New Albanian Elsa Von Horizon Imperial Pilsner

Brewed by New Albanian Brewing Company
Style: European Strong Lager
New Albany, Indiana USA

clear golden orange amber with a great fluffy white head. good lacing. great fruity citrus orange peach aroma. very balanced bittersweet fruity orange flavor with light spice. spicy orange bittersweet finish. medium to full body. moderate carbonation. well done.

Pours golden brown with a nice white head. Aroma is crisp earthy, slightly minty hop. Flavor is a nice blend of crisp light malts with a very interesting minty, fruity hop flavor. Pretty good.

Sampled at the St. Louis Microfest. Always a joy to see these guys at the microfest - good people, good beer. Pours yellow with a large off-white head. The aroma has lots of pils malt, grassiness and a presence that is very creamy and smooth. Medium / thick body with lots of semi-soft carbonation. The taste has lots of pils malt - so much it comes across almost milk-ish with a good amount of grassiness from the abundance of hops. The finish has lots of spicy hops and more grass. A very nice version of this style that is popping up more frequently.

Beer #19 at GTMW ’09. Actually cloudy despite pilsener color. White pils head, though. Smell is nice, though alcohol does come in stronger than pils fragrance. Taste is mostly alcohol, but some pilsener hops do come through the center of my sample glass.

Sample at 2008 Indy Microbrewers Fest - Aroma fresh grassy hops and doughy yeast. Pours transparent gold with a big head. Flavor is pine and grassy hops with a nice spicy yeast finish. Palate is crisp and clean. Very tasty and I would like to try a bottle conditioned version.

Tasted 4/12/08. The Schlafly Repeal of Prohibition festival. Filtered with a bright golden hue. Off white head. Crisp hops with a fruity hop nose. Super smooth. Low acidity. Tight effervescence. Big dry and bitter hops. tart and sticky. Lively. Crisp honey and pine hop flavors. Lingering bitterness. Fine brew!

On tap at GTMW 2007

New Albanian was high on my list of brewpubs to check out. Despite missing out on the port cask aged Bonfire of the Valkyries I was still able to get a sample of this. I’m actually glad in retrospect as I don’t think I would have given a barrel aged smoked beer the respect it deserves in this setting. I did miss a shot at the Fitgers Champagne of the North for this as well; that was more upsetting. Oh well - there’s always next year.

Aroma / Appearance - Lemongrass and wheat form the core of a dense aroma. It was hard to pick out more in such a crowded setting. The caramelized brown body was a sight to behold even before it settled down into a nice one finger whipped head. Sticky lacing danced down the side of the glass. As with Czar Jack, this would be far more enjoyable in a non-kolsch glass.

Flavor / Palate - The hoppy but smooth mouthfeel was easily sippable but complex at the same time. Caramel and honey were the first things I picked up followed by peaches, lemon and citurs. A bitter aftertaste yielded to the dry woody finish. If all imperial pilseners were this good I would be happy to try them all.

Indiana Microbrewers Fest: Golden hue with a big head and good lace. A wonderful nose with hints of tropical fruits (mango, pineapple), biscuity malts, dusty yeast and a phenolic tone. The taste had a big snap of bitterness and booze. Chalky and biscuity undertone. The mouth feel is sharp and hot, not all that refreshing. Different for sure, just a tad too much boozy character for me.