Keller Pils
Summit Brewing Company

defunksta from North Dakota

4.41/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

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

Aroma: Aromas of honey and lemonflower 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. (4.50)

Flavor: Flavor follows the nose with some lemon and honey that quickly dissolves into huge wheat flavors. Tons of bread and drying yeast again. It billows and sticks around. Some lemon and honey are washed around with it providing glimpses of once was, before the drying yeast comes through to finish it with dry grains. A little bit of sour plastic firework. It's dry and leaves a mild and pleasant bitterness on the tongue. (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. (4.75)

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

Overall: A fantastic and classic Zwickel beer. Brewed to tradition. Excellent flavors and body here. 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. One of the best. (Final Rating: 4.41)
*Compare next to Surly Helles, Seems similar but possibly more bitter and full.

Apr 18, 2020

Smakawhat from Maryland

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

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

mngermanshepherd from Minnesota

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

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

EmperorBevis from England

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

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

alexchilton from Minnesota

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

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

DoctorZombies from Florida

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

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

Squire from Mississippi

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

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

zeff80 from Missouri

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

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

Ri0 from Wisconsin

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

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

AdmiralOzone from Minnesota

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

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

thebeers from Pennsylvania

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

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

MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota

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

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

pat61 from Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

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

brenn79 from Idaho

4.35/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12 oz can, thanks bro- Pours hazy straw golden with a medium white head that retains nicely. The aroma is lemony, citrusy, crisp, clean and refreshing. The taste is similar, crisp, clean, lemon, moderate hops add a dryness to the beer, and it follows through to the finish. Delicious.

Aug 13, 2017

ipeters1017 from Wisconsin

5/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a slightly hazy gold with a big, pure white head. Smells of biscuit, flowery and grassy hops, and a slight spiciness. Tastes flowery and grassy with a biscuit backbone, a hint of bitterness and an extremely clean finish. Mouthfeel is light, effervescent, and finishes dry. Summit's best beer, and the best pilsner I could possibly imagine,

Jul 09, 2017

TheLuckiestMan from Minnesota

5/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I gave it a 5 and here's why: I strongly feel beers should be rated according to style (ex: don't give a pale ale a 2 just because you don't like pale ales). This gets a 5 because I can't find a single flaw in this and I can't imagine a pilsener being better. It's awesome! German malts and hops brewed in Summit's copper brew house. This one is definitely a victory for the very studied brewers at Summit.
Look: Gorgeous. Bright white, pillowy head that blooms out of the glass and sticks around. Good clarity - sunny.
Nose: Toasted grains, Sourdough, grassy hops (well balanced, not overpowering).
Flavor: Follows the nose. Sourdough and a bit of green grass. Balanced.
Finish: Clean, dry. I get a bit more of the malt on the end with a final note of lemon zest. There is a soft honeysuckle note here that I didn’t detect on the first couple sips but gets more pronounced - on the back 40 of the pint it comes out almost as if the floral honey is clinging to the sides of the glass at the end. Gorgeous.

Jan 07, 2017

SD-Alefan from South Dakota

4.27/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours a clear gold with a bit of a cold haze and a foamy, meringue head that sticks around.
Aroma is cracker, spice and a touch of lemon.
Taste is cracker, a hint of toffee, spice, a little citrus and a whipcrack finishing snap.
Mouthfeel is smooth, crisp and clean.
Awesome.

Dec 26, 2016

tone77 from Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 12 oz. can. And yes, that can came courtesy of the sultan of canned beer, woodychandler. Has a bright yellow color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of malts, lemons, a hint of sweetness. Taste is lemons, malts, crackers, light hops at the finish. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a smooth drinking beer that disappeared quickly.

Oct 02, 2016

brentk56 from North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Pours slightly hazy and goldenstraw colored; the head reaches a full three and leaves sticky lacing

Smell: Grassy and herbal, with lemon, honeydew, sulfur and biscuit tones

Taste: Biscuity malts lay down the backbone, the grassy hops kicking in; as in the aroma, the lemon, honeydew, sulfur and herbal tones all play a role; clean, dry finish

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with crisp carbonation

Overall: Another nice addition from the Summit family of beers; their special releases have all been very impressive to me

Sep 05, 2016

matcris from Arizona

4.23/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A hazy straw to lemon in color with a big foamy white head that leaves some nice lacing down the pils glass. The aroma is of grass, honeysuckle, and a mild corn husk. Also nice biscuity malt. Flavor is toasted bready malt and a light peppery note with that grassy quality that's usually present in this style. The feel is soft and almost has a sticky quality. It's not, to me, overly dry, but is refreshing. The body feels light but not at all watery, and has a nice full level of carbonation. The beer has a really nice building bitterness over time and the overall flavor is very good.

Sep 04, 2016

Taybeh from Minnesota

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

Poured from a can into willi becher. Pale gold with a nice 2 finger head. Nose has a lot of doughy bread, some grassy hops and a hint of lemon. When it hits the tongue, this becomes really delicious, even better than the nose...in addition to everything in the nose, there is more very gentle spiciness and a little pepper. Clean but soft mouthful...everything comes together nicely, and there is a gentle liveliness, but this is too soft to be really crisp. This is a really good beer...please make this a regularly brewed offering, Summit!

Aug 31, 2016

emerge077 from Illinois

4.19/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Hazy golden yellow, compact layer of frothy foam, spotty lace. Grassy clean aroma, lightly yeasty.

Lightly bitter hoppy taste, grassy and clean. Mild lemon rind and a crackery pils malt backbone.
Nicely crisp with a light body and dry aftertaste. Very pleasant and tasty, extremely sessionable.

Great example of a relatively obscure style, one of the best American ones I've had.
Hope it's not a one-off and they keep it around, at least during the summer.

Aug 28, 2016

Tucquan from Pennsylvania

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

Had this on 2016-08-21 in Columbia, PA from a 12oz can

A - Mildly-hazy straw with a 1/2-finger white head and good lacing.

S - Bready, quite floral and a touch of honey and lemon.

T - Lots going on here. Rising white bread, lemon zest, grassy and herbal spice, lemon drop candy, pepper, noble hop bitterness. Very clean water profile. Very balanced. This combination of flavors really works for me. Tastes great.

M - Light body and medium-high carbonation. Sparkly, dry and refreshing.

O - Impressive take on the Pils style. This needs to be a regular brew for Summit!

Aug 21, 2016

Suds from Missouri

3.69/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

From a 12 ounce can, this brew had a hazy, golden hue. Mild carbonation and a tall, tough head. The aroma has a bit of yeast and soft fruit. The taste is malty, with yeast and smooth hop bitterness. Lager notes and fuller in body than expected. Satisfying.

Aug 14, 2016

bound4er from Wisconsin

4.26/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours to a pale straw color with a white head of two fingers. Leaves a good amount of lacing behind. Smells like a lager with grainy cracker, grass and lemon dominating. Taste follow nose nicely with the added benefit of what I assume are noble hops on the finish. Mouthfeel is what you'd expect - on the lighter side with good carbonation. The first time I had this beer I was shocked by how much I enjoyed it. This is my 6th from a 6-pack and I am still enjoying the hell out of it. Great Pils that is so damn crisp and easy to drink. Very well executed beer from Summit.

Aug 13, 2016