Mikkeller Tjekket Pilsner

Bottle from Bierkoning, Amsterdam, consumed 08-11-09 Pours warm hazy gold with a large white foamy head. Nice nose cleansing sharpness, crisp pilsner malts and hops also. Crisp and precise in the mouth, also refreshing and with a good bitter bite. Soft in mouth, not normally a fan of pilsners but this is one that gets the nod. A7 A4 F7 P4 Ov14 3.6

Bottle: Labeled as Czech Pils. Nice hazy light golden with an initially thick white film. The aroma is bready dry pils- fairly clean with a peppery/spicy grassy saaz character. A bit too carbonated which thins out the body. Quite dry though and has a minerally character to it. Has a thin light crackery back yet it’s a bit spritzy. Has a late peppery saaz on the back. A bit over-carbonated, but dry and nice overall.

Maybe my expectations were too high after tasting the real stuff in Prague and Lazhne Bodanic. This one was cloudy straw colored with a large white head that formed a plateau - so far, so good. Not much lacing. Almost no aroma. Tasted of wet plaster, neither malt nor hops dominated, it just fell flat. Disappointing.

Bottle from the Beer Store. Clear light yellow with a fluffy white head. Crisp dry citrus hops aroma and taste with some cereal grain notes in the finish.

Bottle, best by 4/29/2011 (? Long shelf-life for a pilsener...) Pours a hazy golden/light orange with a thick white head. Aroma of spices, lagery malt. Flavor of grassy, herbal spices initially and some crackery, bready malt notes and lemon zest. Very nice pilsener. 7/4/8/4/14 [3.7/5]

Draught at Københavns Øldage 2009, Valby. Pours a pale golden color with a white head. Has a fruity hoppy grassy aroma with hints of citrus. Sweetish malty hoppy grassy flavor. Has a sweetish malty hoppy bitter grassy finish with some hints of citrus in the aftertaste.

11.2 fl oz bottle purchased at Blue Max in Burnsville, Minnesota. Bottled as Mikkeller Czech-Style Pilsner. Pour is hazed golden with a well formed 3 inch white head. Head is quite lasting, as it eventually falls, it leaves behind nice splotchy lacing. Final pour clouds it up with nice unfiltered yeast sediment. Aroma of soft hay and straw, dusty and natural. Also a nice mineral almost herbal clove presence behind that. Not an aggressive nose, but soft and very balanced. Taste is the soft straw and hay of the nose, with an herbal mineral and almost chalky edge to it. The medium reveals some floral hoppiness, which adds to and integrates with the mineral nicely. These two (floral hops and mineral) combine for a dry crisp finish. The aftertaste has a hint of wet woodiness to it which detracts a touch, though not too much. Palate is medium to thin, medium carbonation and the dry finish as stated. Really smooth, fresh and well integrated. Super soft, nice one.

Bottle from Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville. Pours bright hazy golden with big, fluffy white head. Nose of grassy hops and grain. Nice doughy malt presence. Similar on tongue, but got a definite smoke/ash presence as well, and as JPDIPSO pointed out, a bit of rubber. Dry, crisp, and slightly metallic finish. Nice, but wish it was a better for the price.