Märican Biere Bought and Drunk...

I had one draft pint of Goose Island 4 star Pils. I thought it was a good beer. It did not have a lot of Pilsner malt depth but that is to be expected since the grain bill is “2-Row, Special Pale”. It had a noticeable hop presence. I have seen folks opine that the beer is more akin to an APA but that was not the case for my palate; this beer deserves the label of Pilsner IMO.

This is not the type of beer I would purchase a 6-pack of but I am spoiled. Right now I have homebrewed Pilsners: CAP, Bohemian Pilsner, reconstruction of 1896 Michelob. And once I can get my hands on a 12-pack of Troegs Sunshine Pils I will be buying that.

In summary, a beer worth trying at least once IMO.

Cheers!

 

@JackHorzempa reconstructed 1896 Michelob? What is that? I'm intrigued, Michelob was one of my go-to beers in the 80's when I had a few extra bucks to spend on beer...

 

Michelob was a shining star when I knew nothing but beers ending in "lite/light." It actually had a lot of flavor by comparison.

 

Among others... Augsburger, Special Export and later Baderbräu in Chicagoland.

 

Pilsner?

I like Jason's review, "While this beer is enjoyable, this is clearly not to be confused with any traditional style of Pilsner, at least I got my hop fix." (and he rated it lower than I did)

 

First sixer of the season, just a hair over 3 weeks old. Man, I love this beer.

 

Got my eyes peeled!

 

About 3 1/2 weeks old in this picture, and it might have been the best batch I've ever tasted (although at under a month it could also be the freshest, we get Sierra Nevada beers fairly fresh, but less than a month doesn't happen as often if my memory serves me right). Crisp lager is a solid description for this one.

 

Love those backlit w/ sun shots

 

Thanks! You mean both, or just the one with the sun directly through the glass? It's the same pour, I just liked how it looked with the sun shining through it. I would never judge a beer's appearance with sun shining directly through a beer, as natural or artificial light can skew the perception and colors in my opinion. I just thought it looked cool.

Here's a few others...

The local unfiltered German Pils "Pepperell", which I really enjoyed. It uses Hersbrucker Hops and Heidelberg Malts. This one was a bit on the sweeter side, but in a good way, it wasn't unbalanced. Still a nice hop bitterness/spiciness to it, being unfiltered the body and mouthfeel were different than something like a Summerfest. A nice little beer at ~4.6% ABV I believe.



And then this year's Troegs Sunshine Pils, which is a favorite of mine. Every bit as good as Summerfest, if not a little better (but it doesn't matter, because why not drink both!!? It's not a contest). Hoppier than I remember, and hoppier than Summerfest. But it was a very pleasant and complimentary spicy hop bitterness that really lingered on the tongue. Not overbearing though, as you still got that lovely sweet malt character making it's present felt in the midst of 45 IBUs. Clean, crisp, and dry, although maybe not QUITE as crisp as the Summerfest. The body is definitely lighter, I believe Troegs is all Pils malt, while Summerfest has some 2-row and Munich thrown in there, and looks more golden yellow/darker.

I'm going off memory with these, so bear with me! I'm not a huge fan of note taking, I like to simply remember my beers for what they were, take some nice pictures, and if it's my first time with a beer I'll read the description, look up the ingredients, and see what I can pick out (or think I'm picking out) with my own palate. Let it warm for just a little bit, see what else pokes through, and then simply enjoy the rest of the beer. Then all the subsequent beers are enjoyed for what they are, and if something new is noticeable, bonus!

As an aside, Troegs' description was a bit odd this year to me, I'm confused whether or not it's a German or Czech Pils. Summerfest specifically says it's Czech, although its overall character has always seemed more German to me. Same with this year's Sunshine Pils, but here's their description, they use Pils malt and Hersbrucker/Saaz hops..."In Sunshine Pils, we combine the refreshing finesse of a Bohemian-style Pilsner with a bright Noble hop character."

 

Sometimes I think the brewery marketers use Czech or Bohemian because it sounds more romantic than just using German. Never mind that they really don't know what the brewmaster might be trying to achieve. I'd never think of using "refreshing" as Bohemian style Pils (lager) adjective -- at least not as quickly as I'd use it for a good German Pils.

And I definitely agree that SN Summerfest is more German than Czech.

 

Agreed, I find Czech Pilsners to be highly sessionable and delicious, but they're not what I consider crisp and refreshing. They're softer, much softer, it's a delicate and pleasant drinker. Still a prominent bitterness/spiciness from the generous usage of Saaz, but it's not nearly as sharp, biting, and lingering as a German Pils.

 

I'm sure I'll get skinned for saying it, but I don't put much stock in what style American brewers put on their bottles when it comes to German or Czech. If it's a Weihenstephaner or a Jever Pils you KNOW exactly what you are getting. Same thing with Pilsner Urquell.

I have more faith in Sierra Nevada being a more faithful representation of the style no doubt. All the same, both are fantastic and I wouldn't turn down a pils of either variety.

 

Was thinking specifically about the 2nd photo (but both were nice) Just a nice bit of aesthetics when a brilliantly clear, golden-bodied pilsners get a nice splash of sun.

 

Unexpectedly found some SN Summerfest at a smaller, out-of-the way local today. Bottled 3/30/16 -- not bad a'tall.

Mellow DMS in the nose with light earthy spiciness and citrus from hops. Great balance of grainy, crackery malts and spicy hops right up front, with the hops becoming more dominant in earthy, dry bitterness toward the end of a mouth-full. The crackery character lingers past the bitterness thru the finish and aftertaste.

Funny, but if I hadn't had Anchor California Lager earlier in the week I may not have noticed a similarity in malt flavors. Regional appellation? Could be. But I really notice the spiciness of the Noble Hops in this batch of Summerfest -- very nice. I hope this is a good harbinger of a great summer on the way!

Anyone remember how to tell where SN bottles were brewed? There's an inkjet code on the bottle's shoulder, but I'm not sure of the translation.

Wait -- found it.

It appears my six-pack was brewed at Mills, River (so much for California appellation on the barley, but who knows?) -- very nice.

 

Just picked up some myself, bottled 3/15. I had been down at the brewery sampling my Kolumbianer (hat tip again to @Gutes_Bier for the name!) before filtering and so my palate is kinda all over the place. (Get kinda obsessed with finding flavors...also I had a lunch of Vietnamese Pho). At any rate, I started to say that the Summerfest feels kinda slick on my palate, but I am pretty sure any 'problem' lies with what I ate/drank beforehand. Have a 6-pack, so when things clear I will revisit and assess.

 

Whoa -- that's palate trouble!

 

I know. Knowing that a great beer like Summerfest felt slick made me think that the differences I thought I was picking up on in my beer were probably a result of the Pho (and added hot sauces), too. I have to tip my hat as well to those (like @drtth) who make it a point to emphasize how so many things can affect palate. It really is true....

 

On the upside, you've got 5 more bottles of Summerfest and stomach full of pho, so life is pretty solid at the moment

 

Very true. But I was a bit concerned at the "slightly muted" flavors in my Kolumbianer that had been there just one day before