Occhio Malocchio
Modern Times Beer

16oz can poured into hf mug
L: clear pale yellow average head /lacing
S: cracker malts slight spicy hops
t: no yeast hops take the lead with some malt on the back side .
M crisp clean

Well done lager Prost

Absolutely crystal clear, utterly transparent brew. Exceptionally lively; light gold color. Good head production, and OK retention and lacing.

Despite the dry-hopping associated with the Italian-style Pilsner, the nose is pretty traditional. It's certainly bright and crispy, but the hops are traditional, and the result is a classic pils aroma simply dialed up.

Similar on the palate. Very bready for the majority of the sip, crisp and herbal up front. Grass, green leaves, rye, earthy pilsner malt, bark.

Lively on the palate; drinks very, very smooth. Slightly dry. Plenty of bite.

 

 

Straight pour from a 16oz can to a stemless wine glass (HPB’s Bottle Friends cat glass). This was canned on May 31, 2019 according to a canning date printed in black ink on the underside of the can (“CANNED ON 05/31/2019”), making this can 25 days old at the time of consumption, or about three and a half weeks.

Appearance (4.75): A slow, straight pour right down the middle yields two fingers of rich, fluffy, bone-white head made of whipped foam capped by moderate-sized bubbles slowly dissipating throughout the center of the cap. The body is a crystal-clear, pale golden color with straw highlights. The head dies down at a luxurious pace for a pilsner, leaving bits of broken collars and a few wide, delicate swaths of foamy film around the edges of the glass. This is gorgeous.

Smell (5.0): This truly beautiful bouquet of wet stone, jasmine, fresh-cut hay, wild strawberry, freshly cracked corn and pale barley, stone wheat crackers, a soft touch of … sage (?), and a balanced, subtle mineral tone. I’m seriously digging the way the wet stone and mineral tones blend in with the cracked grain, stone wheat cracker aromas—the confluence of lagering, pale grains, and grassy, floral hops is stunning.

Taste (4.5): On the palate, this beer leads with wet stone minerality, grassy bitterness, and a very subtle floral sweetness that evinces jasmine and maybe honeysuckle. The malt comes through with an incredibly soft grain and dough character that, like in the nose, calls to mind stone wheat crackers, freshly cracked corn and pale barley, a touch of dusty straw, and a lovely earthiness blended with light orchard fruit tones. Alongside this, a clean, grassy and floral bitterness offers a bright counterpoint to soft berry, pear, and jasmine flavors, allowing those sweeter notes to stand out against the punchy—but very balanced—bitterness. Meanwhile, the mineral component lent by quality lagering bringing out grainy undertones offers more river pebbles, gentle pinot grigio undertones, and accentuates the earthiness contained in the grain bill. No sign of booze.

Mouthfeel (4.75): This is outstanding. The feel is characterized by a light, dry (but incredibly soft) body, and taut, balanced bitterness that keeps it dry in the face of fruity, floral malt and hops. The gentle dryness of the hops and earthiness of the grain really helps the mineral tones jump out, as well. Carbonation is evenly-distributed, moderate in volume, and silky in feel, foaming up eagerly but staying soft as it washes out. The body remains soft, relatively dry, and easy. All in all, it facilitates all of the flavors to jump out and creates a quenching, easy drink with a lot of character.

Overall (4.5): To be frank, I wasn’t expecting to rate this beer as highly as I just did. I had a can or two of this prior to reviewing, and enjoyed it but the more I dug into it, I loved all of the little nuances that popped out in the spaces between hops, yeast, and malt. Also, I’m rating this as far as Italian pilsners go (of the ones I’ve tried, anyway), rather than staying close to whatever the listed style is. Frankly, this is a beautiful lager that I’d recommend any day of the week. I’d love it in sixers in my fridge every weekend!

16oz can, Modern Times stemless glass. Clear golden yellow body, one finger white head, good retention, bit of lacing. Aroma is straw, a bit of grain, light biscuit. A bit of mandarin orange, light tangerine. Flavour is a slightly less robust grain and biscuit. A bit of lemon and tangerine. Sweeter than I would expect. Medium lighter bodied, good carbonation, a bit prickly. Lighter bodied, refreshing grapefruit peel and citrus. An odd pilsner that has more of a tropical fruit bite and dryness to it. It's not quite the golden liquid bread of Pilsner Urqell or Poetica, but it's a nice twist on a classic style.

Can from the source.

A crystal clear light yellow with a dense white head with good retention and lacing. The nose is brilliant, with bright, snappy hops, lemony and distinct with less grass and herbal notes than a typical German pils. In it's stead is a fruity, mildly perfumey citrus rind brightness and acidity, redolent and excellent. A touch of honey like sweetness is present. The palate opens with a nice hop bite , bitter and flavorful with an oily, moderately key lime like flavor. Lemon, grapefruit zest, citrus, a fresh tarragon like herbal note are present. The mid palate is where this beer loses its way, with a mildly sweet, doughy, mildly lichee juice like flavor and an undercarbonated feel. Drying, bitter on the finish, this beer is quite immensely drinkable. Better than my scores would suggest.