Jever - The German Pilsener

Nice. And this thread will help you figure out how fresh it is.

BTW, I like your profile picture... geology rocks!

 

Yeah, I kinda wish I knew it was a 15 month best by rather than the assumed 12 month (I saw the info after I came home from picking it up). Still, it turned out just fine.

It's a gneiss field.

 

Of quartz it is.

 

You're just graben any pun you can find aren't you?

 

I thought it was pretty funny; I actually laughed out loud!!

Cheers!

 

My pun graben is [put-]down.

 

Well at least you didn't go eon and make an era.

 

In your defense it's not the horst pun I've heard.

 

In case anyone here cares, I noticed that Jever changed their package dating to show bottled on and best by dates (in MM/DD/YYYY format). It's more clear than the previous best by date, which you had to know it was 15-month window from bottling (see quote above). Dates are printed on the end of the case as before. I was really happy to find a case bottled on 02/17/2016, which needless to say I bought it immediately.

@JackHorzempa @drtth @Chaz @zid @TongoRad

For the Pennsylvania area folks... Over the past year of paying attention to Jever dates I have observed that in southeastern Pennsylvania most Jever on shelves at multiple locations all have the same dates. I could be wrong, but I suspect the main importer or distributor of Jever periodically gets large shipments. My point is that if you live in or near PA and want some reasonably fresh Jever, now may be a good time to look/inquire for this batch bottled in February.

 

Randy,

Thanks for the tip!

In kind I would like to also provide you with a tip: I recently purchased a 6-pack of Genesee Pilot Batch Brew House North German style Pilsner (my local Wegmans) and IMO this beer is excellent.

If during my next trip to Wegmans there is still Genny Pils on the shelf I will be buying another 6-pack of this beer.

Cheers!

 

When I lived in Germany, this was my favorite pilsener. Not much of a cost difference between it and Bitburger either, so it wasn't the price. My feeling is that is perhaps too "crisp" for the normal palate...

 

BIG difference in price between Jever and Bit here in the U.S. Probably a key in its "flying under the radar." It's a factor for me since it's pricy (about $12 or $13 a six-pack around here) and then withers on the shelves.

 

Is it this "retired" Genesee Brew House German Pilsner that @GreesyFizeek reviewed recently? Whether it's the same beer brought out of retirement or a new recipe, BA's database needs an update.

 

Hopefully not Tucher....

 

Sorry I was speaking about pricing in Germany...case prices (20 .5l bottles) was relatively the same for most German pilseners, so it became a matter of taste.... or brand loyalty...or regional pride

 

I knew you were, but I think most of the commentary is why it isn't big over here (N. America).

I only wish price points between Germany and here were comparable, I'd jump at Jever if it was the same price as a 12 pack of Bitburger.

 

I'll try to clarify what I know about this one- the one I reviewed was a recent draft only batch that the Genesee Brew House made. It was a SMaSH beer, all Weyermann pils malt and Hallertau Hersbrucker hops. It was specifically called a North German-Style Pilsner when I got it at the brewery, but didn't want to make a new BA listing for, since the current listing- Genesee Brew House German Pilsner- seemed close enough.

The bottled beer that @JackHorzempa had is a different recipe than the one I had. I don't know the ingredient specifics about it, but I know it's also called a North German style Pilsner, so they can't be all that different. I haven't had the bottled version to compare, unfortunately. The draft version I had absolutely blew me away, though, the best American version of a pilsner that I've ever had.

 

Never actually had Tucher pils. In fact, never had anything from them that wasn't a weissbier.
For Franconian pilsners, my faves are Keesmann, Faessla, and Mahr's. I suppose that's more specifically "Bamberger pilsner" moreso than just Franconian. I've had a couple from some other places in the area, but I'm blanking on them right now. I'm thinking they were from the NBG area, though.

 

Agreed. Jever is in the $30-$35 case range for me*, which is significantly more than most imported pilsners and sometimes suffers from sitting on shelves too long. However, when I find Jever reasonably fresh, I justify the additional cost because it's well within the range of most craft beer I buy and I enjoy it more than most of the craft beer I buy.

* - I buy cases partly because I live in PA and partly because the fully-enclosed factory-sealed cardboard case is the only way to ensure the beer was not light-struck.