Wunderful Pilsner
Ankerbräu Nördlingen

500ml bottle. Part of DeLancey Direct's (the Canadian importer for this brewery) 'Signature Collection', newly available around here. Funny, the mp3 gods of randomness are playing along, as Rammstein is currently belting out 'Ich brauch Benzin!' Applicable, I must say.

This beer pours a crystal clear, very pale golden yellow colour, with two fingers of cushioned, foamy, whipped cream white head, which leaves a decent array of droopy bike chain lace around the glass as it evenly sinks away.

It smells of biscuity pale grainy malt, a soft lemon peel fruitiness, mild white pepper notes, and spicy earthy, leafy hops. The taste is somewhat sharp cereal grain, a middling breakfast biscuit breadiness, warm lemon juice, soaked rainbow peppercorns, and reservedly sassy leafy, weedy hops.

The carbonation is fairly average, in a goodly supportive manner, the body on the lee side of medium weight, and just a tad astringent in its smoothness - thanks be to the moderately surprising swirling noble hops. It finishes on the dry side, the graininess helpfully leaning that way, and the spicy hops more than willing to take full advantage.

A well-rendered pilsner of the German temperament, with more than enough native hop fortitude to keep this thing well buoyed. It inspires in me the desire to walk into a random Gasthaus and order the house pils, and actually have it be this. No centuries of cultural pressure, just a nice, sedately hoppy lager, one worthy of condoned, tacit overindulgence.