In honor of today’s news that Molson-Coors has decided to buy Czech brewery StarBev from a private equity firm—following what I can only assume was a successful turn-around effort made Mitt-Romney-style by said equity firm—I’ve decided to review a Czech-style pilsner this week. That pilsner is Lagunitas Czech-Style Pilsner (6.3% ABV).
If you’re wondering, Lagunitas is a craft brewery located in Petaluma, California, which is just north of San Francisco—basically, in the left atrium of the heart of the craft beer movement. And yeah, I know I said I was gonna try to review more local (i.e. New England) craft beers—and I still intend to do that—but I picked up this particular pilsner on Saturday last weekend, the day before Brian’s Beachside Boogie, and on that day my favorite liquor store didn’t have any local pilsners on hand. Ultimately my desire to have a six-pack of drinkable pilsners in the house out-weighed my desire to keep it local. So there you have: an excuse to try a new beer.
Appearance
First off, let me apologize for not having any homebrewed pics to go along with this review. I actually tried the beer and took notes on Sunday after the Boogie, but as I was doing that, I was also doing my ironing for the week. So I didn’t have time to do the whole picture-thing. It’s now Tuesday, and I’m writing the review from notes… and planning to use publicity stills from Lagunitas’s website.
So. This beer is a classic-looking pilsner. It’s a clear golden beer, well carbonated with a substantial but not overwhelming white creamy head. In fact, as I poured it out, the head bubbled quickly and uncontrollably, forcing me to sip it down to keep from spilling.
Nothing wrong with that. Really, it just whetted my appetite.
Aroma
I put my nose to the glass and thought, Wow! That really smells like beer!
Argh. Not very helpful, that.
So anyway, what I smelled here was basically fresh malt. The beer smells clean and delicious—exactly what you’d expect from a well-crafted pilsner.
Of note, perhaps, is the lack of hops or citrus. So many American breweries are doing so much funky stuff with their beers, especially with various types of fruits and hops. There is none of that here. This is a truly classic smelling pilsner. When I say it smells like beer, what that really means is that it doesn’t smell like a bunch of other stuff that is basically not beer. And I don’t say that to put those other beers down or to berate creativity in the craft brewing movement. I’m merely pointing out that this beer appears to be made in a specific style, and it seems to be following that style largely without embellishment.
Taste and Mouth Feel
One taste, and... ahhh! Now that is a Czech-style pilsner. A seriously nice beer. Clean malty smoothness, and it goes down so, so easy. I freakin’ love it!
As I said, there’s plenty of smooth malt but not more than a hint of hops to balance the flavor. And that’s all. As before, there’s no funny business here. This is just a crisp, well-made pilsner, exactly like the ones you get in Europe for sixty-cents alongside your pomme-frites and mayonnaise.
Sipping this beer reminds me of Mont Saint Michel, a place I visited with West Point’s History Department way back in 1994. It’s been that long since I’ve had a pilsner that went down this easily, and that ride down memory lane is more than welcome. Truly, these guys knew what they were doing when they put this beer together.
Final Thoughts
I started looking at pilsners a few weeks ago, after a comment somebody made here asking for a review of some lighter beers. For folks looking to get away from the heavy, bready, hoppy contingent of modern American craft brewing, I recommend Lagunitas Czech-style Pilsner strongly.
Speaking personally I can say that, yeah, I like all those stiff double-IPAs too, but they’re not necessarily every day beers. The Czech-style Pilsner is a beer that’s light and smooth and eminently drinkable—perfect for a hot summer day or a post-ride drink on a day when the weather’s warm. If you’re looking for something like that, this pilsner is an excellent way to go.
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