Penn Kaiser Pils

Brewed by Pennsylvania Brewing Company
Style: Pilsener
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA

Serve in Flute, Footed Pilsner

I tried this Pils last evening at the Penn Brewery and personally found it outstanding. It’s a shame they don’t bottle this beer or even offer growlers to go...yet. The malts had noticeable hints of honey that were perfectly balanced with the aromatic hops. The aftertaste lingered pleasantly. I need more!

First encounter was at an art opening for the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh and they were dispensing this fine brew for free to all of the attendees. Went well with the atmosphere that evening and I found my favorite of all the Penn Brewery selections. Crisp, without any chill or burn on the tongue and best enjoyed off the tap.

A- Light transparent straw yellow body with thin head that disappears quickly. Little lacing is left behind in the glass. S- Smells of light refreshing hops. T- Initial taste is somewhat bland. Almost like there is nothing there. Then the hops start to appear. The finish is all hops and a bitter hop aftertaste remains on the palate. P- Light body and medium carbonation. Not watery. O- This is a great refreshing brew on a hot summer day. Its very light and refreshingly hoppy. Good summer session beer. Serving type: on-tap Reviewed on: 06-18-2007 16:17:51

Poured from bottle into Pilsner glass. Pale, clear gold with some head and lacing. Expected look for a Pils, but needed more head retention. Aroma of bready malts and some noble hops. Smells fresh but a little too mild. Slightly sweet bready malts countered by a nice touch of spice bitterness. Bitterness is pretty low overall, but has a metallic bite to it. Very crisp and perfectly balanced - fantastic. Maybe this is more like a Southern German Pils (Bavaria), as I am used to the lighter, drier, more bitter Northern German Pils. Moderately high carbonation, medium body (fuller than I expect for a German Pils), somewhat dry finish. Perhaps the most drinkable Pilsner I have had, likely due to the perfect balance.

12 oz twist-off bottle. It pours a somewhat bland gold, the head is very nice however forming a round white globe around the rim of my pokal. There is a nice noble hop smell up front, it has a subtle fruitiness and a bakery like malt scent. The taste is well balanced. It has a noticeable hop character, very nicely done, along with a leveling maltiness. It still seems a bit more hop-forward but it is pretty balanced overall. There is some metallic flavor at the beginning but it fades after the second quaff. The mouthfeel was pretty spot on for the style, rich in body, but also with a persistent carbonation. This pilsener is one of the few american examples that isn’t a butchery of the style. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 09-16-2010 23:00:56

I question the wisdom of bottling a pils in foil-topped 750s, but whatever - I don’t always like beers from this brewer, but this beer is severely underrated - pours a perfectly clear gold, with a soapy, lasting lace - nice, medium sweet malt backbone in the aroma, with grassy noble hops, lemon peel - dry, crisp, potent hop bitterness up front, that gets more and more peppery as the flavor progresses - a bit of sweetness arrives in the middle, with some bready but clean/lean malty character - gets grassy and herbal as those hops increase in spiciness - very crisp, clean, and refreshing - the hop profile is, perhaps, a bit too strong, but this is a mighty fine pils - this should be available in six packs.

Growler #2 for the night. Pale golden, lightly hazy appearance and a thick, very sticky white head. Aroma is really nice. Fresh bready/doughy pils malt. A kiss of light sulfury character on the nose as well. A light floral/zesty hoppy nose as well. Nice balance of hops and malts with the flavour showing good balance as well. Soft pils malt, bready and just a little bit dusty. Lingering herbal bitterness. It’s a really nice, fresh tasting pils.

750ml bottle, uncorked. Cloudy light golden-yellow color, with a nice moderate head. Judging from the slight rust marks around the bottle cap, I’d assume this one isn’t hyper fresh. Nonetheless, it is certainly still on point. Lemony eastern-euro pils aroma. Fully agree with JJPM74, there is some apple flavor in there. It’s good, but so light and sessionable that I think it should be sold in 6-packs, not 750s. Very true to style, like most Penn beers. Light yeasty notes, very well balanced.