavor : it's a bit on the bitter side but its not at all bad. I think when I was reviewing it before (I gave it an overall 2.14) I wasn't used to the style. The hop is slightly dirty, or earthy maybe, but the rest of it finishes clean and just like a pilsner should.
Mouthfeel : like sucking on a cloud. That's the best I can come up with. It's so light, almost nonexistent. It ends a bit dirty and dry, but crisp at the same time.
Overall : I'm not one for bitter but id buy this again. It's a damn good representation of a pilsner and I'd drink them with ease. Nice work fellas.
Jan 11, 2015Appearance : flowing, foamy head, about four fingers tall. Mostly transparent, with a very light golden color.
Aroma : crisp, clean aromas with mild corn and wheat, I mean - this is what I envision a good pilsner should smell like. It's fabulous.
Flavor : it's a bit on the bitter side but its not at all bad. I think when I was reviewing it before (I gave it an overall 2.14) I wasn't used to the style. The hop is slightly dirty, or earthy maybe, but the rest of it finishes clean and just like a pilsner should.
Mouthfeel : like sucking on a cloud. That's the best I can come up with. It's so light, almost nonexistent. It ends a bit dirty and dry, but crisp at the same time.
Overall : I'm not one for bitter but id buy this again. It's a damn good representation of a pilsner and I'd drink them with ease. Nice work fellas.
Reviewed by steveh from Illinois
3.8/5 rDev +5.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.8/5 rDev +5.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Another shout out to Chaz & Grant for their huge generosity in allowing me to try some of these beers I'd otherwise never see.
I'll admit up front that I'm skeptical of a Pilsner using Mandarin hops, but I'm going to base opinion on my taste buds. 6.5 ABV Pilsner?
A -- Clear, deep gold with a smooth, off-white head that settles to a thin and persistent cap.
S -- Mildly piny and spicy with some mellow breadiness and peppery alcohol fighting for attention.
T -- Bready, crackery malts up front followed by a spicy -- slightly citrus hop character. Finish is breadiness with an aftertaste of citrus that turns to dry spiciness from alcohol. Hard to believe this is 60 IBU because the bitterness is very subdued and balanced by the malts.
M -- The mouthfeel is soft to dry with a light to light-medium body.
O -- Okay, I'll admit that I like this modern-day take on the style and would buy more when available. It's not a dead on, to-style Pils, but the hop character doesn't get carried away and send this into the APA zone, at least -- no APA I've tasted so far.
Jul 23, 2014I'll admit up front that I'm skeptical of a Pilsner using Mandarin hops, but I'm going to base opinion on my taste buds. 6.5 ABV Pilsner?
A -- Clear, deep gold with a smooth, off-white head that settles to a thin and persistent cap.
S -- Mildly piny and spicy with some mellow breadiness and peppery alcohol fighting for attention.
T -- Bready, crackery malts up front followed by a spicy -- slightly citrus hop character. Finish is breadiness with an aftertaste of citrus that turns to dry spiciness from alcohol. Hard to believe this is 60 IBU because the bitterness is very subdued and balanced by the malts.
M -- The mouthfeel is soft to dry with a light to light-medium body.
O -- Okay, I'll admit that I like this modern-day take on the style and would buy more when available. It's not a dead on, to-style Pils, but the hop character doesn't get carried away and send this into the APA zone, at least -- no APA I've tasted so far.
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