Kiwi Pils
Wild Mind Ales

from a technical standpoint, this is probably the best beer these guys are making right now, it is a solid pils, with a wonderfully unique and subtle hop profile that makes it original, and a crisp dry finish, a real well made lager and a bit of a random beer on a menu otherwise full of what they are calling wild beers in the saison fashion. crystal clear straw colored brew with a tall and lasting white head. i smell and taste fresh and light pils malt, crackery and traditional, but more than that, the hops are what makes this beer. they have some of that classic new zealand tropical fruity nature, but arent over the top, and instead of the classic limey grassy saaz to finish, its a slightly more oily, sweeter, and fruitier complexion. they use perle and kohatu hops, which i dont know nearly enough about, but they seem delicate to me, even as interesting as they are, and a pilsener seems to me like the perfect style to showcase them. just enough bitterness at the end, snappy carbonation, and a fresh and mild lager yeast as well. great session beer and something far more refined than their others right now. this one gives me a lot of hope for the future of their other beers...

Not a beer I expected to see from these guys, and while I'm a big fan of German pilsners, I'm not used to seeing them incorporate NZ hops, so...why not give it a go? Served in a tulip, pours a slightly cloudy dull light gold, with a decent head but disappointing for the style. The nose is a bit muted, though I do get some promising doughy pilsner malt and a faint sense of some fruity and piney hops. Taste has a lot of good pilsner stuff going on, more doughy malty notes, and then some juicy citrus which somehow works, and some earthy rustic notes, too. Again, some pine on the finish. Not crisp, exactly, but a good body, nonetheless. A little odd, but in a good way.

smells fruity and lemony. very clear color.

This beer pours a clear golden color. The head was white, frothy, 1 finger, and has nice lacing on the glass. The nose is slightly fruity smelling, kiwi. The flavor starts out dry, then a friuty sweetness kicks in. It feels pretty good going down, not watery. Good flavor. Good beer.