New Glarus Edel-Pils

Brewed by New Glarus Brewing Company
Style: Pilsener
New Glarus, Wisconsin USA

Bottle. Clear, very bright golden pour with a light layer of whitish head. Some scattered lacing. Aroma was light and crisp, with honey, grains, and a subtle sour note to it... however, it was a bit faint. Flavor was very much like the aroma. This had just the right balance of pils malts and crisp hops. Grainy on the palate, and very crisp on the finish. Not too exciting on the aroma, but this was wonderful from the first taste through the finish.

12-oz bottle
This beer is a perfect example of how some beers are overlooked by the RateBeer crowd simply because they’re not high-gravity supercharged IPAs or demon-infused imperial stouts. It’s ranked 96th percentile by style but only 75th overall? Some styles get no respect, and while big complex relatively new styles are getting all the attention these days, it’s easy to overlook just how difficult it is to do a comparatively simple pilsener really well instead of just "acceptably well." And so it is with New Glarus Edel-Pils. <P>It pours a nice heavy golden straw color, a bit darker than your average pilsener. Lively carbonation forms a thin head which soon gives way, but the bubbles never stop sliding up the sides of the glass. Wonderful slightly sweet malt and crisp, floral hop aroma. Exceptionally clean medium bitter hop flavor with sweet pale malt and a hint of citrusy sour grain. Medium mouthfeel. Creamy smooth palate is alive with carbonation. This is an exceptionally well-done pilsener -- one of the best in America if not the world, and certainly in my top five. Don’t overlook it just because it’s below 12%ABV and isn’t brewed with pomegranate molassas.

(12 oz bottle: Obtained in trade with footbalm, thanks Eric!) Not a very attractive beer, being that the white "head" barely covers the beer for just an instant before quickly fading to a thin ring. The hazy, light golden color is nice, but there also isn’t much in the way of carbonation bubbles. And I’m not trying to pile on, but the nose isn’t very aromatic either; it smells vaguely grainy with a slight amount of sweet honey. At least there’s some flavor to this beer, but again, it’s just not impressing me. A cheap-tasting honey-like sweetness seems to be the most prevalent flavor, which isn’t what I’m looking for in a pilsener, or actually any beer for that matter. Otherwise, it’s just generically grainy and lightly bitter, but not hoppy in any real way. And I swear there’s a slight hint of chocolate in this. Maybe that’s why the label is brown? Body is light-medium, and the carbonation is a bit elevated, so it’s not the most pleasant mouthfeel. Overall, this "nobel" pilsener is just an average, unmemorable beer that tastes cheaply sweet, and I guess I’ve come to expect better from New Glarus.

Realized that this deserved a new rating. Light golden color with an aged ivory colored head. Mild herbal hops noted along with a hint of pale malt. Crisp and fairly light on the palate. Enough malt to let you know that his not just any lager. Light noble hops seem to dominate the flavor, but the malt does come into the picture mid quaff. A nice bohemian pils.

Clear golden color with a pillowy white head. Aroma is sweet, toasty malt and lemon grass. Flavor is doughy malt throughout with a bit of grassy hops (not nearly as much hops as I expected though). Finish is creamy roasted malt and a light, crisp citrus hit. Medium - full bodied but with a creamy, buttery mouth feel and light carbonation. My experience with this style is pretty limited but I enjoyed this one.

pours a light copper w/ a nice white head some lacing. Smells of wheat orange rind lemon peel and grass. Avg palate ok coating nothing special. Pretty good taste an odd mix of carmel and weak grassy malt. Overall a pretty good brew.

Very refreshing pilsener. Very malty for a pils, it may be my bottle, but the hops were very subdued. Still crisp and tasty though.

In the bottle. Pours a dark gold. Smells like a German pils. Nice fluffy head. Delicious! possibly the best pilsner that I’ve tasted outside of Germany. Floral malt scent with a honey aroma. great crisp bitterness.