Mahrs Bräu Pilsner

Brewed by Mahrs Bräu
Style: Pilsener
Bamberg, Oberfranken/Bayern, Germany

02-Jul-07 (500 ml bottle: Obtained in trade with Otter, thanks Jeremy!) Like the other Mahr’s products I’ve tried, I don’t find this beer to be a mediocre example of the style, though as usually seems to be the case with imported German beer, the beer’s freshness could be an issue. The nose immediately gives the impression of a bready beer with very light hoppiness. The flavor is fairly bready and lightly sweet, and hops are only vaguely flavorful and bitter, perhaps an indication that this beer is showing some effects of age because for a pilsener, the hops are far too subdued. Carbonation is low as well, so combined with minimal hop bite, this medium-bodied beer seems really soft and easy on the palate. The yellow-golden beer is fairly hazy, but even worse, rising carbonation bubbles are few and far between. On the plus side, though, the voluminous, white head shows good retention, maintaining a thin layer, and the plentiful lacing looks like that liquid "snow" you shoot out of a can to cover your window for a wintertime effect. The beer certainly isn’t offensive to drink, but it’s supposed to be a pilsener, but it comes across as more of a Helles.

A Mes rate: 50cl bottle from the local. Pale yellow colour. Standard hoppy German pils but better than most. Nice malty undertones. Crisp, drinkable and refreshing. Let down somewhat by the aroma if you ask me but what do I know?

Shortlived small white head over big bubbled deep-golden beer. First dry-spicy herb, later more sweetish Pilsner malt notes, going over in honey-like, spring blossom aroma’s. Dry, albeit with a sparkling MF, Pilsner, malty and even grainy. Every sip begins with a suggestion of dry hops, then filters out in fully fermented and well attenuated pure pale malt beer. Faint flavour of melon. As said above, dry but sparkling and not a new, but long dry near-bitter aftertaste. This beer, even when it is a fairly classical South German Pilsner, reconciled me with the Mahr’s products, that let me down terribly when at the brewpub.

Bottle...Perhaps the only German beer that I didn’t enjoy. Something about this beer that made me get turned off. A bit to fruity for my taste.

Bottled: Grassy and herbal hop aroma, light malty. Light golden color, small foamy head. Flavor is light bready and light sweet, bitter and aroma hops, medium bodied. Herbal, bitter end. A bit unbalanced.

(Draught at OT, Sockholm) Malty and bitter taste, also a bit fruity and some butter. Slight bit shady golden color, small white head. Medium mouthfeel, low bitterness. Fruity aftertaste.

Bottle at Reading Beer Festival, April 2006. I usually prefer my German pilsners to be steely and crisp. This is a little more smooth and mellow than I usually favour, but it’s a very fine drop nonetheless. Pale gold colour. Plenty of grassy, herbal hops in the aroma backed up by light biscuity malt. Doesn’t get too bready, which is a plus. More insistent tangy hop character on the palate, with a subtle bite. Decent body and firm mouthfeel. Tasty and easygoing.

it is light, it is a pilsener, a lot better than any amercian counterpart, a good refreshing drink, but it is a pilsener, and there is not much to be said about that....