Starke Pilsner
Amsterdam Brewery
- From:
- Amsterdam Brewery
- Ontario, Canada
- Style:
- Czech / Bohemian Pilsner
Ranked #152 - ABV:
- 5.4%
- Score:
- 86
Ranked #24,566 - Avg:
- 3.84 | pDev: 8.59%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 8
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Apr 10, 2025
- Added:
- Nov 29, 2013
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 4
SCORE
86
Very Good
86
Very Good
Unfiltered Pilsner dry hopped with Saaz.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by OldBrewer from Canada (ON)
3.72/5 rDev -3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.72/5 rDev -3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a 473 ml can.
L - poured a 2-finger, thick white foam. Very clear, straw-golden colour. Still 1/4" foam after 3 minutes.
S - not much smell. Malty, grassy.
T - straw, overly bitter after-taste. Very grassy.
M - light bodied, light carbonation, dry, bitter finish.
O - bittering hops boiled too long, giving that long-lasting astringent type of taste. Likely noble hops not used for bittering. If it wasn't for the bittering hops, this pilsner would be quite good.
Jun 23, 2016L - poured a 2-finger, thick white foam. Very clear, straw-golden colour. Still 1/4" foam after 3 minutes.
S - not much smell. Malty, grassy.
T - straw, overly bitter after-taste. Very grassy.
M - light bodied, light carbonation, dry, bitter finish.
O - bittering hops boiled too long, giving that long-lasting astringent type of taste. Likely noble hops not used for bittering. If it wasn't for the bittering hops, this pilsner would be quite good.
Reviewed by Derek from Canada (BC)
4.38/5 rDev +14.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.38/5 rDev +14.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Damn, I like this.
Pretty our, not much head retention but it does show some lace.
Nice clean aroma, bitterness is up front and continues to linger, steelie, grassy, green apple and biscuit.
Really solid body for the style, with a crisp finish.
May 21, 2016Pretty our, not much head retention but it does show some lace.
Nice clean aroma, bitterness is up front and continues to linger, steelie, grassy, green apple and biscuit.
Really solid body for the style, with a crisp finish.
Rated by bylerteck from Canada (ON)
4.19/5 rDev +9.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.19/5 rDev +9.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A great pils on tap or canned.
Apr 09, 2016
Reviewed by DaveBar from Canada (ON)
3.81/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.81/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Purchased at the LCBO for just under the $3.00 mark for a 473ml can. Served at 8deg C in a draught glass. 5.2% on the can.
A- Opens well and pours a nice 1" high white head that lasts for 3mins or so before film out. Light to medium gold colour and unfiltered.
S- Metallic and very Bud like
T- Light and corn like. Almost like a heavyweight Corona.
M- See above!
O- Corona clone with more body and flavor. Like this version better LOL
Food Pairing
This nice little brew would go very well with..... Yup! You guessed it! Anything a Corona would go well with.
Enjoy
Mar 30, 2016A- Opens well and pours a nice 1" high white head that lasts for 3mins or so before film out. Light to medium gold colour and unfiltered.
S- Metallic and very Bud like
T- Light and corn like. Almost like a heavyweight Corona.
M- See above!
O- Corona clone with more body and flavor. Like this version better LOL
Food Pairing
This nice little brew would go very well with..... Yup! You guessed it! Anything a Corona would go well with.
Enjoy
Rated by kevinlater from Canada (ON)
4/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
light cereal grainy sweetness, rounded fruit profile with prominent pear notes, big on the hop bitterness. delicious!
Mar 19, 2016
Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)
4.02/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25
4.02/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25
Tallboy can from the LCBO; packaged Feb 19 2016 and served well chilled.
Pours a bright, sparkling clear golden-yellow, with nearly two fingers of puffy, soapy white foam generated at the surface. Respectable retention; it steadily loses cohesion over the next five minutes or so, scattering a few patches of sea-foam lacing on its way down, with the eventual remnants consisting of a messy, foamy cap and collar. The aroma keeps it simple and on-point - lots of clean, grainy, crackery pale malts, paired up with notes of grassy hay, floral hops and a light suggestion of lemon zest. Looking like a top notch pilsener so far.
The flavour follows the nose pretty closely. Grainy pale malts and crackery sweetness serve as a backdrop, but the definitely-noble hops are what my taste buds focus in on. Very grassy, moderately floral and slightly citric, with a peppery, spicy finish. Lingering off-dry aftertaste with some earthiness and grass. Light-bodied, with middling carbonation levels that fall on the low side for this sort of beer; resultantly, the mouthfeel is soft and smooth.
Final Grade: 4.02, an A-. Amsterdam's Starke Pils is a quality pale lager that I recommend highly. It is a delicious and refreshing authentic Euro-style pilsener - though to some extent it does seem to share the North American penchant for liberal usage of hops. It's miles ahead of their superficially similar products (the Natural Blonde and 416 Lager), and one of a very small number of pilseners that I would probably select over venerable classics such as Pilsner Urquell.
Mar 07, 2016Pours a bright, sparkling clear golden-yellow, with nearly two fingers of puffy, soapy white foam generated at the surface. Respectable retention; it steadily loses cohesion over the next five minutes or so, scattering a few patches of sea-foam lacing on its way down, with the eventual remnants consisting of a messy, foamy cap and collar. The aroma keeps it simple and on-point - lots of clean, grainy, crackery pale malts, paired up with notes of grassy hay, floral hops and a light suggestion of lemon zest. Looking like a top notch pilsener so far.
The flavour follows the nose pretty closely. Grainy pale malts and crackery sweetness serve as a backdrop, but the definitely-noble hops are what my taste buds focus in on. Very grassy, moderately floral and slightly citric, with a peppery, spicy finish. Lingering off-dry aftertaste with some earthiness and grass. Light-bodied, with middling carbonation levels that fall on the low side for this sort of beer; resultantly, the mouthfeel is soft and smooth.
Final Grade: 4.02, an A-. Amsterdam's Starke Pils is a quality pale lager that I recommend highly. It is a delicious and refreshing authentic Euro-style pilsener - though to some extent it does seem to share the North American penchant for liberal usage of hops. It's miles ahead of their superficially similar products (the Natural Blonde and 416 Lager), and one of a very small number of pilseners that I would probably select over venerable classics such as Pilsner Urquell.
Reviewed by taxandbeerguy from Canada (ON)
3.87/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.87/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
473 ml can served fairly cold into a MGD pilsner glass. Purchased from the LCBO for $2.95 CDN. Advertised as 5.2% ABV.
Appearance - Pours a deep and rich golden color, phenomenal clarity and a fairly long lasting finger of brilliant white head. some sparse lacing is left behind and visible carbonation is plentiful.
Smell - Grassy and earthy hops, plenty of them, wet grain. Not a complex nose, but rather aromatic, especially when considered to other pilsners.
Taste - Big, clean and crisp. Some dank earthy bitter flavors up front, followed by a very grassy and somewhat weedy flavor. Some light grains interspersed, and a semi-hot white pepper like characteristic. I am constantly reminded of root vegetables for whatever reason, (must be the earthiness).
Mouthfeel - Smooth and well carbonated, body is light, finish is not as dry as some.
Overall - It's nice to have a well crafted and refreshing pilsner brewed in Southern Ontario, and Starke Pils is certainly one of the best. Certainly worth a try, especially for those who love a very generously hopped pilsner. Here's fingers crossed to this remaining available for an extended duration.
Mar 06, 2016Appearance - Pours a deep and rich golden color, phenomenal clarity and a fairly long lasting finger of brilliant white head. some sparse lacing is left behind and visible carbonation is plentiful.
Smell - Grassy and earthy hops, plenty of them, wet grain. Not a complex nose, but rather aromatic, especially when considered to other pilsners.
Taste - Big, clean and crisp. Some dank earthy bitter flavors up front, followed by a very grassy and somewhat weedy flavor. Some light grains interspersed, and a semi-hot white pepper like characteristic. I am constantly reminded of root vegetables for whatever reason, (must be the earthiness).
Mouthfeel - Smooth and well carbonated, body is light, finish is not as dry as some.
Overall - It's nice to have a well crafted and refreshing pilsner brewed in Southern Ontario, and Starke Pils is certainly one of the best. Certainly worth a try, especially for those who love a very generously hopped pilsner. Here's fingers crossed to this remaining available for an extended duration.
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