Hurricane Reef Caribbean Style Pilsner

Brewed by Florida Beer Company
Style: Pilsener
Melbourne, Florida USA

Golden yellow color with a fizzy white head. Light grainy nose with some lemon citrus and acetate hints. Some honey sweetness, light grains and a lemon/lime citrus finish. There is a syrupy mouthfeel that does not lead me to call this "crisp, clean and refreshing." I suppose it would do on a beach with nachos. Thanks to daknole for the bottle.

12 oz bottle 8/19/08(Bodega Blue Artisan Cheese)-Pours a hazy golden with a small covering for a head. It has an aroma of corn and grains. Taste of the same. This light bodied brew is nothing to write home about but was expecting less.

Bottle. Mild aroma. Yellow body, large white head. Flavor is sweet-sour, with a hint of grain. Tastes a little off.

Bottle. Pours a clear sunshine yellow. Carbonation bubbles emanate from the bottom. Flavor is initially dry, typical pils style. Finish is a bit sweet and flowery. Pretty average.

After my nightmarish experience with the Hurricane Reef Raspberry Wheat I was more than less motivated to try the Caribbean Pilsner anytime soon. Thankfully though, a trip to the Florida Brewing Company and a taste of the brew fresh relieved some fears and apprehensions and I decided that it was OK to pop open my bottle. I will never let a bad beer defeat me or keep me down, but those bad memories can linger for a very long time.
She poured a light orange with hints of hay into my glass, topped off by a thin white head which fades into nothingness. Tiny streams of bubbly carbonation wind their way to the top, and despite her poor attempt at a head, she foams readily upon swirling while leaving trickling trails of lace. Her nose greets me with grassy hops and lemon esters backed by sweet oats and grains. My first quaff is light and sweet with a very clean and relatively thin body. The sweet oats and grains also greet my tastebuds first, followed second by hints of lemon and lime. A sweeter and less tart citric element, a fitting tribute to its Caribbean namesake. As I delve deeper, a frothy mouthfeel reveals hints of earthy hay amidst the grains and citric notes which linger on into the aftertaste. Is that some orange zest I also taste? Before I realize it, my glass is empty, but my Hurricane Reef Caribbean Pilsner has shown me her colors and I have found them to be rather pleasing.
Pilsner traditionalists would scoff and throw a rather noisy brouhaha over this particular Pilsner because it is neither Czech nor German in style. I can understand their purist stance as there really is nothing that can compare to a fresh German or Czech pilsner; nothing. Hurricane Reef Caribbean Pilsner is neither; it is instead a Caribbean/Floridian take on a clean, crisp, and very refreshing light beer that is not just your standard pilsner. In adding that twist, I would say that Hurricane Reef and the Florida Beer Company have accomplished what they set out to do, for good and for bad.

Thanks Dakine.Gold in coloration, funky spicey yeast smell. I think the sourdough descrription previously noted sums the flavor up.

Hazy medium gold colored body with a thin eggshell white head. Sweet potatoes and bagged seeds of something like peas come through in the nose. The taste is lightly bitter, again it reminds me of seeds ready to be planted in a garden. There is also some bitter bread crust, but it’s behind that strange seed character. While a light beer, this is not very enjoyable.

Bottle courtesy of daknole. Pours gold with a white head. Smells of sweet malt, some pilsner malt, spicy, some yeast. Tastes of dry pils malt and thin with a citrussy finish. This definitely serves its purpose.