Pilserl
Brauerei Michael Plank

 

 

 

 

 

 

500 ml bottle into lager glass, best before 12/14/2013. Pours lightly hazy golden straw color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky white head with incredible retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts the whole glass; beautiful appearance. Spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a lot of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Aromas of big lemon, pear, apple, cracker, bread, floral, pepper, grass, light honey, herbal, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with good balance of malt, hop, and yeast ester notes; with great strength. Taste of lemon, pear, apple, bread, cracker, light honey, floral, grass, pepper, herbal, and yeast earthiness. Fair amount of earthy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of light fruits, cracker, bread, light honey, floral, grass, pepper, herbal, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a bit. Very nicely balanced hop, malt, and yeast ester flavors; with good robustness and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a very smooth and crisp mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is very well hidden with zero warming present after the finish as expected of 4.9%. Overall this is an excellent pilsner style! All around great balance of hop, malt, and yeast ester notes; and very smooth and crisp to drink. A very enjoyable offering.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Large head that settles with a solid, distinctive dome. Leaves some chunky spots on the glass. Hazy enough to appear whitish yellow.

Light barely toasted, grainy aroma. A touch of sweetness to the nose.

Much drier than the smell. There's also a surprising hop bitterness in the swallow. This starts with a pale malt base--slightly raw. Short aftertaste. Full bodied for a pilsner.

Overall, I like the complexity.

1PT.9FL.OZ dark brown bottle.
Served in a SA perfect pint glass.
It pours a hazy golden color with a 2" snow-white head made up mostly of medium-sized frothy bubbles that fades to a thin rim after a few gulps. Some sticky and patchy lacing lasts throughout.
A smell of fresh cut hay rises instantly. A little grain, mowed lawn, citrus zest and hint of minty herbs follow close behind.
The edgy flavors are certainly hop and hard water forward. A crisp metallic tang pings and pops all available taste bud sensors. A bit of grapefruit rind provides some real zesty brightness. A hint of lemon grass mingles with a light grainy malt taste.
There's an almost salty taste/sensation in the finish. A distant flavor of gin is in the breath.
This is a welcome brew to refresh the body and soul after a strenuous workout.

Bottle purchased from Binny's in Schaumburg, IL.
No "bottled on date," just a code with "93393"
Poured into an old 12oz pint glass on a thick glass column

The pour produces a 3cm head of off-white foam, composed of medium-sized bubbles. This descends over a minute or two to a thick ring around the glass with some scattered islands serving as a cap atop the body. Generous lacing as head declines. Body is a cloudy maize or dull golden color away from the light, when held up a point source, there's a gradation of colors from pale yellow to pale orange-gold, very much like a summer sunset here in Illinois.

Aroma is classically bright, full of semi-tart pale/light malt sweetness, floral and grassy hops, slight orange/grapefruit citrus, graininess, and hay.

Opens with bright, light sweetness from lighter colored malts, which is followed closely by equally bright, spicy, floral and grassy continental hop choices. Just slightly vinous. By mid-palate, malt adds both cracker and biscuit flavors alongside mildly bitter hop flavors, still bright and fairly light. Finish of strong, sweet malts, floral and bitter/spicy hops. Aftertaste of faint malt sweetness and very mild hop bitterness and spiciness.

Carbonation is strong, but fitting for the medium body. The resultant feel is an effervescence that pairs well with the bright, showy aroma and taste.

I have been drinking winter and christmas ales quite a bit recently, and it was relieving to have this pilsener to go to.

a particularly zesty zwickel beer in that there is a ubiquitous amount of hop to coordinate with the protein grit. too cloudy for a pilsner. very sticky head. pour is a nice head without consistent carbonation coming up but a nice feel. nice brisk feel. better then most in drinkability... and i mean across the board. mellows out into lemon zest. nose of equal parts lemon grass and pine hints. palate is a good level of dry and protein creamy. nice dandelion green bitter. lemon, some straw notes and the your general grassy pilsner brisk. nice floral dry aftertaste that lingers. great zwickel/pils another augmented german for the change your perspective on german beer in a delicate way made by plank.

A common flavor spread among German Lagers. Grainy, grassy, floral, spicy, bready, and yeasty- all trade turns laying emphasis on the palate in true and traditional German form.

Pouring a medium golden, light amber color with a slight haze (more as subsequent pours are made from the bottle). But the story in appearance is with the lace. The strong white foam has a creamy texture and leaves impressive patterns of lace along the sides of the glass as the beer falls.

Mild aromas are predominantly of malt- true pilsner malt with low-lying grain scent, mild vegetal notes, but a rich malt chracter similar to Pilsner Urquell. Only a mild yeasty spice character accompanies the malt in the nose.

Medium flavors of malt offer a blend of bread and pilsner sweetness in a very clean and controlled portrayal. Spicy hops give a mild floral flavor that remainds me of honeysuckle. Soft powdery sweetness of confectioner's sugar and a strong but clean hop bitterness gains intensity toward finish and allowing for a clean and crisp balance at finish.

Again, the medium stride is met in body as well. Malt creaminess governs the first half of the sip while mild alcohol warmth and light grassy bite helps to dry the finish and further emphasize the crispness in the end.

A very well made Pilsner with superb malt flavor and body. If the hop spice and bitterness carries a bit more floral character in nose and initial flavor, it could be much better.

A: Clear gold/straw color. Poured a 4 finger lumpy white head with excellent retention to a 2 finger cap. Decanted lightly. Lots of sticky lacing on the glass.

S: Sweet, crackery malt. Muted floral and spice character. Faint tropical fruit.

T: Very much like the nose. Citrus and tropical fruit blend with the noble hops in the finish nicely.

M: Light to medium body. Moderate carbonation. Not as active as most Pils. Surprisingly smooth since its not as fizzy as most. Nice balance in the finish to make it refreshing.

O: Nice malt character, but certainly not one-dimensional as has some noble hop characteristics and citrus/fruit

Pours a hazy dark golden yellow color with a two finger frothy, pillowy white head that has excellent retention, slowly fading into a lasting ring. The glass is left coated with chunks of soapy lacing.

Floral, earthy aroma with lots of grass hops and straw along with some pale malt notes and light fruit. Hints of biscuit, hay, apple and pear. The hop presence is really nice, countering the sweeter notes.

Medium bodied with a nice crisp hop bite up front that lingers over the pilsner malts into a slightly dry finish. The grassy hops add some nice dry bitterness without overpowering the other notes. Pilsner malt backbone with hints of straw, biscuit and subtle light fruit, mostly apple. Not quite as complex as the aroma suggests but it's still pretty flavorful and refreshing.