Poppin’ a Few Pils with G-LO…

The other day, G-LO called to say that he had a couple of Pilsners and wanted to get my impressions of them. While I am not necessarily a fan of Pilsners, I am also not one to turn down an opportunity to duck out of the house … er … to do some in-depth research for the blog, so I quickly headed over for our session. G-LO had picked up four pilsners: The Wright Pils from Great Lakes Brewing Company, the Scrimshaw Pilsner from North Coast Brewing, the Prima Pils from Victory Brewing Company, and the Mama’s Yella Pils from Oskar Blues Brewery.

In reviewing the four pilsners, I found them to have the following characteristics…

Pilsner

The Wright Pils

Scrimshaw Pilsner

Prima Pils Mama’s Yella Pils

Appearance

Yellow Straw with minimal foam

A little darker with more foam and lacing

Lighter than the Wright Pils

About the same as the Wright Pils with more foam and lacing

Aroma

Smells like a typical beer; a little malt and then not much else

Kind of funky; like a glass filled with wet wheat bread and almost no sweetness

Not much in the way of dough or sweetness but more hops

Not quite as fragrant as the Prima Pils but a little more than the first two

Taste

Thin and watery with a doughy sweetness and hints of citrus and hops

Totally different than I was expecting with an almost Belgian quality to it

Nice mouthfeel; not as thin as the Wright Pils and more like a Pilsner than the Scrimshaw. A nice blend of malt and hops.

Good mouthfeel; fizzy with a nice balance of flavors

ABV 5.3% 4.7% 5.3%

5.3%

Final thoughts…

• The Wright Pils was a respectable entrant but left me wanting a little more. It was good but not great; respectable but unremarkable.
• The Scrimshaw was an entirely different entrant; it is almost a German wheat beer with big hits of citrus and coriander. It was not a Pilsner.
• The Mama’s Yella Pils is a favorite of mine as it comes in a can which makes it pool club portable and is readily available in Southern NJ (especially in the sample pack with the Old Chub).
• I saved my impressions of the Prima Pils for last. This is by far the best of the four that I tasted, and it might be the best Pilsner that I have ever tasted.

Many thanks to my man G-LO for taking time out of his busy day to further my education. I will need to return the favor. Perhaps a pumpkin beer-off?