Pirkawakka Pilsener
Beer Works Chitose

 

Appearance: Classy-looking brassy gold with a tinge of grey. Fair, poofy white head with decent retention.

Smell: Old, vaguely cheesy hops with a pointed, grassy bite wafting over fresh, crackery Pilsener malts downwind of a beehive. Weak and a bit off.

Taste: Soapy and dry. Light, almost tonic-water light malt base doesn't stand up to the hops (or anything else, for that matter), which makes this seem like a spritzy, hoppy light lager. But the all-malt base does make a difference and there are no off flavors, and even some interesting fruity (banana?) tones. Maybe I'm being harsh, but after eating some Old Rasputin ice cream, this beer just doesn't hack it.

Mouthfeel: Light, zippy, and bone-dry.

Drinkability: This is the light beer for people who hate light beer... or something. It's just very very boring, but also refreshing and clean. Worth a try, perhaps, but all-malt Pilseners are not terribly uncommon in this country, so I certainly wouldn't pay for another bottle. But even if this were the same price as, say, Suntory The Premium Malt's, I'd still want to drink more of the Malt's.

Pale golden color, quickly fading head and an apparently low carbonation. The smell was grainy and dry. The first impression was similar to the Weiss: peaches and ginger, but it got quickly overwhelmed by grains and dryness. The bitterness of the hops remain on the palate for a while with very herbal notes. Fruitiers tan other pilsners I've had, quite interesting. Even though I couldn't drink many of these in the same session.