Deschutes 18th Anniversary Pilsner

Formerly brewed at Deschutes Brewery
Style: Classic German Pilsener
Bend, Oregon USA

Bottle courtesy of wohlfs. Crystal clear, pale olden with bubbly white head that fades quickly. Funky/skunk up front in aroma, earthy and herbal. Flavor dominated by floral hop esters and bad skunk. Not my favorite styles, but on par for the style.

What an incredibly pale color for an all malt Pilsner. This beer is a pale gold color that even approaches the lightness of straw. It is of course brilliantly clear and is topped by a frothy, initially three-finger thick, just barely off-white colored head that is soft and fluffy yet leaves a touch of lacing. The aroma is very light; a touch of sweet grain aromatics up front and a touch of grassy herbal hops are what is first noticeable. The aroma definitely has a grassy note to it as both the malt and hops contribute to this note.

Sharp and biting up front, the beer takes on a big clean bitterness to it from the get go. The beer is very light and quenching on the palate, with a touch of a malty body that has just a wisp of grain sweetness to it. Grassy & herbal hop components are also quite noticeable. This beer really captures the essence of a German Pils, it is light and crisp and not nearly as malty as Bohemian version would be. It is certainly a bit bigger in the hop department than your typical German Pils. It does have a nice, crisp, solid bitterness but it has quite a bit of hop flavor as well; notes of lemon grass, fresh cut hay, herbaceous notes sort of akin to basil, and even notes of honeysuckle all are found here. As the beer warms a bit I begin to notice the sweet malt a bit more; it adds just a touch of clean grain-like sweetness to this brew, not enough to balance, or get in the way of the hops, but just enough so they are not too much.

I was not sure what to expect of this beer, but I must say I am impressed. It is perhaps a touch bigger than most German examples, but there are certainly German ones that it is not bigger than, and it really has that crisp balance that one expects of the best German Pilsners. Clean malt notes yield to the dominant hop components, which ultimately leave a nice grassy bitter note lingering on in the palate just asking for you to take another sip. This is just a great take on a German Pilsner!

Purchased via mail order: <a href=http://www.liquidsolutions.ws/main/>Liq Solutions

22oz from Lionshead Liquors, Vail. Pours very light with little visible carb and no lacing. Could pass for coors light or some other piss but thankkfully doesn’t taste that way. Light, fresh hoppy aroma. Crisp, dry, lagered mouthfeel with some malt but mainly those tart, crisp hops. Great balance and refreshing as hell. A great go at a pils. Thanks again Deschutes!!!

22oz sitting here for a while. Aroma light hops. Poured a bright golden. Flavor was just hops but pleasant. Palate was crisp and clean. Overall, I can’t complain and it was a change from overdone brews. thanks kenb I believe sent this to me.

22oz bottle via trade with Indiana_Red - thanks Ken! - Pours golden sparkling with a short white head that fades back to a film and laces a little from there. Aromas of saaz hops, a touch of citrus, and light grains. Flavor is grainy with some honey sweetness and a kiss of citrus. Palate was crisp and clean and pretty well carbonated. Not a bad pilsner. I like the style and It is kind of cool that a brewery chose it for an anniversary brew!

Clear and very light yellow. Cereal aromas. Mild but harsh bitter flavors and finish. Better than MML but not by that much.

Clear golden-yellow with a very small white head. Aroma and taste is leaning towards cereals and some honey. For a classic german pilsner this one totally lacked hops presence and crispiness. Generic cereal/honey beer with a mild bitterness. Not ready to play with the big boys, not surprising since it’s an 18th birthday beer and in the USA you’re a big boy at 21.

Bottle. A clear yellow color with a diminished white head. A mild hop musty aroma with a soapy clean, vegetable flavor. Amazing that this tastes just like a bad foreign lager.