Czech Pilsner
Brewsters Brewing Company & Restaurant - Eleventh Avenue

Thoroughly enjoyed from a fresh growler on a lovely summer afternoon. I happily shared this one with the family and the accolades were unanimous. Reminiscent of a true Euro pilsner, with just enough malt, grassy essence and Saaz bite to round out the experience. Well played, Brewster's, well played!

 

 

I have had this brew several times but for the specific purpose of this review, enjoyed a pint at the Crowfoot location here in Calgary. Beer arrives in a chilled glass, a golden straw color with a decent white head. Aroma is hops-forward, nice noble hop floral and spice notes along with pale crackery malt. Even a bit dank and weedy. Palate is also hoppy for a Czech pils, with some strong perfume that recalls oolong tea, celery spice, and fresh green leaves riding atop a sweet cracker malt backbone. I like the effect but purists might want more malt balance. Body is a bit thick and sweet but this is likely to go unnoticed because of the vegetal flavors. Finishes dry and bitter, crisp but with some residual sweetness. Moderate carbonation. All in all I feel this is a pretty good New World take on a classic style.

A - straw golden and clear with a thumb of soapy white head that retained very nicely
S - prominent saaz and herbal hop aromas along with metallic grainy sharpness
T - herbal and grassy hop notes with an equally strong malt backbone of cracker and metallic graininess, building astringent towards the finish
M - light, crisp, lightly bitter with a strong dry finish
O - a nice crack at the style with a mostly classic approach, although the astringent aspect does build and could get a bit much after more than a couple

 

pint served feb25 2011 from notes

A clear light copper with plenty of bubbles feeding a off white finger of head that hangs for a few minuets and leaves lots of random lace

S bready malt and some hops

T much more hops then the nose and a little citrus and more malt, almost a dry cereal flavor

M crisp and clean, fairly well carbonated and light and refreshing

O would make a nice patio beer once the air warms up a bit, pretty easy to drink

a decent example of the style and something I would drink again

Enjoyed on tap at the brewpub downtown. Yellow, with a white head, and very lacey. Average mouthfeel, good easy and refreshing drinkability, this pilsener is fresh and well integrated with Saaz hops, its there in the secondary.Neutral aroma.Worth a try.

20oz, 'real' pint. I appreciate the veracity of your Imperial measurements.

This beer arrives to the table appearing a somewhat hazy, pale golden straw colour, with one fat finger of otherwise aspirational puffy, loosely foamy, and quite bubbly off-white head, which leaves a decent array of sudsy cobwebbed lace around the glass as it slowly ebbs away.

It smells of grainy, biscuity, and slightly yeasty pale cereal malt, white pepper, fresh cut hay, and peppy grassy hops. The taste is a bit more restrained on the rounded grain front, as a certain warming character invades, though the doughy cereal fullness persists, a bit of muted, indistinct citrus wafts about, and those floral Saaz hops do indeed arrive, but to the tune of a rather underwhelming fanfare.

The carbonation is mature, in the sense of a duly restrained peppiness, the body a pleasantly plump medium weight, and generally smooth, the hops not really willing and able to mess around here. It finishes off-dry, the more or less crisp crackery malt doing well to not be upset at the somewhat middling rendition of Bohemian-friendly hops.

For an Alberta-brewed example, this is one of the closest I've yet seen to evoking the enjoyable experience that is the true Czech Pilsener - crisp, biscuity, and sassy in its hoppiness. They got that here, sure, but with a certain dose of Canuck understatement - worthy enough for the masses on the waning summer patio, but a bit lacking against the world beaters.

Draft pint at the downtown location.
Arrived with a medium sized, white head over a golden yellow body. Proper level of carbonation maintained the foam, thin stringy lace. Clean grainy smell, slightly grassy hoppiness. Crisp grain malt flavor, citrus hops to balance. The mouthfeel is average, good but not great, appropriate for the style. Would drink again, helps cut through the greasy pub food.

500 ml bottle thanks to presario. Pours a crystal clear golden color with a medium fluffy white head. The aroma is very nice; sweet honey drenched grains, German hops, and some citrus. The taste is initially full of hops, slightly bitter, a sweeter malt sets in throughout, some light grapefruit and other citrus flavors, and finally, a light earthy and bitter finish. Very nice. A hoppy pilsner for sure, and a very nice example of the style. Good.

My favourite Brewsters beer. Pours a golden yellow with nice clarity, creamy white head and thick lacing. Quite nice.

Soft and grassy floral saaz scent.

Lots of lemon notes (when I first had this on tap I thought they had snuck lemon juice in there somewhere) and a beautiful balance. Decently hopped with a nice grain spine.

Medium body with some carbonation. Compliments the brew well.

Relatively simple pilsner that is easy to pick up and enjoy any day. Very juicy and refreshing, I would try this with a salad/veg or fish dish. Perfect summer beer.

Relatively pale golden yellow in colour, with the perfect two finger thick white foam head. Slow to recede with plenty of sticky lacing. Rising champagne like bubbles race to the head in a steady stream.

Cut grass, grains and pepper form the aroma. A hint of tea leaf mixed in there, but so slight it may be imagined. Promises a fairly hoppy pilsner.

Lemon, crackers and spice. This beer doesn't taste like I had expected. The front is grainy and slightly honey sweet. Once across the middle, there is a lemon coughdrop flavour, and the hops end up with a touch of pepper. Full flavoured pilsner.

The mouthfeel is light and crisp, with ample carbonation. Not watery and not filling, it conforms nicely to the style.

An excellent quaffer. Many interesting flavours in an easy drinking style.

Served in a chilled mug? Huh, interesting presentation with that one. Still, it came with a thin white head retaining, and lots of sticky lacing. Sweet grains on the nose, light grassy hops. Predominent Saaz hop flavour profile, slight metallic grain acts as the base. Crisp mouthfeel and dry finish. A pretty good rendition of the style, although the herbal hops seem a bit lopsided for me to have more than one of these in a row, as they become more and more astringent over time.