I did not quite score the beer 5/5 when I had it. There are the ones who would accuse me of showing a bias towards a beer that is pretty much impossible to find. Oh sure they are bottling it now, but how can a bottled pilsners that will have travelled hundreds if not thousands of kilometers be compared to the real deal, on tap at the brewery. Those who accuse me may actually be right, I’ll never admit it, but chances are that I was carried by the moment. Luckily, they can’t sue me as we are not in Italian juridiction. And certainly not in Lurago Marinone, where I was driven by a gentle soul who rightly suspected I would never find the place with my bicycle unless I had a GPS. He was probably right, the indications from small village to small village could not be less clear to decipher. Perhaps this was one of the reason why I enjoyed the beer even more. Or perhaps because it was shared with my significant other who, for some reason, seemed to prefer a vulgar flowery beer named fleurette, while the tipopils had as much floral aromatics as one may wish for. The tipopils, opaque, perfectly balanced, strong in pure hay-like maltiness, almost avoiding any hints at graininess to ensure ultimate leanness, ultimate balance when the coating hop bitterness grabs your soul, grabs your upper and lower lips into a form vaguely similar to what poets at times refer to as a smile. Fresh, focused, cleansing crisp carbonation. Exceptional quality. Firm body, biscuity flavours that grow and grow as it warms, yet keep this quality that one can only describe as delicacy. Yet dry and this was meant to be. Still you will ask me, is it not against some unwritten ratebeer rule to attribute a 5.0 to a pilsner, this vile, lame style for the wussies who, to this day, remain afraid of darkness, who refuse the offer of a thick plot for mere simplicity. Well why do you drink fellow drinker? Are you looking at new ways to make your life more complicated with thick, sweet, long to drink beefy beers? You may as well make it more complicated by seeking this intricate, subtle gem, the quest of which, I promise, will be as complex as any of those fat beers you rave about. As for myself, as I said earlier, I had initially not given this beer a 5, not that anything was really lacking. But the thing is that, to this day, with a backlog now having passed the thousand, I estimate with a sufficient level of confidence that this beer will very likely remain my favorite of this voyage and thus deserve a special pat in the back. Is it worth a five? Some say none are, I say it is as worthy as pretty much any other.

A lot of glasses on the tap, every time I end up by chance near Lurago Marinone... ok, sometimes is not "by chance"... One word could be enough: wondeful. Engaging appearance, golden-yellow with some light green hint and visible effervescence. White frothy head, which last quite long. The aroma is a perfect blend of light malt and fresh hop. Not too strong but really pleasant. Medium-light body and hoppy bitternes dominating but not overwhelming the malty sweetness. It satisfies all the senses and it’s actually impossible not to have the second.

Draught at the brewpub
2007-12-29, 10-5-8-5-18=46
Wonderful herbal hop aroma, Saaz; it’ even lightly smokey (chestnuts). The body is quite dry, with almost no sweetness, but with a good crispy malt flavor; luckily we are back to the old bitterness levels: very high. The bitterness is extreme for a Pilsner, and of course the hop is of excellent quality. Needless to say, the final is very long. It’s almost unfair to say that it could be perfect if just it had some more sweetness. My best Pils!

2005-12-28, 8-5-8-5-17=43
I kept drinking this wonderful brew every time I go back to my hometown, but I didn’t update the notes for more than three years...
The appearance is the top of the art, a hazy blond brew with a thick big head, just a masterpiece.
Initially the nose is hit by a fresh green hop aroma.
Dry mouthfeel, partially malty, with a honey touch, crispy; well bitter; very long final, aromatic hops.
I remember it as more aromatic and fruity, but it’s still my favorite Pilsner around!

2002-05-20, 10-5-7-5-18=45
Blond pilsner, misty, big head. Wonderful hoppy aroma, lightly floreal. Average body, some malt, a strong hop character; fresh hop, wonderful. Long final, dominated by the hop, strongly aromatic.
The brewery masterpiece, and undoubtly one of the best pilsners you may find.

Golden coloured. Softly malty. Dry, clean, bitter and perfectly balanced. A top class German style pilsener.

Golden colour, very good and persistent foam. The taste is hoppy and really weel balanced. A wonderful pilsener.