Baron Pils (USA)

30-Jan-08 (22-oz bottle: Purchased 04-Dec-07 for $3.92 from liquidsolutions.biz) A little different in the bottle from how it was on tap a few weeks ago in Anchorage. The nose is principally grainy with some funk, but also a nice, dusty hop aroma. Perhaps the funk is a little out of place for the style, but it adds an extra layer there and I like it. Mildly bitter, spicy hops balances the minimally sweet, malt base and adds zing to the palate for a dry, clean, refreshing mouthfeel and finish. Golden in color, but with a slight haze. Small, bubbly, white head dissipates fairly rapidly. Interesting how the bottled version was actually better than the keg in this instance -- that isn’t usually the case.

17-Jan-08 (Draft: Café Amsterdam in Anchorage, AK) I have a bottle I purchased from Liquid Solutions in the fridge, but given how poorly their Oktoberfest traveled, I figured it would be smart to try this beer on tap for a better sample. The beer pours a medium-straw color and is slightly cloudy. The smallish white head fades away fairly quickly to a very thin ring. Aromas of grain, corn and a bit of Kraft mac-n-cheese, so I’m not sure what’s going on there. Also, I’m not really getting much in the way of hops. On the palate, it’s slightly sweet and fairly grainy and corny. Mildly bitter, floral hops offers a slight dusty character. The flavor shows decent balance and is consistent from start to finish with no loss of flavor or body. Medium in weight, it lacks a crisp finish, but doesn’t sit stale and heavy on the palate either. Carbonation is light-medium, so a bit more would be helpful. Overall, this is a decent, "to style" pilsener, though I personally would prefer a touch more hops in the finish. (5, 3, 6, 3, 12 = 2.9)

Bottle. Clear amber with a thin white head. Nice Pils peppery spicy dry malt aroma. Decent flavor is dry pale malt with sweet corn syrup. Has a peppery dryness to finish. Not too bad.

On tap at Summit Tav. Pours clear gold with a short white head. A bit of grassy hops, a tiny bit of biscuity malt.

Taster - Washington Brewers Festival - Kenmore, WA
Aroma – Light malt and a slight hop aroma.
Appearance – Light golden in color, clear with a thin head.
Flavor – This had a nice malt flavor with a light spice with some nice hops in the background.
Palate – Good Mouthfeel, nice texture with a dry finish.
Overall – Very basic Pilsner with a good malt build. A good beer for a hot day.

Draft @ Taphouse Grill. Pale with a white head. Aroma is pretty watery, very light pale malts in the aroma. Taste is also watery, pale malts, light grain aspect.