Summit - Pilsner

Another day of Summit Brewing Week, another Summit beer to taste!  Tonight's brew is a Bohemian style Pilsner.  This style of Pilsner is known for its smooth mouthfeel when compared to its German style brother which is generally on the crisper side.  Saaz hops provide an additional layer of spice in both the aroma and flavor while the overall profile is clean and slightly bitter.

There is a neat fact about the procurement of the barley used to brew this Pilsner on Summits website.  Apparently all of the Moravian 37 style barley purchased is harvested from Mark Stutrud's, the founder of Summit, cousin Jim and his son Todd's North Dakota farm.  I'm willing to bet you wont find very many breweries that purchase their grain directly from their family members farm!  Good work Summit.

This Bohemian Pilsner starts out just like any other within the category; a brilliantly clear pale yellow with a fluffy white head.  I was surprised to notice the aroma right away after I finished pouring.  Nice and malty with those prominent saaz hops right in the forefront.  A little spice from those hops adds a bit of complexity to this otherwise straight forward and clean aroma.  The flavor comes through with a clean malty base for the spicy, bitter and slightly grassy hops.  The carbonation is just right as it helps to smooth out the overall mouthfeel and accentuate the spicy hop bitterness.

Overall - Dunz reviewed this Pilsner back in March and had good things to say about it.  I also found this to be a great addition to the Autumn sampler.  I think it was a good decision by Summit to include the Bohemian style as opposed to the German style here.  In the Fall you want a smoother beer that warms your palette instead of a crisper profile that tends to refresh your palette.  This would be a great beer for tailgating or any other outdoor event this Autumn.  And lucky for us, it also comes in a 12 pack year-round!

Victory Brewing - Summer Love Ale

Tonight I'm going to be reviewing Summer Love Ale from Victory Brewing in Downingtown, PA.  This is a summer seasonal that classifies as an American Blonde Ale.  Brewed with german malts and a combination of american and german whole hop flowers, this is another European-influenced take on an American style brew. 

The label on the bottle has a summer baseball theme, and the back of the label has a little story which I have pictured below.  After a rough pour, the beer leaves an inch of frothy white head.  Very little lacing left behind.  The color is pale gold/straw, clean and very clear.  The aroma is full of lemongrass, some sweet orange zest, and honey on toast.  Also a touch of sugar in there.  The flavor starts off crisp and zesty, with lemon peels and citrusy hop bitterness.  In the background, there is a toasted bread maltyness with honey sweetness on top of it.  An herbal grassiness also plays a part in there.  The body is light, with a medium amount of carbonation - perfect.

Overall Rating:  Light, refreshing.....at it's core, this is a hoppy pilsner.  Terrific brew for a baseball game or a day on the beach.  Give it a try!  B+

Radeberger - Pilsner

First of all, my apologizes for skipping yesterdays post.  Studying got the best of me and I more or less passed the eff out shortly after getting up from my desk.  16 more days until the test... I'm almost there!

Tonights review is taking us on a trip over to Germany.  Specifically Radeberg, Germany.  Famous for Radeberger Exportbierbrauerei, this Pilsner boasts a royal history dating back to 1872.  The label informs me that it was "Born at the Royal Court of Dresden".  Digging further into Radeberger's helpful website I found that the Royal Court of Saxony and Prince Otto von Bismarck appointed the brewery as purveyor to their courts.  Now I'm no historian, but I'm pretty sure being the purveyor of anything related to beer back in the day was a good thing for the brewery doing the purveying.  It means people liked your beer!  It also means I'm excited to try a bottle of my own.

The 500ml bottle fills my mug right up to the top with crystal clear, pale yellow liquid gold.  A nice white frothy foam builds up to the rim and gives off a sweet malt and subtle earthy hop aromas.  The overall appearance is very inviting!  Smooth and sweet mouthfeel with the sweet malty/grainy flavors making another appearance.  Both the aroma and taste are very clean and crisp.  A smooth bitterness lingers as I swirl a sip through my palate.  The finish is refreshing with the carbonation and bittering hops finishing off a well rounded pilsner.

Overall - If I had to pick two adjectives to summarize this brew it would be 'smooth' and 'crisp'... and 'balanced'.  This German brew is different than most state side pilsners in that it didn't put the hops in the forefront of the beer.  Too many times us Americans get caught up in the thought that more hops are always better!  Well the Europeans are a testament to the fact that old school can still reign supreme and simple, balanced recipes brewed by knowledgeable and experience brewers are some of the best beers you will find in the world.  I'm not saying this is the best in the world of pilsners, but its certainly a refreshing example of what a delicious beer can be.   

Boulevard - Collaboration No 1 - Imperial Pilsner

I bought this 750ml bottle of Boulevard Imperial Pilsner for $11.99 - pretty hefty price, especially for a pilsner.....I really went out on a limb on this one because pilsner isn't my favorite style of brew....it's towards the bottom of my list.  This was a special collaboration brew between Steven Pauwels at Boulevard and Jean-Marie Rock, the Belgian brewer from Orval, in which they used an old technique called wort hopping where the hops are added to the boil very early, and allowed to steep for a longer time than normal.  If they brought in a brewer from Orval, it must be a serious brew...let's dig in.

I'm pouring this beer into a pint glass.  By the way, for those of you who haven't noticed, I drink most of my beers out of a pint glass.  Why?  Because I'm a cheap asshole, and haven't spent the money on a set of beer glasses.  But Dunz, you just spent $11.99 on 1 bottle of beer....why not just go spend $20 and get yourself some beer glasses?  That's a great question reader.  Frankly, I think pint glasses are the most practical way to drink beer.  And I'm a cheap asshole.

Anyway, pouring this into a pint glass - pours a very clear light golden, straw color with a pure white head frothy head.  The nose is pilsner malts along with a touch of lemongrass and some of that fruity-yeasty smell you get in some lighter belgian ales.

The drink brings some noble hops initially, moderate bitterness and some earthy flavors.  The malts are there, but they take a back seat to the earthy, spicy hops and the peppers that probably come from the yeast.  There is also some pear that comes through in there.  This beer has a lot more happening than a normal pilsner, definitely took me by surprise!  The body is a lot beefier than your typical pilsner, with strong carbonation and a paradoxical crispy creme mouthfeel.

Overall Rating (4.2 out of 6.0)    I was a little hesitant to get this beer because I tend to shy away from pilsners, because to me the style and flavors tend to be....boring.  But this beer turned out to be a pleasant surprise, mainly because it wasn't really much of a pilsner.  It was more of a belgian style pale ale with some pilsner juice mixed in.  Good brew but the price tag still seems a bit hefty. 

German Beer Tasting at the History Theater

Today certainly is a winter weather day. We are expected to get around 12-16 inches of snow with 2-5 foot snow drifts! Shoveling my way out of the front door is not going to be a good time. Although, a fire and a few beers will definitely be in order which I cant complain about. Good thing this is all hitting today since last night was The Christmas Schooner play and our German beer tasting. The play was great. Lots of excellent singers and very impressive young actors. The family in the play is of German decent which made for some pretty funny, dry humor. If you are in the area and haven't seen or heard about it you can find more information about it here. Go check it out! One of my wifes students is actually the lead kid in the play!

But, you aren't reading this blog to hear about a musical... you want to know about the beer! Or at least that is our assumption... Prior to the play Dunz and I had the opportunity to taste six beers of German origin. While we wont write a full review on each beer we were able to take some solid notes about each one while tasting it. My wife also took notes that we will include since I am almost positive she has at least three times as many taste buds as I do. That woman can taste damn near anything thats included in a beer.

Our first beer was a Pilsner brewed by Warsteiner called Premium Verum. It was very clear, clean, crisp and refreshing. Something that I would love to drink on a warm summer day. The noble hops were present but not a bold characteristic in this brew. The pils malt and lager yeast made for a very smooth and clean finish. Our first taste of Warsteiner's Pilsner seemed slightly tart but quickly went away after the malt and nobel hops hit your pallet. I could drink a number of these beers. Nice, mild, very quaffable. Overall - 5/6.

Next up, one of the few breweries in Germany who's flagship beer is a dark beer! Kostriker's Schwarzbier is a deep, opaque ruby red when held up to the light. The nose has a mild roast and a slight coffee and chocolate smell to it along with some fruit up front. The flavor was a little thin, even for a lager. The flavor profile is mild. Im now starting to think all of our American craft beers have blown up their flavor profiles so much that European brews seem dainty in comparison. However, this beer is still clean and easily drinkable. A good option for an everyday beer when you are in the mood for something with darker beer characteristics. Overall - 4/6.

Following our Schwarzbier comes an Oktoberfest from the Monks! Marzen Fest brewed by Weissenohe has been in one form of existence or another since 1050! Talk about a historic beer. This orange/amber beer seems slighly cloudy which leads me to believe its not filtered. Plenty of malt in the nose with some caramel and hop aroma coming in at the end. The flavor is nice, not bitter at all. Malt is what makes this brew. Very smooth, low carbonation allows you to drink a lot of this beer without feeling full. Thats what an Oktoberfest brew is supposed to do, right?! One more taste brings some bready characteristics to this 5% abv fest bier. Overall - 5/6.

Our fourth beer in this seemingly fantastic German lineup is Hacker-Pschorr's Munich Gold. A Helles style beer (apparently made to compete with the already dominant Pilsner style in Germany). Pours golden with a very slight haze to it. A sweeter aroma is present in this brew along with a bit more body than the pils we tasted earlier and slightly more bitter. Seems to be a beer for people who want more malt characteristic and want to avoid the sometimes "skunky" flavor you get from Pilsner malt. (Want to know why some pilsners smell that way? Find more information here. Warning, geeky beer stuff following that link!). Good beer, better suited for your fall or spring climates as far as I'm concerned. Still a well brewed beer. Overall 4.5/6.

Second to last we have an Eisbock brewed by Kulmbacher. An Eisbock, style wise, is left to sit at sub 32 degree temperatures after fermentation is finished. This forms water crystals in the beer which are then scooped out and set aside leaving a more potent brew for consumption. Our example was a potent 9.2% abv but you wouldnt know it without reading the label. The aroma was a complex raisin, fig, caramel mix that melded together very nicely. The first step emphasized those aromas on your tastebuds and gave an extra sweet and alcoholic warmth to the finish. This deep mahogany colored brew is very nicely done. My favorite for the session. We were able to purchase any of the beers we drank during this session half off during intermission of the play and we both chose this Eisbock to drink. Overall - 5/6.

Finally, we finish with Paulaner's Hefe-Weizen. A nice, cloudy orange which is to be expected with unfiltered wheat beers. A fruity, citrusy aroma is prominent upon first whiff. The taste easily backs this up. A well composed beer that will have Blue Moon fans immediately won over. A quality beer for anyone looking to diversify from American attempts at the style. Also, my wifes favorite of the night. Overall - 5/6

The History Theater is having another beer tasting similar to this one on March 25th, 2011 where they will taste beers of the Twin Cities. Expect local brews from the smaller guys in the area. Sorry Summit, I think you have reached "big craft brewery" status around the area since you were not mentioned in the line up.

Thanks for reading our German beer tasting experience. Let us know what you think in the comments and feel free to pass our blog along to others! More followers means more comments which also means better reviews because you are telling us what you want!

Prosit!