Lightning Elemental Pilsner

Brewed by Lightning Brewery
Style: Pilsener
Poway, California USA

Serve in Flute, Footed Pilsner

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On tap @ Ham’s. Pours a pale straw yellow with a good sized white head. Nose of German yeast and hops, with hints of sour citrus. I like the fact that lightning isn’t following the standard San Diego BIG, Giant, Beer trend. Congrats for being different.

Tasted from tap at Stone 12th Anniversary Celebration, while talking to the brewer. As much as I think I know about brewing, I am a moron compared to him. I’m on a little quest to try a great pilsener, especially after hearing about a rare great one here and there. This beer does have some lactic acid added to the wort, which I’m looking forward to. The mash itself was not soured, which I guess was done for more precise control of the acid level. Nice fluffy small bubble head. Skunky Saaz hop aroma. I still have mixed feelings about this hop. Nice sweetish wheat-like flavor, but with high clarity. Easy to drink, but the Saaz hop plus something else gives it a Bud-ish characteristic.

Pale yellow. Sweet malts overwhelm the underlying hop character, making it a nice but not hoppy enough pilsener. Feels a little thick and chewy too.

Pours golden yellow, light, sweet, spicey, fruity, bready, hoppy, dry finish.

Taster at the brewery in Poway. Pours a clear, yellow-gold body with a thin, foamy, white head that dissipates quickly and leaves a light lacing. Aroma is pils and bread malts, some straw hops, and a bit of citrus. Flavor is pretty nice. Lots of straw hops for a pils with a sweet, mellow fruitiness throughout. Bready with a touch of yeast. Finishes dry with a light straw aftertaste. Palate is light bodied and crisp. Overall, not a bad pils at all. Sweet with enough hops to balance it out.

Despite the low ratebeer score, I had high hopes for this. Bottle. Poured a ruddy yellow with a white head. Aroma of sweet malt, grass, BO, apples and bread. As I sat drinking it, I realized this was definitely the wrong time of year to enjoy this. Summer would have been more appropriate. There was a weird, lingering and appleish after taste. Decent bitterness in the finish. Flavor was a bit hit or miss overall, but I still enjoyed it, although not as much as I had hoped.

Bomber. Medium sized white head atop a golden-yellow body. Aroma of some sweet wheaty malt and floral hops. Flavor is mildly sweet, floral but with an odd herbal note that I can’t pin down. Palate is medium and finishes relatively clean. Just too mild and and a little off overall.

Draft at SD Brewery. Pours clear gold with a bubbly white head. Grass, hay, spun sugar, and grain in the nose. More straw and Saaz in the taste, but mixed with lemon and honey, and something funky (the yeast they tout?). Overall, an okay beer.

Draft. A golden beer with a white head. The aroma is sweet with notes of malt and caramel. The flavor is sweet malty, leading to a dry straw finish.

Hazy golden yellow, moderate to large head, decent lacing and retention. Aroma is grass, hay, some bread, lightly sugary. Medium to light body, somewhat grainy, somewhat sweet.