Tweet

 

Unreadable Bottle on date; Sampled December 2008
A solid pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a three finger thick, pale tan colored head that leaves a lot of lacing patterns on the sides of my glass as it slowly subsides. the head sits on top of a lightly hazed, pale-orange tinged, full gold colored beer that shows a bright gold hue when held up to the light. The aroma smells of spicy, herbal hops (that have me thinking of Saaz) and clean pale malt. Notes of lemon zest, a hint of parsley, some thyme as well as notes of saltine crackers, soft artisan bread crumb aromatics, bready malt and a hint of sweet grain that barely intrudes on the over all dry presence of the nose.

Crisp and dry up front, the beer picks up a hint of malt sweetness before an excessive carbonation causes this beer to foam up, which tends to dry the beer out quite a bit. Grassy, herbal hop notes and a nice bitterness are quite present as well. The malt has a hint of something that makes it seem a bit stale somehow, but it is fairly fleeting. The excessive carbonation is take care of by a few quick swirls of my glass, though the stale malt doesn't disappear quite so easily. I like the bright hop character that is found in this beer; spicy lemon grass, a touch of white pepper, menthol or perhaps rosemary towards the finish as well as a clean, biting bitterness. Malt flavors of grassy grain, a touch of toast, and a nice bready / cracker grain note plays a secondary, but important role in the flavor. The body is nice and light; enough to be quaffable but not so much that it becomes thin or watery.

A pretty good Pilsner, I really like the zippy hop character here and the malt is great except for that sometimes noticeable stale note. Definitely enjoyable and it hits the spot.

Served In: Tulip