Unfiltered Pilsner
Astoria Brewing Company

a well made lager here, not as snappy and crisp as the very best of them, but balanced and full of character while also staying quite light to drink. i didnt know what to expect from this place, kind of an old school brewpub vibe, but i was impressed with the beers we had for the most part, and this was in my top couple. blonde and just a little cloudy, short white head, nice carbonation, looks very light even with the haze. the nose is crackery and european on the grain side, nice and fresh, and with an obvious lager yeast element, lighter on the hops than many, but all in nice proportion, faint sweetness to it is appealing, and there is a floral aspect that makes it seem springy and light. the taste is a little longer than a lot of these, somewhat dynamic in terms of the malt, earthy cereal character up front, light sweetness in the middle, kind of raw at the end, european for sure but not quintessentially german to me. the yeast is flavorful and right for this, even if the beer ends up off dry, and the hops add some light citrus to the back end while keeping bitterness pretty low. nice water profile underneath it all, good attention to detail, drinkable and refreshing, makes me want fish and chips or something salty and greasy with it. nice and slightly unconventional take on the style.