Bohemian Shine
Castle Island Brewing Co.

 

Drank on tap. Was flatter and less crisp than a czech-style pilsner. Will try the canned version.

 

 

Golden to straw color. Clear. Small but laying head. Good blanketing lace.

There’s a strong smell of creamed corn (DMS in the fermentation process). This primarily covers up the subtleties of a Pilsner.

Earthy start, not in a delicate way. Fortunately, the corn is gone on the tongue. Quite rich for the style with a neutral carbonation. The hop in the finish is floral and perhaps too subtle for beer resulting in an unbalanced offering.

Given the other ratings, I plan on rechecking this one to see if I had a bad batch.

Terrific Czech pilsner. Crisp, clean, but complex.

 

 

Very well done Bohemian / Czech style pilsner. At $11 for four pack of 16oz cans, it is steal compared to some other comparable great pilsners in US craft scene.

Excited for a Bohemian Pils... but canned 11/11/19, so a little old but should be good still
Pours a med foamy bubbly white head with med retention, bit of soapy lacing, very clear pilsner color

Nose brings nice rich pilsner malts, a touch of corn pilsner, cereal grain and a little dough, light floral hops, hint of sulfate minerals (not a bad thing for pilsner)

Taste brings rich grainy-sweet pilsner malts, touch of corn again but barely, mild sweetness, cereal grains and a little dough, then some floral herbal hops, med-light on taste and about the same on bitterness, turning more to a cereal corn mash late, touch of sulfate again as it dries to a med-crisp bitter finish, clean soft lager

Mouth is med to a bit lighter bod, med-higher carb, crisp bitterness

Overall solid Bohemian Pilsner, not as bitter or spicy as a typical Czech, not as corn-y or crisp as a German, but a bit in between which is nice.

16 ounce can into lager glass, canned on 11/11/2019. Pours lightly hazy/cloudy pale golden yellow color with a small fairly dense white head with solid retention, that reduces to a thin spotty lace cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Good appearance. Aromas of lemon, cracker, white bread dough, toasted biscuit, wood, peppercorn, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Some fruity/yeasty aromas, but not overwhelming. Nice aromas with good balance of pils malts and earthy hop notes; with good strength. Taste of big lemon, cracker, white bread dough, toasted biscuit, wood, peppercorn, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Moderate herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of lemon, cracker, white bread dough, toasted biscuit, wood, peppercorn, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice robustness, and balance of pils malts and earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and no lingering hop astringency after the finish. Fairly crisp/clean finishing. Very clean on lager flavors, with minimal fruity/yeasty notes. Moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately bready/grainy/sticky, and lightly resinous balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 4.9%. Overall this is a very nice Czech pils. All around nice robustness, and balance of pils malts and earthy hop flavors; very smooth, crisp, clean, and refreshing to drink with the modestly bitter/resinous/drying finish; very flavorful and not watery for the ABV. Perfectly balanced clean pils malt showcase and earthy Czech Saaz hops. Minimal residual sweetness with crisp resin dryness. A very enjoyable offering, and well made style example as expected of the brewery.

Pours a slightly cloudy bright golden color. Two finger white head dissipates leaving no residual head.

Aroma has light grainy notes with some white bread and spicy herbal hops. Maybe a slight touch of fresh corn in there, but that could just be me catching something a bit weird.

Taste has that nice malty backbone with notes of white bread and grains with a spicy hop bitterness on the back end. Hints of lemon and a mild honey like sweetness. The earthy hops provide a really pronounced bitterness.

Feel is crisp and drinkable with really bright vibrant carbonation that prickles the palate. There is a almost grainy character to the feel. Bitterness leaves a certain dryness on the back end the palate.

Overall I have to admit I was really impressed by this one. It does an excellent job of capturing the Czech pilsner character. Really enjoyed these couple of cans and Im jealous of people who access to this regularly.

 

This was very good - light, crisp, refreshing. Canned date 11/11/19. Pours a clean golden color with a little white fluffy head and some spotty lingering lacing. Smells of clean grain, malt, corn, bread, caramel and muted floral hops. Tastes similarly, good balance and crispness, not watery or overly sweet. Smooth clean crisp mouthfeel, perfect amount of carbonation. Really an outstanding lager and I tried hard to rate it according to its style. Never heard of this brewery before but I will definitely look out for other offerings. Thumbs up!

Clear pale gold colored body; coarse carbonation; thin yet lasting white head. Great cereal grain aroma. Cracker and wheat malt taste; mildly sweet with an excellently intense yet complementary hop bitterness. Medium body; crisp and warm on the palate; semi-dry mouthfeel.

This is a fortuitous acquisition for me. I got four cans of this excellent pilsner and should have gotten more. As is, I'll certainly enjoy the remaining beers when I'm in the mood for a simple, clean, and delicious lager style beer.

 

 

Canned on 11/11/19

Pours a crystal-clear deep golden straw body topped with a very slight head of off-white foam; mediocre retention leaves a frothy cap and collar along with a matting of light, spotty lacing; a beautifully-hued beer with a poor head holding it back.

Aromas of rounded doughy cracker crust forth, follower with hay and barnyard crispness; nutty tones steadily round into herb-touched black bread crust across the second half of the bouquet; rounded to the point of quiet assertion.

Taste offers a crisp, semi-sweet straw opening and dense crackery malt middle; floral dough adds definition through the mid-palate, while herbal honeycomb and musty grass add a more pronounced earthy tone to the finish.

Mouthfeel has a light body, crisp but with a subtle, encroaching malty grit along the mid-palate; a slightly above-moderate carbonation remains fluffy throughout, resulting in a consistently plush overall touch before a fading suggestion of bitterness melds into the finish.

A quality intermingling of dense malt and leveling prickly hop notes lends to an extensively well-balanced overall beer; every aspect is carried excellently along the palate, resulting in a simple, satisfying pilsner, and yet one that is far from lacking in detail.