Stiegl Pils

Brewed by Stiegl
Style: Classic German Pilsener
Salzburg, Austria

Serve in Flute, Footed Pilsner

I have three favorite Pils: Sly Fox, Palaner Pils, and now I’ve added Stiegl to the list. I can change on a whim but as of this minute I have to rate Stiegl the best of the crop. I seen a lot of bad ratings on this site for this beer but Pils is a delicate beer and depending on the freshness it can be either great or horrible. I have had Sly Fox and Paulaner that were somewhat old but not past their prime and both were very substandard. One had the aroma of smelly socks and the other just seem to have lost its hop flavor. I was fortunate enough to be able to pick some some fresh Stiegl Pils at Pletcher’s in State College, PA and they were giving out free glasses to boot. What a deal. I will say this, on almost every pour, the head was rich and creamy when poured into a clean Stiegl Cup (as they call it) and you have to wait a few minutes for it to die down before you can add anymore. For those who complained about the head, either you had a dirty glass or got some old beer. This is the way German beer used to be until they started to lighten it up and water it down like the Bud’s and Miller’s of the world. Of course, this isn’t a German Beer, but an Austria and perhaps that partially explains why it is so good.

Can... Poured golden with a white head. Crisp, grassy hop qualities, biscuity malt, corn, grains, citrus. Loads of carbonation with not a whole lot of yeast flavors.

500ml bottle - If I’m understanding the code on the back of the bottle (19410), this was best before April of 2010 (!). So this sucker is a little past its prime. Pours pale yellow with a huge foamy white head. Bread dough and light floral hops. Has begun to skunk a bit, and it’s not exactly what you’d call crisp. But it’s pleasant. The taste is lightly sweet honey bread, with the floral/herbal hop note on the finish. Pretty good for a beer so past its prime. Would love to try it fresh.

Bottle: Pours a clear golden yellow with a thin white head, aroma has light hay with some grains, starts and ends lightly bitter.

pils/vienna/terrace/pint. Yellow coloured with small white head fading away fastly. Easy drinking but a bit monotone. Not spectacular.

Nose is sweet and grassy. Pour is golden, bright well filtered. Flavor is sweet and grassy. Light sweet, grassy, bready with a long sweet grass finish. A little corn nuts in the finish. Easy to drink. Not unpleasant.

2000th rate. 500ml bottle. Pale, filtered peachy yellow with a nice, frothy white head. Doughy, peppery hop aroma. A touch of sweet butter under the smooth malt. Impressive, considering this probably sat in warehouses and on the shelf for a considerable amount of time. A quality Pils all the way, really nails the style. Bready, medium body, a lot more subtle character and richness than a lot of US versions. Probably significantly better fresh in Austria. OK.

Bottle:   Pale straw, fairly clear, large white frothy head, nice lacing and carbonation.   Very grassy and straw like on the nose.   Wished it was a bit sweeter.   Strong straw on the tongue.   Clean, crisp, very soft sweetness.   Nice finish, smooth.   Moderate body and mouthfeel.   I only wished this one was a bit sweeter.   Other than that, decent.