Flora
Copper Bottom Brewing Company

473 mL can received in a recent trade - big thanks to ewpass for hooking me up with some PEI brews! Dated Jan 16 2024 and served slightly chilled.

Pours clear golden yellow, stirring up one finger of soapy, frothy white head that dissipates within a minute or two; a tight collar and filmy cap are left behind, along with a modest smattering of lace. Pleasing aroma of bready, crackery malts and grainy sweetness, with hints of herbal, lemony hops.

The flavour profile follows the same lines: bready malt sweetness dominates, with the Saaz hops contributing a floral, herbal note on the back end; just a hint of lemon peel. Low bitterness, with some crackery sweetness lasting briefly into the aftertaste. Light in body, with moderately low carbonation that rolls gently along the tongue, adding a gentle crispness to this lager's smooth mouthfeel. Fantastic drinkability.

Final Grade: 3.97, a high B+. In terms of sheer volume consumed, there aren't many styles I can rank above Czech pilsener: Budvar/Czechvar is my biggest go-to, though there are a handful of others I find myself purchasing over and over again. Copper Bottom's Flora could absolutely slide right into that rotation, if only it were available in my neck of the woods! An excellent traditional pils, with great malt flavours and a kiss of Saaz hops - exactly what's necessary to make a quality Czech pils, nothing more, nothing less. A solid pick that I'd encourage pilsener fans passing through PEI to try, if they have the chance to do so. Thanks again, ewpass!

Clear gold with a fizzy persistent head and cap. Lemony, crackery nose, very nice. Light pilsner malt body, soft mouthfeel, delicately effervescent. A well-crafted Pils.