Pils
Brauerei Helmut Stöckel

On their website, they describe the Pils as:
"kräftig gehopft und dennoch abgerundet im Geschmack - schlank im Trunk – excellente „Hopfenblume…ein MUSS für jeden Kenner und Liebhaber!" OR.. "powerfully hopped yet round in flavor, lean/slender in drinking - excellent hop bloom...a must for every [beer] connoisseur and lover."

So, for those of you looking for a hoppy Pils, this may be your lucky day.

The best buy date (31.12.13) on the bottom was way past it's prime when I got it late in the beginning of this year. That means this beer could be 9 to 12 months old, eh?

Appearance: Looks like a Pils, clear deep golden under a show white head.

Aroma: Pils malt wafts up and hits you strongly from the glass, but wait... grassy, hay-like undertones are there, too, from the Noble hops.

Flavor:
Up front: Yes, this is herb, a nice bitterness bites and sets up residence in the front of your tongue, not strong super-bitter, but a nice Noble hop round, noticeable bitterness intermixed with a slight tartness.

Middle: More bitter, not not painful bitterness but a decent and proper handshake of bitterness, and of course tart flavors,... with the sides rescuing you from it with it's Pils malt sweetness. This is, I bet a 30 to 40 IBU beer range, but it feels like the bitterness may have been "extracted," for the grassiness and other qualities of Noble hops are lacking, which may be from the beers age. Yet again, I brewed a home-brew that exceeded the 90s IBU threshold and was undrinkable for the first 6 months of its existence, only to mellow considerably after that timeframe; thus, if this beer is anywhere from 6 to 12 months in age, how much bitterness or Noble hop flavor am I missing? This might fresh... might it be a godsend?

Back: Now here's a nice mix of Pils malts, bitterness bite and tart/astringency mixed up in a wonderfulness you must try. At once, the Pils malt leans forward and wags its tail, then seconds later it's the bitterness, then a little tartness, and the longer you let it sit in the back of the tongue, the more these flavors bounce back and forth in a taste triangle.

Aftertaste: You're left with a Pils malt send off that lingers with a bitterness deep in the back of the throat. Yum.

Mouthfeel: Typical for Pils, but softer and yet a little drier.

Overall: Damn I wish this beer was fresh. 6 to 9 months old... how did I let this go so long? Nevertheless, it's still a taste for a Pils-weary man. It's a combination of a Fränkische and North-German Pils. Even with its age, which I bet didn't change this beer too much, I hope, it's a WOW beer. If all beers of this region tasted like this, I might get bored, too, but they don't. One more thing, on the website, they say they use soft water, or as they say it:

Ein wichtiges Qualitätsmerkmal ist das einzigartig, weiche Brauwasser aus eigener Quelle. Es eignet sich herrvoragend zum Brauen und muss NICHT aufbereitet werden! Diesen Unterschied schmeckt man natürlich.

Or...

An important mark of quality is the unique, soft brew water from our own source (well). This is ideal for brewing and must NOT be adjusted. This difference one can naturally taste.