Northwoods Prickly Pike Pilsner

Brewed by Northwoods Brew Pub
Style: Pilsener
Eau Claire, Wisconsin USA

Date: 09/08/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party

hazy gold, wispy white head, streaks of drippy lace, light sweet butter aroma, tart malt flavor, lactic lemon character,

Aroma: 3/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 3/10; Palate: 4/10; Overall: 5/20
Rating: 1.6/5.0
Drinkability: 4/10
Score: 4

Bottle from brewpub: Transparent pale golden with a thin wispy white head. Aroma of slightly sour, pale grainy malt. Body is thin and watery and hardly has any flavor whatsoever, apart from a faint tartness. WTF is wrong with this place?

What is this?? Called a Pilsener by RB, it’s description reads, "A Koelsch style golden ale with light malt character, medium bitterness with low hop flavor and aroma. " ("Kolsch" also appears on a border on the label.) Gold with an erupting head, it had nice bubbling and beading. But the smell was sweet with a crabapple sourness added on. The carbonation was intense like a soda and became annoying rather than prickly. The flavor was something with a sour cider finish. No trace whatsoever of hops. I don’t know what it was (neither did the other members of The LoSBD who attended the meeting), but I know I won’t be drinking it again.

<font size=-4>Thanks & a tip o’ the hat to <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/ViewUser.asp?UserID=2 and <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/ViewUser.asp?UserID=1 size=-1>

Tap. Ok name it a pils, yet give a description of a koelsch. The beerkeep even indicated that it was not a lager brewed beer. Golden color with a smaller off white head. Sweet malt, ester and mild hops aromas. Esters abound and not crisp of clean. I rated this as a pils as that is how it was presented. It may be slightly higher as a koelsh.

On tap at both Chetek and Eau Claire brewpub locations, but brewed only at the Eau Clarie locale. Pours a light orange golden yellow brew with a thick white head that diminishes quick and leaves a spotty lacing. Aroma of corn malt, some sour apples, and some powdered sugar. Taste is highly carbonated, light bodied, some citrus peel with a dry orange finish. NIce orange/hops bitterness.

Bottle thanks to Skyview. Poured bright golden, almost clear save for some very fine sediment.. about as much head on there as apple juice (about zero). Aroma was sickly sweet with honeycomb, corn, and fructose-infused caramels.. no hop presence in the nose.. what the hell is this? Flavor found bunches of honey and corn sweetness at the base with very mild grassy and herbal bitterness.. left some ugly vegetal and cardboard notes at the finish.. not good. Light-bodied and scathing on the palate.. the "prickly" comes through in higher carbonation that pops on all the taste buds, spreading out the nasty flavors... dries out the back of the mouth with the finish. Gross.

Oh.. and this was typed before reading very similar remarks below.

Dark gold color with no head. Musty hop aroma. Ugh... rotten bitter taste up front that fades into nothingness. Thankfully I didn’t have to taste it all that long, but then again, no taste is not what I’m looking for in my beer.

Dark Gold Coloring. No Head. Light Malt Notes, Plenty of Bitter/Sour Flavor. It Slowly Fades Away to Watery-ness in the End, but It’s Not Enough to Make Me Ever Want to Try it Again.