Warsteiner Premium Verum

Brewed by Warsteiner Brauerei
Style: Classic German Pilsener
Warstein, Germany

I was at a party Saturday night on a balcony overlooking Newport Harbor with lots of of French-accented foreigners. I scanned the various bottles of wine at the booze table hoping to find something nice to go with the rib eye steaks sizzling on the grill. I noticed at the back of the table there was this lonely unopened mini keg (3 gal ?) of Warsteinier. Out of this mini keg, it initially looked like a Caffrey (all white foam). After a little while, the foam receded into a head so thick and creamy you can put it on a hot fudge sundae and stick a cherry on it. The color is a whitish yellow. The aroma had a bready maltiness with a tiny bit of saaz. Flavor is very clean (not a trace of skunkiness): bread malty with a slight hoppiness and no overt bitterness. Mouthfeel is very smooth and creamy and fairly substantial for such a light colored beer. This beer is quite tasty and I really enjoyed it since I practically had the whole keg to myself.

Drinkable. I like the tall, skinny bottles. This is a garden variety pils -- on the dry side with a thinnish palate, but it's an excellent cookout/summer brew.

Had a few bottles of this tonight. I’ve been wanting to try this one for a while. This brew pours a sparkling pale straw. The massive white head is tight and rocky. The head is fully lasting and has very good lacing. The nose though very fresh and clean is very faint and hard to detect especially after it breathes a bit. Soft aromas of grain, flowers, and a touch of earth are present. The flavor is very rich tasting and warming for a pilsener. The sweet start is followed by a ever so slight spiciness in the middle. The balanced finish is long. The smooth palate is light to medium in body, with a creamy soft texture that finishes crisp. Perfect for a summer evening.

An extraordinary macrobrew. Taste combines smoothness with bitterness in a very pleasant fashion. This beer doesn’t have the annoying sweetness of the so many so called premium brands of American beer. A little watery...

Sparkling gold, white creamy head. Nose held notes of sweet corn, grassy hops and light fruity tones. Similar in taste with herbal grassy notes throughout. Light to medium bodied, prickly carbonation, crisp, dry, fruity finish. For free it was fine, but would never go out of my way for another one either...

Color is yellow hay-like with a strong white head about a finger high and stuck around leaving patchy lace. Smell is faint malt and hop, some what skunky but didn't seem to echo in the taste, at least not all together. Taste was crisp and clean, much like a light pilsner. Although it didn't have much malty sweetness, there is a hint of herb-like hop dry bitterness. Has a medium light body feel with a faint malt and drying hop finish, left a little empty and had a small metallic tone. An OK beer but easily overlooked for a reason.

This beer surprised me. I lived in Germany for a few months, and during that time period drank A LOT of german pilseners. I also came to know Warsteiner as sort of a miller or bud on the German beer scene - to my surprise however, when I picked up a six pack here in the states it turned out to be a pretty tasty brew. Color is pale with a thin white head. Aroma is hops, grass, herbs and a hint of fresh fruit, maybe apple. The taste is about the same, with a nice dry finish. The beer is a little thin, but I’m sure that if I were drinking it in the summer I would probably appreciate that quality. Pretty good overall.

This is not bad for you average golden beer. The first time I had it was on tap in Switzerland and I found it very pleasant. Since I have started drinking darker beers but I still find this to be tasty. It is pleasant in aroma and has a slight hop flavor without being to bitter.