Keller Pils
Summit Brewing Company

4.04/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
by Jacobier10 from New Jersey

12 oz can.

Deep gold and hazy with a frothy white head. Sweet pils malt gets trumped by strong grassy and floral hops in the aroma. Mild fruit as well. There is a sweetness from the malt in the flavor but it is nowhere near cloying. Hops sweep in at the end and make for a bitter finish. Medium-light and easy to drink.

Ranked #3 Kellerbier on BA with a 91 rating and I can see why. A really solid beer that I'd be happy to drink any time. Thanks for sending, Chaz!

Sep 09, 2021

4.06/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25
by jimmah120 from Minnesota

12oz can - review from notes

This was a welcome surprise, had it at a BBQ and thought that it was the regular Summit EPA at first, but the taste was much better, lighter, with a focus on clean bready lager taste and herbal hops

Jul 03, 2021

3.56/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
by vette2006c5r from Minnesota

Keller Pils pours a bronze color, with a small, but long lasting head. Aroma is very grainy, with hints of chemicals. Taste is sweet, lots of crisp grains, sugary, and hints of bread. Good body and feel. Overall, sweeter, and a little chemically, overall, not bad.

Mar 15, 2021

4.16/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by hbeimers from Illinois

This beer is light and a bit bitter. Beautiful color and aroma. Lots of good malt and hop flavors like biscuit, lemon, and yeast. Very well carbonated. Can't say I've tried many pilseners, but this was lovely.

Dec 31, 2020

4.65/5  rDev +12%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
by gudbrande from Minnesota

Pours slightly hazy yellow with a white head. Aroma is lemony hops, bready and biscuit malts that work together perfectly. Taste is classic kwickel, yeast really pops, seems somehow bold for the style. It's a great beer to have in the fridge when you're looking in the fridge for a great beer.

Dec 29, 2020

4.28/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
by defunksta from North Dakota

Appearance: Pours a mostly clear, light golden color with a bright and white, foamy head. SRM of 7. (4.25)

Aroma: Mild to moderate aromas of buttery wheat/bread, Munich malts, honey and sweet lemon upfront, but only for a second. Then the body hits you. Tons of wheat and dry grains. an overwhelming amount of yeast cleans the nose. The lemon/honey sweetness is gradually and steadily cleaned as the yeast fills the nose causing the citrus sweetness to fade quietly rather than abruptly. (4.25)

Flavor: Flavor follows the nose with some lemon and Munich malts that quickly dissolves into huge wheat, grains, and bread flavors. Tons of bread and drying yeast again. It billows and sticks around. Some sweet lemon and honey are washed around with it providing glimpses of once was, before a very late drying yeast comes through to finish it with dry grains. Slightly toasted bread malt profile.. A mild bitterness. The yeast comes in late at the end and dries out the palate completely. (4.25)

Feel: It is full-bodied, excellent carbonation. Billowing in the mouth. It feels almost chewy. Finishes dry and cleansing with a slight bitterness left on the palate. (4.50)

Compared to Schell's Keller Pils 4/18/20: Pours an identical color with a stronger head. Milder aromas. Much more grains, wheat, and yeast with lemon citrus. Less grapefruit and tropical peach flavors. Finishes much more full-bodied, bitter, and dry. This is a superior Zwickel. Winner: Summit Brewing

Compared to Hell Lager 3/29/21: Similar appearance. Similar aromas. Slightly more buttery wheat/bread and sweet lemon. Less white citrus and flower. The flavor has more buttery wheat/bread upfront, but then finishes with a sweet lemon before finishes with a rather stronger bitterness and astringency on the backend. More honey and less flower zest. Overall, quite similar, both were fantastic representations of the style.
11/2/21: Pours darker. Milder aromas. More grainy and bread. Less lemonflower and citrus.

Compared to Summit Dakota Soul 4/18/21: Pours a lighter yellow color. Similar aromas. Slightly more bread and lemon on the aroma. Less grass and salty bread. More bread, wheat, yeast on the tongue. Less sweet bread and salt. Less sweet. . A more full and yeasty body which is more drying so drinks more dry and clean.

Compared to Boulevard's Unfiltered Wheat 5/2/21: Pours a clearer color. Stronger aromas. More lemonflower and yeast. Less lemon citrus. Less smooth, with more yeast and bitterness. Winner: Keller Pils

Compared to Bahaus Wonderstuff 5/11/21: More lemon flower, flower, and dry wheat. Cleaner and dryer. Winner: Keller Pils

to Surly First Ave 6/22/21: Pours an identical color. Slightly stronger aroma. More lemon biscuit and wheat flavor. Dryer, cleaner, and more astringent. Overall, quite similar though.

to Fulton Lonely Blonde 7/27/21: Pours a lighter color. Milder aromas. More dry Munich malts and yeast. Less lemon citrus, flower, and malts. Lighter bodied and cleaner.

to Firestone Lager 8/24/21: Pours a similar color with a larger head. More lemon citrus, honey, pale malts. Less bready and toasty malt flavors. Fuller with far more yeast. Dryer and more bitter.

to Inbound Laser Loon Kolsch 9/19/21: Pours similar. More dry lemongrass, flower, and yeast. Less grape, apple, orchardfruit. Dryer and cleaner.

to Pryes Pragmatic Pils 9/29/21: Pours similar. Stronger aromas. More lemon citrus, dry yeast, grass, and hops. Less pale malts and salty bread. A dryer, fuller finish. More bitter too.

to Paulaner Pilsner 10/19/21: Pours a similar color, stronger head. More dry grains, yeast. Less bready and earthy notes. Similar.

to Weihenstephaner 1516 Kellerbier 4/17/22: Pours a lighter color. Milder aromas. More flower and dry grains. Less sweet bread, lemon, and honey. Lighter and dryer.

Overall: A fantastic and classic Zwickel beer. Brewed to tradition. Excellent flavors and body here. Nice lemon, wheat, with a light toasted malt profile. Yeasty, flavorful, and dry. Summit Brewing has really nailed this one. Some of their other beers sometimes seem somewhat lackluster, but the higher reviews for this beer are well-earned. This is one of my favorite styles of beer (Zwickel), and this one is another reason why. This one drinks probably more bitter than most, but one of the best. (Final Rating: 4.28)
*Compare next to any Zwickel, First Ave, Fulton Blonde, Classic, or a Czech Pils*

Apr 18, 2020

3.83/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
by eithne from Minnesota

20200326
Can - 12oz

Mar 27, 2020

4.09/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by Smakawhat from Maryland

Poured from the can into a tumbler.

Bright lemon and brass body color with great clarity. Nice slow amounts of fine carbonation with a giant rocking bleach white head. Thick retention and capped with a great island. Leaves a large crown when settled.

Wonderful mix on aromatics. Nicely clean with faint but excellent green herb hop aromas, and chewy slight bready sweetness.

Palate makes some interesting in roads. Good solid malt backbone, but with a much spicier hop angle mix on first sip. Lots of spicy hop mid palate notes of tight bitterness. Small doughy flavor, and a touch of lingering malt sweetness.

A bit hop forward for a keller, but still very good

Sep 21, 2019

4.24/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by mngermanshepherd from Minnesota

Another outstanding brew by Summit. Taste is a nice balance between malt and hops, definitely how a Pilsner should taste! Finishes a little hoppy, but not bad, a definite go to in summer.

Aug 20, 2019

4.04/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
by EmperorBevis from England

Canned in a crafty craft can and uncharacteristically for me ice cold with being refrigerated for a good two weeks
Pours a very slightly hazy slightly dark wheat coloured body with good white head
Rich grain aroma with prickly yeast notes
Flavours is semolina flour with a dry earthy finish

Jul 16, 2019

4.18/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by alexchilton from Minnesota

Slight hazy deep golden color. Malt adds bready cracker character. Noble hop character just to balance the malt. Very nicely done. Compared to Schell Kellar, there is no comparison. This one hands down.

Feb 27, 2019

4.03/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by DoctorZombies from Florida

Deep gold pour, excellent clarity; thick white head; good cap retention; solid ring; soap sudsy lacing. Floral hops and baked bread nose. Clean bready, cracker malt; lite floral hops with a touch of toasted malt and spice; very lite bitterness. Medium body and moderate plus carbonation; crisp lite feel. Overall quite enjoyable; crisp and clean with a lite bitter hop linger.

Feb 09, 2019

4.08/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
by Squire from Mississippi

Clear light golden color with white cap and lacing.

Aroma of sweet caramel malt with floral, spicy hops.

Expecting rich malt I was greeted instead by firm, sharp, bright, floral, spicy hops which were joined mid palate by an almost honeyed caramel malt. The malt is rich but that's more than offset by the hops. Together these flavors blend well producing a very pleasing balance that holds to the finish. After the beer warms a bit the malt takes a tentative step forward yet remains firmly in step behind the advancing hops.

Medium texture with balancing carbonation.

Overall this is a very pleasing beer made in the Pilsner style.

Oct 16, 2018

4.05/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
by zeff80 from Missouri

12oz can. Poured out a bright, straw-yellow color with a small, bubbly head of white foam. It smelled of toasted caramel, floral notes and citrus. Sweet toasted caramel with a crisp, sharp bitterness.

Jul 26, 2018

4.6/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
by rickyfinn from Minnesota

Too good to be true. Looks, taste, feel, finish...all superlative for this genre. Eat your heart out, Urquel.

Jun 18, 2018

4.24/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
by Ri0 from Wisconsin

Poured 12oz can into Pils. Bright and clear straw yellow with a 3 finger pillowy white head. Superb retention and lacing on the glass; a beautiful appearance. A nice pleasant sourdough aroma with scents of citrus peel, grass, and some light spicy notes. Flavor follows the nose well with a very clean malt flavor with some sourdough and a zesty hop finish. Extremely refreshing and crisp with exceptional carbonation and dry finish. This is very tasty!

Apr 11, 2018

4.05/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25
by AdmiralOzone from Minnesota

Pours a clear straw yellow with a healthy white head and decent lacing. The aroma is light citrus and crackers. The flavor is sweet corn, citrus and crackers. The feel is spectacular. Nice easy drinking beer that will be even nicer once the weather warms up.

Mar 04, 2018

3.88/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
by thebeers from Pennsylvania

Clear pale yellow with a finger of dense white head. Grassy hops, hint of sweet cornbread. Nice bready taste. A touch of corn sweetness, but less than the nose. Very subdued hop bitterness. Light bodied with decent carbonation. Nice, clean beer.

Nov 18, 2017

4.13/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
by MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota

Brewer's notes: "Our traditional, unfiltered German-style pilsner, Summit Keller Pils, was hailed as the #2 Pilsner in the world last year by Paste Magazine, so we’re not changing a thing. Same traditional Tettnang hops and modern German variety Huell Melon. Same spicy floral notes and balanced citrus bitterness. You’ll remember the malty-sweet and honey undertones, too."

Poured from 12oz can into glass. Stamped canned on date of '08/19/17'.
Somewhat cloudy, pale golden body, bubbly white head settles to thin cap, good coverage of lacing.
Spicy, lemony aroma.
Taste is one of biscuit, lemon, and sweet honey.
Crisp medium mouth feel.
Very well done.

Nov 06, 2017

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by pat61 from Minnesota

L: bright straw gold filled with rapidly rising bubbles under a 1" ivory foam cap with good retention

S: yeasty character is evident on the nose with scrambled egg, green apple, pear

T: rustic flavors with green apple, a hint of cooked cabbage, fruit, some oyster cracker and bread crumb with spicy, herbal hops showing up on the finish joined by a touch of snappy tartness

F: medium bodied beer, very creamy with medium high carbonation

O: This full flavored beer balances the rustic flavors well and is very drinkable

Oct 14, 2017