Dundee Pilsner

Dundee Brewing Company*
Rochester, NY

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Pale straw color. Wispy head, fades fast. Very clear.

AROMA: 2.75/4
Very little aroma, hop or otherwise. Clean, like smelling a glass of water. Very subtle sweet cream.

TASTE: 5.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2/4: No real hop flavor. Corny/grape nut taste.
Aftertaste: 1.75/3: Corny, nice bitter finish. Dry. Aftertaste fades quickly.
Mouth-Feel: 1.5/3: Thin, needs more body to offset bitterness.

OVERALL: 1.5/3
It's a step up from Bud Light. Definitely a pils, fairly true to style. Needs more body–a so-so pils.

TOTAL: 11.5/20–Anything Else On Tap?

NOTES:
Matt: Not awful, could be worth buying, depending on Trader Joe's price point. Not a great pils, though–the bitterness is nice, the body ain't.
Ben: Watery and thin, better than domestics, but if you're looking for a good pils, buy Boulevard.

* This is brewed by Gennessee. Not a great brew, by any means.

Schlafly Pilsner

The Saint Louis Brewery
St. Louis, MO

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Yellow-straw color. Slight haze. A white head that fades quickly. Big bubbles. Not all that pretty for a pilsner.

AROMA: 2/4
No real aroma. A slight sweetness - bready? No real hop aroma, that's for sure.

TASTE: 6.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.25/4: A lot more hop flavor and bitterness than we expected based on the lack of any real hop aroma. Citrusy flavors which is odd for a pilsner. Malty and hoppy. Sweet and bready.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Bitter finish. Maybe too much for style but we like it. Lingers into a slight astringency though. Malt flavors fade quickly.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Clean. Fizzy. Citrus flavors make it a little bouncy.

OVERALL: 2/3: It's a hoppy pils. A tad too bitter for style. Citrus flavors not typical for a pilsner. Good but not great.

TOTAL: 12.25/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES: Matt: It's okay - I wouldn't cross the street to buy it though. I like the bitterness. Wish it wouldn't linger so long. All-in-all an okay pils. As Ben says, Boulevard pils is far better.
Ben: No real hop aroma but citrusy notes and a tad too much bittering hop than a typical pils style. Good to try once and drink if nothing else is available. Doesn't hold water to Boulevard's pilsner.

Miller Lite

Miller Brewing Company
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Thin, white head. Fades quickly. Pale straw color.

AROMA: 1/4
No hop aroma. No real aroma of any kind. Maybe sweet cream. Smells like a glass of water.

TASTE: 4.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2/4: All malt. Corny and watery. No hop flavoring at all. Triple hopped? With what? A single hop pellet each time?
Aftertaste: 1.75/3: Corn aftertaste. Sweet cream. No hop bitterness at all.
Mouth-Feel: 1/3: Watery. Fizzy. Nothing else to say.

OVERALL: 2/3: We don't hate it. Inoffensive - nothing to recommend it. But it doesn't taste bad. Still, this beats out very, very few beers. Drink only if absolutely necessary.

TOTAL: 10.25/20–Anything Else On Tap?

NOTES:
Matt: It does make a good palate cleanser between tastings of better beers. Refreshing, but so is water, and it's free. Many far better beers out there.
Ben: Memories of college days. Will still drink it when I have to. Fortunately there are almost always better choices at the bar.

Boulevard Pilsner

Boulevard Brewing Company
Kansas City, Missouri

APPEARANCE: 2.75/3
Golden color, very crisp. Minimal head, rings the glass nicely. Darker than your average domestic pils. Pretty.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Minimal aroma, clean, no hop. Mildly sweet. Could use more of a Saaz nose, but apropos.

TASTE: 8.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Hop bitterness middle to finish. Malty, lots of body for the style. Could use more hop up front.
Aftertaste: 2.75/3: Sweet corn, slight sourness. Slightly bitter, dry finish.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Clean, dry. Full-bodied, but refreshing.

OVERALL: 3/3: Prohibition-style–what beer used to taste like. A great (and affordable) pilsner–no filler (corn, rice, etc.) like you get with other domestic pilsners.

TOTAL: 17.25/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Priced to compete with the domestics, but just a much better beer. A no-brainer.
Ben: Why bother with a "Lite" beer when you could have this? More flavor, more body–my American lager of choice.

New Glarus Spotted Cow Wisconsin Farmhouse Ale

New Glarus Brewing Company
New Glarus, Wisconsin

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Hazy gold color. Thin, white, persistent head.

AROMA: 3/4
Clean, crisp, slightly sweet. No hop aroma. Could use a fruitier nose.

TASTE: 8/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Very malty, clean. Minimal hop bitterness–could use more.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Sweet, slightly corny aftertaste. Subtle bitterness at close.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Clean like a lager; sweet, dry like a cream ale.

OVERALL: 2.5/3: Quite sweet. A clean yeast–no fruity or spicy notes, not what we'd consider a farmhouse ale, but refreshing.

TOTAL: 16/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: A nice beer–crisp like a pils, sweet like our cream ale, but not a farmhouse ale.
Ben: A clean, crisp, refreshing beer ideal for the dog days of summer.

Tin Mill Pilsner

Tin Mill Brewing Company
Hermann, Missouri

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Crisp. Gold color. Big bubbles, head fades fast.

AROMA: 3/4
Malty, corny. Very little hop aroma–needs more hop nose.

TASTE: 7.75/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Very malty, bitter Saaz finish. Heavy.
Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Dry. Lasting bitterness–dry for a pils.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: A lot of malt–a mouthful. Dry finish.

OVERALL: 2.25/3: A bit big for a pils. Real malty, dry but not crisp. A touch too bitter.

TOTAL: 15.5/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: I like it–it's not overly corny like many of its peers. Big, they didn't nail the style, but add hop aroma and repackage as an imperial pilsner, and you're in business.
Ben: A good beer, though not one I'd want after mowing the lawn. Big for a pils, but not bad.

Sierra Nevada Summerfest Pilsner-Style Lager

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Chico, California

APPEARANCE: 3/3
Golden color. Rocky, white, lasting head.

AROMA: 3.5/4
Very little hop aroma, true to style.

TASTE: 8/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Very clean, not too heavy. Some malt, maybe a little watery.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Slightly bitter finish. Very little yeast flavor–lots of grain. Sweet fades to bitter.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Some nuttiness. Very clean–a little more body would be good

OVERALL: 2.75/3: Refreshing! A great pils, a much better choice than the usual suspects. Better body, better taste–classic Sierra Nevada.

TOTAL: 17.25/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Less flavorful than refreshing–like the best drink of water you ever had. Good.
Ben: An excellent pils–bigger body, flavor and hops than its big-brewery counterparts.

Coors Light

Coors Brewing Company
Golden, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
White, creamy head, vanishes quickly. Pale straw color. Crisp.

AROMA: 1/4
Clean, no hop aroma. Very little aroma of any kind.

TASTE: 5/10

• Hop/Malt Balance: 1.5/4: No hop, very little malt. Watery.
  
• Aftertaste: 2/3: Faint sweetness, a little residual bitterness.
  
• Mouth-Feel: 1.5/3: Watery, very little body.

OVERALL: 1.75/3
As far as domestic lagers go, it is one. I'd rather have a Miller Lite (or a Boulevard Pilsner, in a heartbeat).

TOTAL: 10.25/20–Anything Else On Tap?

NOTES:
Matt: Meh. There are so many beers in the world, why would you willingly drink this one? Fans of the style, there are far better examples than this one.
Ben: Adequate for an American pilsner–it beats Natty Light, but it's no High Life.