Grand River Hannenberg Pils

German style pils. Flavor of cereals, and grains, with golden malt, good hops, and a bit of fruit. Has a touch of citrus as well. Well balanced, light, smooth, refreshing. Well done.

(Growler) Thanks to Steve for sharing at the Brasseur du Temps pre-party. Pours a thin, lasting white head with a clear, non-carbonated golden body. Nose of biscuit and graham crackers. Mildly buttery, thin but fairly clean. 6/3/7/3/13

Tap at ?C’est What? - a creditiable tribute to the german style of Pilsner (hence ’Pils’) - my notes say "German as f-ck, bready, almost fruity malts, pointy refined hops, lip-smacking texture and flavor." There are beers that take you ’home’ to a faraway place and this is one of them! Thank you GR for another flourish of your effortless brewing panáche. Beer with soul!

Re-rate. Bottled July 31st, opened Aug. 2nd. 500ml bottle from the brewery. This is a golden yellow colour in the glass with a thick, frothy permanent white head. Aroma is fresh and bready with grass, butter, honey. Mouthfeel is medium, a bit sticky. I taste plenty of grain, some bread and butter, cereal, grass in the hops. It is slightly sweet. Finish has some bitterness and is medium to short.

My Bottom Line:
Grassy, herbal hop spires pierce the cloudy, softspoken cereals in this balanced and highly drinkable Pils.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A ring of foam circles the hazy pale yellow.
-Citrusy notes are also present throughout.
-The nose was more complex than the flavor profile.
-The body was lean and the maltiness not entirely crisp.
-The finish was a tad dull, mostly offering cereal sweetness and thus without much hop presence.
-We also got a bottle that was labelled Pils, but which was obviously not the same beer as this one. What’s up with that?
-Although this was quite enjoyable, it could not hold up to the Tipopils which followed, imho.

Bottled on July 31st, 2008.

In short: A clean highly drinkable by-the-book pilsner.
How: Tap at brewery (stellar) and 500ml bottles (good but far from stellar, reviewed here)
The look: Clear blonde body topped by a short-lived white head
In long: Lots of cereals, light touch of honey, smooth carbonation, low-key grassy hops, some garden floral notes, well balanced, highly drinkable, not very tasty, Nothing new. I had it on tap at the brewery and thought it was amazing. So I bought of bottles that turned out to be pretty good but far from what I had at the brewery. Still, this is one of (if not THE) best pils bottled in Canada. Although that means as much as saying that Lada is the best car made in Russia.

[1338-20080510] Tap. Bitter grainy toasted malt aroma has light celery or tart berry notes. Clear, golden orange brown body with a medium-lasting foamy white head. Grainy yeast flavour has a bit of tart red berry fruit and a light bitter aftertaste. Medium body is a little grainy and bitter. Interesting to try.
(@ Volo; Toronto, ON)

500ml bottle, bottled July 30 2008. Golden colour with little head. Grainy aroma with a light sweetness. Flavour is grainy and a little fruity sweet. Good body creamy mouth with lightly dry finish.