Flip Flop
Walking Man Brewing Co.

 

On tap @ the Walking Man Brewing Co. (Stevenson, WA) on 8/25/11. Served in a Pils glass.

Pours a clear gold, with a ½ finger or so of bright-white head. This retains with some frothy edges, leaving back a foamy looking cascade of lacing. The aroma smells grassy, spicy, and citric, with the fruitiness of this melding well with the tight bready notes from the Pilsener malt.

The taste has a firm earthy and spicy bitterness to it, which does have a bit of an assertiveness to it. Like the nose, this has a stiff and grainy supportive sweetness to it, combining with those hops to really snap those flavors across the tongue after each sip, finishing this dry and spicy with some lingering bitter pithiness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, maybe a touch lighter, with a firm crispness that really pops those hops in the mouth, yet this still stays very smooth and enjoyable on the palate overall.

This was a solid take on a Czech Pils, with quite a lively and crisp blend of flavors that kept this thirst quenching and interesting the whole way through the glass. I could definitely kill a few of these on a hot summer day (or any day for that matter). Just a really solid Pils here.

Poured a hazy straw gold into a pint glass with a finger of light white head. Aroma of lemon and sweet grain.

Moderate carbonation and a full mouthfeel. Quite lemony up front followed by sweet bread and a pleasantly sharp grassy finish.

Really full-flavored and easy-drinking pilsener. Very nice.

A: Poured a nice, deep yellow with good carbonation leaving a small white head

S: Grains, corn, floral hops

T: Wow. Very sweet with lots of grains upfront. Very sweet but tasty. Light flowers, grass and booze

M: Had a heavier body for a pils, nice sweet grains taste but this thing got overly bitter on the end, not bad but perhaps to much for the style

D: Good

Why am I never surprised when I get another great beer from Walking Man? Perhaps I was just slightly surprised here because, while I knew the Man brewed great ales, my one previous experience with a WM lager was disappointing. But along comes Flip Flop and it’s easily one of the best Bohemian-style pilsners in the region.

First, WM serves it in a tall glass that’s perhaps technically a weizen, but works elegantly to showcase the true copper body and sustained carbonation. The fluffy white head doesn’t last, but looks gorgeous on arrival. Haunted lace forms handily as the beer evacuates the glass.

Next, the taste of gentle toasted grains is so fresh it’s startling. It evinces one of those moments when you recognize what most of the other guys just aren’t achieving. A bright’n’spicy bitterness lends a complimentary balance. The aroma doesn’t travel far and achieves no more than a tapwater essence. Even so, the strength and integrity of Flip Flop’s flavor make it worthy of second servings (I’ll attest to that). I’m going to be picky here only because the beer is so near to perfection that it can withstand it, but if it was up to me, I’d back the bittering off just a nod to showcase the toast even more.

Flip-Flop Pilzner was served off the tap at the Walking Man Brewpub, and was made with organic malts. In a pint glass, the beer was a bright and slightly hazy golden color, and was topped by a nice white head that left excellent thin and sticky sheet lacing. The nose was energetic and enticing with a nicely developed orange-lime citric zesty-spicy hop bouquet and a complementary grainy maltiness. On the palate, a rich and assertive orange-lime zesty hoppiness accompanies a crisp, lightly grainy (cheerios?) malt profile...superb!! The zesty spicy-hoppiness became more dominant right through to the clean and bold spicy-bitter (perfect) finish. The body was composed appropriately for the style and character of the beer. And wow, this one drinks like a dream, due to the wonderful flavors and excellent balance. This pilsener is masterfully crafted. Another top-notch brew by Bob Craig.