Warsteiner Premium Verum

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

Bottle (BB Apr 23, 08). Head is initially small, frothy, white, mostly diminishing. Body is clear light yellow. Aroma is lightly to moderately malty (toasted grain), lightly to moderately hoppy (herbs), hints of soap and DMS. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, moderately bitter. Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation. Not the most consistent, I’ve found, but this was a nice sample (and seemingly fresh based on the exp. date).

Pours a pale golden color. Aroma is sweet and grainy. Flavor is a little malty, some hops are present as well. Finish is a little grainy and spicey. Good pilsner.

Bottled. Pale golden with fine creamy head. Grassy hop aroma. Pleasantly dry and weel hopped. Slightly mellow body. The finish drya nd lingering bitter. I've had much worse beers aboard airplanes...

Since having graduated into beer afficionadohood, I can say with appreciation, ’Thank goodness for the Bavarian Purity Law’. This had the initial signs of being like an American macroswill -- minimal aroma (at first), yellow color. But I tasted it and actually discovered that it had real malts and hops in this thing, so it salvaged the beer to a considerable extent. (The malts even seemed to come out in the aroma more as I proceeded.) Not particularly extraordinary, but it made the experience with this one something interesting, rather than the usual boredom of an American macroswill. The maltiness and the hop character even gave a faint reminder of what I find so good in a great German doppelbock. In short: a pretty standard beer, but with real beer ingredients, and nicely balanced. Dry finish, like a Pilsener. I think I could come back to it again.

Aroma light but sweet with floral hop accents. Color a pale gold with medium head. Flavor also features a sweet malt foundation and a well-rounded but mild hop top-end. Body is medium-light--appropriate to the style, and is very smooth. In sum, this is a very restrained offering, and one might want a little more assertive flavor, but the elements and balance here are good---a very decent German export beer.

This is the ’Budweiser’ of Germany. It’s quite popular. It tastes OK and is drinkable but nothing to get excited about.

A sweet smelling goldon pilsner. It has a nice bit of hop bite to it, as well, but it's not very complex or interesting. Still, it's refreshing and solid.

In Leipiz, Germany. Draft. Came clear and light yellow. Some hops and decent nose. Decent mouthfeel. A really basic pils that is so common in Germany. Always good, but rarely great. But always enjoyable. Why can’t they makes pilsner like this in the US?