Skagit Pilsner
Farmstrong Brewing Company

RB Transfer

can into glass
Medium light amount of white head. Medium gold appearance. Quite moderate, slightly toasted malt, with a little herbal/floral hop note, for the aroma. A little sharp herbal flavor, with a little lightly toasted malt

A 12oz can served in a nonic glass.

Clear light straw colored, modest bright white head that recedes fairly quickly to a thin cap of foam, decent lacing. Active carbonation streaming as it sits.

Smell is grainy/bready malts, honey and yeast, citrus and some generic fruit notes, a bit of grassy/spicy hops.

Taste is much of the same, bready malts and yeast, tangy lemony citrus and pear, light grassy and spice notes.

Body is very light, almost watery. Dry side and crisp, carbonation is on the heavier end.

Nothing fancy, just a fairly well executed pils. I wish the body was a bit heavier, still, really easy drinking on a 93 degree day.

never heard of these guys before this one, but i liked it a lot. i love craft beer at this low alcohol, and i love how fresh and crisp it is, a perfect summer patio beer, but its moderately better than just being a pounder too, its classically styled, just lighter than most, with some very european characteristics to the malt and the yeast. the lagering is clean and patient and professional, and there is some flavor to it before it goes dry. the hops are very mild here, a finishing pop of green bitterness but thats about it, lightly grassy and herbal, but the grain flavors this the most, clean and crackery, earthy but well refined, and the proportions of everything seem just right. this isnt watery or minimal at all for its low alcohol content, and its amazingly refreshing and peppy, lots of bubbles, perfect when fresh and cold from the tap. this seems like a really interesting operation, and while this is good, its also not quite unique enough to have me stoked, but their other beers look intriguing and ill be on the lookout for more of them when i am back in washington in a couple of weeks. this was a great first impression through, perfect slammer after (or during) a long work day on the road! definitely better than its ratings!

L: Clear pale yellow with a tall frothy head, moderate retention but great lacing.

S: Subdued biscuity and sweet malt with pronounced grassy notes and very lightly hopped.

T: More pale lagery than a Pilsner - this was off dry malty, but light, crisp, and clean.

F: Light body, crisp, but a hair watery. Middle-ground on carbonation. Easy drinking.

O: Not too funky, but also not hoppy enough for my desire within the spectrum of this style.

 

On tap at a decent sit down seafood restaurant. Really impressed, there was some of the funk that a German pilsner, but in a light and crisp, satisfying drink. Little bitter for what I usually expect from American pilsners (which I normally don't love since none carry that funky feet flavor, but this one has it) though it's just right to balance the malt and funk. Low ABV meant that I could enjoy two with my meal and still be safe to drive. I'll definitely keep my eye out for this in the summer. This beer screams easy gentle summer.

Light light light incredibly pale thin yellow. You know when you pee and you can tell that you've been hydrating well enough? Good two fingers of fizzy white foam that lazily settles back in to a small cap. Super crisp and clean appearing, but oh so light and thin.

Sweet biscuity and slightly creamy malts and some grassy hops. Some noble spice but not much.

Light body reflects the appearance. Earthy hops with a little more spice carrying through. Less grassy than the nose. Malts are sweet and despite coming second in this review, are at the forefront of the brew. Biscuit/light toast. Light for the most part but there's an... odd heart beating within the center here that I can't quite put my finger on. It's slightly at odds with the rest of the beer, and while it's not necessarily offputting or 'bad' per se, it just seems a little... out of place.
Finish and aftertaste remain more bitter than I'd expect given the rest of this beer. There's an air of honey sweetness wafting around the edges as I reach the bottom of the glass, but it's faint for sure.
Overall it's a light and easy low abv brew that is pretty much constantly around everywhere up here. I'd take one if someone gave it to me, but it isn't something that I'd be likely to pick out myself.

Farmstrong has a real winner with this pilsner. I picked up a six at Red Apple in Concrete and I will enjoy all six. It seems like they balanced it just for my taste. If you are looking for a pilsner that's not too heavy on the hops..... but just right then this is your beer. All I can say is WoW.

 

 

 

12oz can from a sixer picked up at the north Spokane Total Wine for $7.99. I think I might have had this beer when it was still considered a Skagit River Brewing beer (talk to beertunes about that convoluted story), then again the Farmstrong version might be a whole new beer. No freshness date on the can, which has a cool, old-school label evocative of ice bags everywhere. "Skagit Pilsner"? I'm dubious about this beer being designated as any kind of pilsner.

Poured into a Budge Bros. Brewing (RIP) shaker pint glass, this was a clear amber-gold color with a huge (had to do a 2nd pour), sudsy white head that took several minutes to drop and left lots of lace.

Mild, biscuity malt aroma, and some very faint grassy hop notes.

Mildly sweet, malty taste to this. Definitely a malt forward beer, with the hops providing a very mildly bitter contrast but not much more. There's a tiny bit of mineral water tanginess as well. Very faintly dry note at the swallow. What is NOT here is an overly sweet maltiness or corniness that one might expect from a mass market-style lager, even one from a tiny brewery in the Skagit Valley.

Light bodied, mildly crisp, with a somewhat watery mouthfeel, as expected for the style.

They can call this a pilsner all they want. I think this is an American all-malt lager. Ironic I'm drinking this on New Year's Day, as this would be a nice summer lager, when it's name and label would be very appropriate. Not sure if I'll come back to it before then, unless I go to watch a game at someone's house. That would be an excellent winter use of this unassuming, easy-to-drink beer.

Poured from 12oz can into a dimpled mug.

Appearance: light yellow-golden hue with a light haze and a finger of frothy ivory foam that dissipates pretty quickly.

Smell: sweet malt with a little bit of graininess and just the faintest hint of grassy hops. It's not bad, but the hopping is a bit light for the style.

Taste: quite malty with a fair bit of sweetness. Hop character and bitterness are both quite low; this is more of a pale lager than a Pilsner, really. That said, it's still pretty tasty.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a moderate carbonation and decent creaminess.

Overall: a little bit on the sweet side, and not quite to-style, but a refreshing quaff nonetheless.

 

 

 

 

Golden brew with a decent head in the New Belgium snifter. Crisp and tangy. This has a very decent amount of flavor for the modest alcohol content and light everything. It actually has some substance and a little malty mellowness.

This definitely tastes like a Pilsner and wouldn't be mistaken for an American-style light lager. Very drinkable and "beery" in the best sense. From the 12 oz can purchased at Haggen Market. This version is actually 3.7 percent. This makes a good argument that Farmstrong can brew an excellent light and clean beer, and even be restrained with the hops.