Skip to main content

Out of the Bottle: Bavarian Pseudo-Pils

My Bavarian Pseudo-Pils is ready to go. It turned out even better than I expected. So much so that my fiancé and I horded it and only shared a couple of bottles with friends (from whom I have no tasting notes).

First off, the beer didn't come out as Alt-like as my Prohibition Bock did. It's extremely clean and has none of the fruity aromas often associated with ale yeasts. Instead, the nose is dominated by lemon and pepper hops, plus some cracker-like aromas from the Pils malt.

Even though the grain-bill consisted exclusively of German Pils malt and only two hop varieties were used, this beer is actually pretty complex. Things start out with light sweetness and a bit of dry grain. The bitterness comes on quick with a lemon and pepper bite that's just about right for this style of Pils. The beer finishes with a lingering bitterness. The medium-light body could stand just a touch more fizz. Time to ramp up the priming a sugar a bit.

The pour is a little hazy and won't win any clarity awards. The dense white cap is firm and possess good staying power. A fair amount of lace is left in the beer's wake.

Overall, I'm really happy with this beer. My fiancé described this as being one of her new favorites. I honestly wish I'd brewed more and will definitely be making another batch.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Out of the Bottle: Porter vs Porter

My Beer My attempt to clone Samuel Smith Taddy Porter is ready to pour. For a change of pace, I've picked up a 4-pack of the real deal to compare and contrast against my efforts. Since I'm not exactly an impartial judge, my girlfriend agreed to blind taste test the two beers side by side in identical, unmarked glasses. I've mixed her notes in with mine. First off, I must say that the beers look remarkably similar. Taddy pours with a slightly larger head, but the beers share the same deep garnet hue. Mine has a bit more carbonation going on. Both beers have good head retention and leave some lace behind. My girlfriend's first comment was that my beer was very similar, but finished quicker than the Samuel Smith. She also noted that the Samuel Smith is slightly more bitter, with more depth of flavor. The first thing I noticed was that my beer has a more roasted edge and is a bit nuttier. It also lacks the unique dark fruit esters that I sense in all of the Samuel...

Out of the Bottle: Insert clever use of the word Wit here

My latest Wit was a hit at my friend's birthday party. He especially liked the beer's citrus components. Others found it to be light and refreshing. I heard no Blue Moon comparisons, which actually made me quite happy. Compared to My Wit's End , this beer is much closer to style. Unmalted Wheat is part of the reason, as there's much less grainy sweetness at work. Instead, the beer is crisp and dry. The bitter orange peel really does its thing. The peel's sharp flavor melds nicely with the sweet orange peel I also used. Coriander pushes the beer's spicy character along. If I were to change anything, it would be to dial it back a notch or two. Some light sourdough aromas round out the flavor and aroma. Despite the relatively low ABV of right around 5.0%, the beer sports a fairly hefty body. Overall, I'm quite happy with this Wit. Next time, I'll hold back on the coriander. Maybe I will even take a shot at a Turbid Mash, which sounds like a great sub...

In the Fermentor: Wood Aged Quadrupel-Imperial-Doppel-Barley-Weizen-Wee-Sour

Who says you can't have everything? Well, I'm doing just that by creating a beer that combines the best aspects of eight big beer styles: Quadrupel, Imperial Stout, Doppelbock, Barleywine, Weizenbock and Wee Heavy. But wait, there's more! The beer will be aged for year with everyone's favorite bacterias to make a Sour. On top of that, Sherry infused oak cubes will provide that little extra something. A massive grain-bill, plus a healthy dollop of Candi Sugar should push the alcohol content up over 11%. Compensating for the strength is a biting combination of Noble, English and American hops. A Decoction Mash gives the beer an extra bit of German character. Heavily caramelizing the First Runnings provides more depth of flavor than a standard boil. For that extra push over the cliff, 11 malts are working to make the beer one louder. I'm giving this one at least a year of fermentation before I even touch it. Here's the five gallon recipe: Grains: 4 ...