Church-Key Scarlet Pilsner

Brewed by Church-Key Brewing
Style: Vienna
Pethericks Corners, Canada

Serve in Lager glass

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A lightly hazed golden pils with a thick frothy off white head. In aroma, a lightly off herbal malt with light band aid, autolysis. In mouth, a crisp malt with light German hops, a bit of off notes, could have been better, given this cost 10$ for a bomber. Via Probstk, tasted April 24 2011. Thanks Karl.

Bomber from the Church, served cold in a tulip glass.

App.: Hazy deep amber with a decent dirty-blonde head. Aroma: Some decent malts marred by a definite infection – organic acids, light barf, I wonder if the Lactese Falcon had something to do with this... Palate: Medium+ body, moderate effervescence. Flav.: Better than the nose, meaning a good deal less nasty, decent biscuit/caramel, med-roasted malts, a little earthiness, a touch of peppery Noble hops, still with organic acids lurking in the shadows; dry with a strange mix of brightness and fairly aggressive bitterness, not enjoyable, with an earthy/malty finish and a touch of barf.

I am getting a little tired of this brewery. The few times I’ve been to the Church, I wasn’t impressed with the overall friendliness of the staff. And $10.50 for a bomber?? Gimme a break! Go to BC, go to QC, go to USA and a $10 bottle is some mind-blowing beer. Even without the infection, this wouldn’t be worth the money.

Bottle from the brewery. Light sugary malt aroma with some light fruits, and some light grassy hops. Smells like a Belgian ale. Flavor has more of the grassy hops and sweet bready malts. Ummmm pils?! The color is also a hazy amber. Nit a bad beer, but church key is capable of so much better.

650 mL bottle from the brewery. Doesn’t look like a pilsner - more copper than gold. Small but thick white head. Doesn’t much smell like a pilsner either. It’s sweet brown sugar malt with some tart fruit, bread and floral hops. No graininess. Flavour is on the sweet side, with bread, beernuts, and a little hops and spice. Too sweet, though. No alcohol presence. Light carbonation and thinnish body. Not really a pilsner, but not much of a vienna either. Not terrible, but Church-Key is capable of better.

[2514-20091002] Tap. Smoked baloney chicken lunch meat aroma. Clear, light orange brown body with a quick white bubbles. Grainy and mild lunch meat flavour has mild apple juice characteristics and nice rich mid-tones. Medium-body. Not bad, nice mid-toned beer with good balance.
(21st FFOCB @ C’est What; Toronto, ON)

On tap at C’est What Fall Festival. Pours a clear orange gold with very small white head. Light nose of bread a hint of fruit. Very sweet flavour, fruity and slightly bready. Slight bitterness in finish. Lightly carbonated. So so - not the brewery’s best offering.

Draught at C’est What’s ’Fall Festival of Craft Breweries’. Pours a clear orange with a spare quick diminishing frothy white head. Aroma’s sweet, a bit sugary, along with very light floral hops and grain. Flavour’s also sugary sweet with a bit of fruit, some light hops and a light bitter finish. Average bodied. Just O.K., I’m not loving this, too sweet.

Draught. At 2009 C’est What Fall festival. Clear reddish-amber with an average frothy head. Smells like a bitter or an ESB, only more floral: malty, slightly dry and bitter. The taste follows - mild floral bitterness, sweet oily grainy malt, made me think of hibiscus ... a little chalky/minerally. Average body, somewhat weak carbonation, not much alcohol presence at all, with a little gritty/mineral hard-water aftertaste. I still think this resembles a bitter more than a vienna, but hey, what do I know.

Bottle fresh from the brewery- Thanks for sharing Mark! Clear copper with a frothy beige cap. Nose of fresh punchy hops, a bit of alcohol, Munich malts, flowers and spices. Strong hoppy flavour profile has citrus,flowers and spices, sweet malts too. Caramel bready-ness warms with the alcohol and adds complexity. Quite enjoyable.

ok well not thinking it deserves the low ratings. nose is sweet with a little kinda grainyness and some alcohol. some small head copper color, sweeter malts with some good booze and slightly medicinal almost like a malt liqor from the states intresting