Märican Biere Bought and Drunk...

I posted the latest news in one of the other threads, but I can't find it now. Here's the press release from UC.

 

I just want to see more of their German-style beers available near me. Right now the Zwickel, Hefeweizen, and an IPA are the only labels.

 

Okay, with all of the banter about good breweries and bad breweries on either side of the Atlantic, I stopped for more Trumer this evening and couldn't be happier.

The question of small breweries combating large breweries seems popular these days, but I was around pre-Micro Boom® and know the frustration of finding good beer -- no matter who was brewing it. I've always contended that if US breweries had brewed great, traditional, delicious beer back then, there would have never been the need for the Micro Boom®. Some smaller, regional breweries were doing pretty good, but there was little comparable to the good stuff around today.

But more to my point, there was no one making a German-style Pils anywhere near what Trumer is producing in N. California. There were some decent regional lagers that were head-and-shoulders better than BMC, but there was nothing that matched imports from Germany -- and the fact that Trumer is producing this beer in our backyard really tells me that it could have been done a long time ago.

Great bready nose balanced with spicy noble hops; rich, melanoidin malts balanced with the same spicy, bitter hops; crisp and clean body with a lingering bitterness that is so traditionally German... best Pilsner in the US right now. Every, every US brewer can learn about the style from this beer.

 

I enjoy drinking Trumer Pils but there are other US brewed Pilsners that are even better in my opinion.

Something I have posted previously:


Favorite Pilsners

Sly Fox: Tettnang Keller Pils, Standard Pils, Charles Bridge Pilsner, 2nd Street Pils, Pikeland Pils

Victory: Hip Czech, Braumeister Pils – Sladek, Braumeister Pils – Hallertauer Mittelfruh, Braumeister Pils – Saaz, Braumeister Pils – Tettnang, Braumeister Pils – Spalt, Prima PIls

Triumph: German Pilsner, Czech Pilsner

Neshaminy Creek: Trauger Pils

Troegs: Sunshine Pils

Sixpoint: Crisp

Trumer: Trumer Pils

Sierra Nevada: Nooner Pils

Hardywood Park Craft Brewing: Hardywood Pils

Firestone Walker: Pivo Pils

Real Ale: Hans Pils

Stoudts Pils

 

I agree, Trumer Pils is definitely better than Trumer Pils.

 

Needed to add a couple non-PA beers...otherwise the list might look biased

 

Victory Prima Pils, Sixpoint Crisp, Sierra Nevada Nooner Pils, Firestone Walker Pivo Pils.

To-style as a German Pilsner? Hardly. Trumer tops them all in the learned opinion of someone who has spent some time drinking German Pils in Germany (and Austria). Better because you like them better? Whatever floats your swizzle stick, but I like my Pilsner in the German style. A little grainy malt and citrus hops to change it up a little is fine, now and again, but not what I look for in a Pilsner.

@herrburgess & @AlcahueteJ -- One of the things about Trumer USA that came to mind is that they only brew Pilsner. Makes me think that the attention given one type of beer really shines in the final product.

 

None of the below are brewed in PA:

Sixpoint: Crisp

Trumer: Trumer Pils

Sierra Nevada: Nooner Pils

Hardywood Park Craft Brewing: Hardywood Pils

Firestone Walker: Pivo Pils

Real Ale: Hans Pils

Cheers!

 

6 out of 23, then?

 

I am attending the National Homebrewers Conference and I had a chance to drink a Stone brewed Pilsner which is very tasty. I will add that to the list so I am now up to seven!!

Cheers!

P.S. PA breweries do indeed make some excellent Pilsners!!

 

Now, why in the hell would Stone be brewing a Pilsner?

(*a Berliner Weiß)

 

Let me know if you (to anyone else) come to St. Louis and I'll meet you for a beer or 3.

 

Decided to pick up some Metropolitan Flywheel Bright Lager on the way home tonight. Couldn't understand why it was so hazy -- damned if this beer isn't bottle-conditioned. And damned if it isn't a pretty good Pilsner, er -- Helles, um -- Pilsner. I reviewed it as a Pils in 2011, but to be honest I am tasting it as a Helles today... though it does have some great spicy hops... Hmm.

From the Metro web site:

So, it's sort of a hoppier Helles...

 

Ahh... it's a Chicago style Pilsner. Gotta watch the video to understand.

Funny, I'm not getting the neon green relish or sport peppers... (sorry, Chicagophile joke)

45 IBUs. Hmm. More breweries need to consult Metro for their hop usage. This beer is quite nice without being palate-stunting.

 

The Southern Tier Helles was kind of an in-betweener as well, with much more hop aroma than you'd expect in a Helles. It had fairly low bitterness, though, which worked in its favor. It's pretty nice by itself, although it really stood out in comparison with some of its Munich cousins.

 

Unfortunately no pictures, but I was able to consume a pint of Queen City's Koelsch outdoors yesterday. They had Reissdorf on tap as well, but I've had bad luck with it on tap lately, so after a sample of Queen City's I decided to give it a whirl.

Quite refreshing, subtle, but refreshing. Pretty much what the description of a Koelsch sounds like from what I've read (can't say I have a great palate for what it should taste like). 5% abv, hops were there, but subtle, matching the overall theme of the flavor profile. Basically, not a hoppy 6% Koelsch, good stuff.

There's also a German-style focused brewery that opened up in Vermont called Von Trapp. Their beers are making their way down to Boston, and I've heard good things about their Helles. I feel like in the past year or so I've noticed American breweries beginning to make more of an effort to brew German styles, not a bad move from a business stand point with the market oversaturated with IPAs.

There was also a Goose Island event in Davis Square this past Friday afternoon. I was able to have their Bourbon Coffee Stout, Proprietor's Blend, and 2013 Bourbon County Stout on tap. Maine Beer Co.'s Lunch was also on tap, which is a gem of an IPA on draft. Obviously my tastes lean towards more "traditional" styles, but damn....the Coffee and especially the Proprietor's were absolutely delicious. The only thing that held me back was the 13 and 14% abv's. Those catch up with you quickly. If you ever get a chance to try Goose Island's Bourbon County variants, I highly recommend it.

 

From the Family Von Trapp of Sound of Music fame.

 

That's actually the same Von Trapp family as in The Sound of Music. I guess they have an inn and restaurant along with the brewery -- I've heard good things.

 

I tried the Southern Tier Where the Helles Summer earlier this year and couldn't get past one bottle. It was sour to tart and had some real problems with fruit esters -- nowhere near as clean as a good Helles.

You being in Jersey, maybe the beer didn't suffer transportation troubles, or something -- I returned the remaining 5 bottles for a different sixpack -- in fact, Metropolitan I believe.