Hofjager Pilsener
Denninghoffs

 

German pilsner that I have never heard of before! Amazing. From experience, German pilsners are never terrible, though I have had a few disappointing ones during the last few weeks...first beer of the day, usually they get higher marks ; )

Old man and not much else on the label. Maybe he is the brewer? No hops, just extract. No mention of the German purity law. But it seems to be unpasteurized, great!

Big effervescent head, lots of small bubbles. Quite a pale colour. Head isn't particularly smooth, and kind of bubbly like bubble bath. Aroma is very mild...some light German style hops and a little sweet malt.

Taste is a big improvement on the aroma. It has a complex and really interesting dryness, that you can feel on the tongue. Mouthfeel has a fullness and creaminess to it. It has multiple flavour elements. It has a very German taste to it, and has elements of Konig, Krombacher and a little Czech Pilsner Urquell in the bitterness on the tongue. Scientists who say that we taste more with our noses and our tongues only detect the 5 taste elements are totally wrong, this is a great example. As soon as it hits the tongue, it comes alive.

I really like it. Nothing dominates the flavour (like Saaz hops in Urquell), and it's also not particularly balanced. I think the unpasteurized nature of this contributes to the taste lots. Every sip or gulp tastes different. And it has a positive energy. I could easily drink this for an entire night (more than 1 obviously). And it's not at all expensive. Cheap in fact. Flavours I detect include dates, tamarind, lemon peel, Saaz hop. I wish I had bought more than 1.

Now I know why the old man on the can is smiling. He knows something that most don't, considering the number of reviews on this site. Anyway now I also know what he knows, and I'm smiling too.

Super clear pilsener, almost looks transparent depending on the light. Tastes good, more bitter than expected.

Weak aroma and collar. 500ml can, produced March 2023