Pinkus Pils

Brewed by Brauerei Pinkus Müller
Style: Classic German Pilsener
Münster, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Golden light yellow pour with thin head. Slightly hazy, but not as much as hoped for from an unfiltered brew. Thin layer of head stuck around or the duration. Pleasantly skunky hops and grass on the nose with a wheaty and metallic edge. Same on the tongue but with a flavor reminiscent of grape bubble gum (?) and with the metallic bitter edge more pronounced. Little pepper/spice at the end. Crisp... almost too crisp? Quite good, and I can see myself drinking it relatively often, but probably not too many in one session.

A reasonably soft pour produces an almost three-finger thick, frothy, pale, off-white colored head that retains quite a bit of structure as it slowly recedes. The beer is a lightly hazed honey color that is incredibly well carbonated and shows an almost clear, straw-gold color when held up to the light. The aroma smells of sweet grain, hay, lightly herbal hops and lemon zest. While this has some hop notes, the nose is quite grain focused and actually the aroma is fairly complexly malty considering that it is a Pils.

Clean, sweet grain flavors are tempered just a touch by a crisp hop bitterness that becomes more noticeable upon the second quaff. This somehow tastes a bit like watered down lemon juice without the tartness (if that makes any sense). Grassy / hay like notes seem to be contributed by both the grain and hop character and this is no where as sweet as my first sip of this seemed to have suggested. This does have a hint of tartness to it and perhaps even a wisp of diacetyl is just barely noticeable. The malt character is the most interesting thing in the flavor, though perhaps not quite to the same level as the aroma; saltine cracker grain notes, and a pale malt character add just enough to make this somewhat interesting.

Not bad, but does not really seem a very good example of a pills. I do like the grain character here, but it is not enough to really make this good.

Purchased: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Liquors, Tucson AZ

Poured from a 500 ml bottle. Misty, sharp yellow pour. Clangy, sticky honey sweetness and overripe yellow fruit nose; some milky cereals, must, grass. Oversweet. Flavor is dry grass, watery pear sweetness, lightly nutty malts; quite basic and a touch grainy, but clean and inviting for the most part. Floral honey and overripe fruit reintroduce a sugary, sticky quality mid palate that doesn’t really work, but the chasing bitterness of noble hops seems for the most part substantial enough to temper it. Spritzy palate is light bodied but leaning a bit syrupy toward the finish; sweet grassiness and basic residual white sugar linger once the cleansing peppery kick of bitterness has faded. Scattered peformance on a tightrope of balance; first seeming wholly off putting in sweetness, then righting itself, then leaning too far again, and ultimately that’s the lasting memory of this very close to good pils. Thanks Ken!

500mL bottle. Pours a clear, effervescent, bright golden color; white head with good retention and glistening, fine-bubbled lacing. Crisp, mineral-driven aroma: dry, mineral hops, with some basic cereal behind; not very expressive overall. Medium mouthfeel: bland cereal (cardboard), some basic mineral bitterness (nothing zesty or herbaceous); mostly dry, but still shows some cereal and wet malt sugar at the core; there’s some sort of overripe fruit note in there as well where more zesty hops should be; reasonable, but not especially drinkable. Medium finish: cereal, light mineral hops, and wet malts.

Clear gold pour with a thin yet lasting white filmy head. Yeasty aroma with grassy hops. Creamy, light mouthfeel. More grassiness with some straw/hay and a bit of spiciness. I didn’t detect any off flavors. Bitter finish, lingering pepperiness. I found this very crisp, refreshing and pretty good for the style.

On tap at Milltown, Carrboro. A perfect draft for a warm sunny afternoon, served in a nice tall glass so that one can appreciate the cloudy golden body and abundant head. Smells spicy like a wheat, but not especially yeasty. Crisp and clean with nice hopping and a bit of a peppery bite towards the finish. Good pils.

Much better than I expected and very good for a pilsner. Crisp grassy pilsner flavor with a little bit of hops. Light bodied and well carbonated. Smooth, refreshing taste.

A cloudy gold with a thick white head. Smells of lemon, malt, and hopps were sweet and strong.Taste is strong of hopps and sweet malt. Mouthfeel and drinkability were good overall but this beer kind of fell flat in the end.