Lancaster Gold Star Pilsner

Brewed by Lancaster Brewing Co.
Style: Pilsener
Lancaster, Pennsylvania USA

12oz. bottle. The color is several shades closer to brown than most pilseners and the richness of the beer confirms the use of darker malts than are standard for the style. I like the weight this adds to the beer. It is unmistakably a pils but where others are weak and lack any detectable finish this one really delivers the goods. Great use of hops offers a pleasant degree of bitterness. Quite refreshing.

On tap at the brewery. Darker than most pilsners, not much aroma, which is common with a lot of LBC’s beers. Nice head, but served in a no-nick ale glass. A bit too gassy. Not one of LBC’s better efforts.

Dark golden color, unusual for something called a pilsener. Taste was stronger and lacking the traditional Saaz hop flavor, instead tasted more like a lighter IPA. A pleasant, but not overwhelming hoppiness dominates, but lacks the crispness of true pilseners. Although questionable as a true pilsener, a good, quality beer by itself that is easy to drink.

Sweet hoppiness like an ale in the nose, dark orange color, foamy head. Not the color of a typical pils at all. Sweet apple cider taste, hoppy bitter end. Gritty rough texture. Are you sure this is really supposed to be a pils? I’m not convinced it’s even a lager. An OK brew in and of itself , though rather boring.

Dark orange color - huge frothy head that stays extra long. Nice hoppy hay, flower nose - lavender, but unfortunatley also some skunky tones too. Boring watery light hay taste that goes by like the wind. Boring but not harming. As for style I think it has more in common with an Ale as with a Pilsner.

Pours dark, slightly hazy gold with a large head and a lot of effervescence. Great balance in the aroma between sweet, bready malts and citrusy, grassy hops. The flavor is sharp, somewhat astrigent hops with a very grainy malt taste. The dry finish isn’t as snappy as I expect from a good Pilsener.

Well there is a new take on a pilsner; this beer is a brilliantly clear rich amber color. It is topped by a frothy, tan colored head that leaves a bit of lacing as it falls from its initial one-finger height. Unsurprisingly given the color, the aroma has a sweet caramel note to it as well as a light fruitiness. There is some dry toasted notes in the finish as well as some herbal hop notes rounding out the malt notes. The sweet malt notes are the most prevalent note though.

The beer is light on the palate with a soft fruity, almost caramel like sweetness to it. The finish has a dry, toasted biscuit note to it that intermingles with an herbal hop bitterness. The herbal hop note shines from beginning to end, it is perhaps the most noticeable flavor here, and provides a nice foil for the uncharacteristic caramel sweet malt notes. This is certainly an interesting take on a Pilsner, more of an Amber ale even. It is pretty tasty though and quite quaffable; on a purely hedonistic scale this beer is pretty good, but it is a far cry from a Pilsner.

Pretty good pils. The thing I liked the most was the creamy, smooth mouthfeel. Could have used a little kick of hops.