Snow Pilot
Stevens Point Brewery

 

Appearance: Clear amber, ok head.

Smell: Straight caramel, sweet.

Taste: Too sweet. Starts with caramel and then stays with more caramel. Very one note, doesn't seem to have toasted/roasted notes expected in a brown ale.

Overall: Tried this at the brewery tap room, seems like a misfire for a brown ale. Not bad tasting, just not to style at all.

 

Really good winter time/holiday beer. A good change of pace. Big flavor that I enjoy but may not be for everyone. A touch of sweetness and malt flavor appear. Goes well with sausage and venison.

 

 

Appearance: Poured without any head to speak of which is odd since the body seems to carry with it some rather large bubbles of carbonation, in fairly decent supply. Speaking of the body, it's bright amber, bordering on orange and it's cloudy. It doesn't look that appetizing.

Smell: Caramel malt rules the nose, but without a doubt the Pistachio's are there, but it's off. It's like there's some kind of sweet element that doesn't belong. I don't think it's the malt, and part of me wants to say may Saccharin or Stevia. It's not aspartame, but it's got some kind of artificial sweetener thing going on with it. I think there might be a vanilla note in there too. It's odd, I mean it's as advertised, but doesn't seem entirely right.

Taste: Starts as it smells, caramel malt with pistachio and some kind of sweeter note, and then it turns to a watery note followed by grassy hops. It's not offensive, it's just the middle of the transitioning is absent, and the start of the beer isn't potent enough to carry through, making it rather one noted and boring.

Mouthfeel: The carbonation is trying it's best, as it does appear and the front and back of the beer. Thankfully it misses the middle part and thus dodges a "seltzer-like" bullet. The transitioning as noted, isn't good because of the middle note of the beer being absent and the aftertaste is grass with a bit of a pistachio note to it.

Drinkability: I mean, it's easy enough to drink and guzzle down, which isn't exactly something most brown ales are known for. This drinks more like lager, although to be truly fair this drinks like a gimmick. I guess if pistachio is your thing, and you just want to put it back, this is your beer.

Final Thoughts: The bottle listing "Ale brewed with natural flavor" does not inspire confidence, because to me that screams "You brewed it with flavoring, somehow dubiously extracted from something natural" instead of saying "Brewed with whole or diced Pisachio nuts." This beer tastes like either the brewer wanted to make a cheap gimmick run of something or was doing someone of favor and offloading whatever the heck is giving this beer it's weird funk. Hard pass on this one.

 

12 oz. bottle, no apparent date. A new one to me from Stevens Point Brewery, this one a "Pistachio nut brown ale" with "Natural Flavors". Let's see what we've got.

Poured to a Piraat snifter.
Pours a sort of chestnut-mahogany color with good clarity, and a small finger of tan head that falls to a ring almost instantly. Minor spotty lacing. Looks ok.
Warm aromas of brown bread, malted nuttiness, hints of cherries?, cream, vanilla icing. Has that vague sort of pistachio muffin or cake mix aroma, that doesn't feel entirely natural. Maybe a slight whiff of booze fumes.
Taste is the same: Definitely "pistachio" nut flavor, but it gives off the vibe of being brewed with fake pistachio cake mix more than it was brewed with actual pistachios. No saltiness or earthy flavors. It does taste like it might have a hit of lactose in it - notes of vanilla & cream are apparent, as are brown breads, and warm roasty maltiness, and a touch of medicinal cherry / booziness.
Feel is smooth, crisp, creamy. Medium-bodied and fairly easy drinking stuff, with a minor touch of booze heat on the finish. Fairly enjoyable, but as I've said, I'd like to see what a real pistachio nut ale might taste like, instead of a pistachio nut flavored ale.

Stevens Point Brewery Snow Pilot -----3.5/5

Pouring a transparent hazelnut color with a rapidly disappearing thin beige head, this beer gives off a slight scent of hazelnuts. That is what I'm also picking up in the taste (though one man's pistachio may be another's hazelnut), but slightly more pronounced. The viscosity feels about right, but there is a shade too much carbonation burn and bitterness toward the tail. The nuttiness almost hides that. One bottle is probably enough.

Tried again on 12/20 and found it more appealing this time around (so boosted the taste score slightly), though I had some lovely company which always makes things taste better.

 

 

 

Nice brown ale, good, not the best I have had. Nice pistachio flavor.This is a nice fall\ winter beer.I have 11 more to go, I enjoyed this beer and will get it again.

Good if you like pistachios, which I personally don't.

Very nutty, brown ale with no head. Love the taste, not a fan over the lasting bitterness

 

 

 

Pours a murky brownish red with a thin tan cap that falls away rapidly with no lacing. Aroma is faint, malty and full of pistachios. Flavor is weak Dr. Pepper and some roasted malt. Feel is medium bodied with low carbonation. Overall a disappointment, not drain pour bad but only drinkable.