Bluetongue Traditional Pilsner
Bluetongue Brewery Pty Ltd

Bluetongue Traditional PilsnerBluetongue Traditional Pilsner
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From:
Bluetongue Brewery Pty Ltd
 
Australia
Style:
Bohemian / Czech Pilsner
ABV:
4.5%
Score:
78
Avg:
3.27 | pDev: 16.51%
Reviews:
28
Ratings:
30
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 14, 2014
Added:
Jan 06, 2006
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
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Ratings by lacqueredmouse:
Photo of lacqueredmouse
Reviewed by lacqueredmouse from Australia

3.12/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a very deep golden colour, exceptionally clear with a frothy but slightly insubstantial head of white. Minimal lace. Very light body and large-bubbled carbonation. It doesn't fill me with confidence.

Nose is clean enough, with a crisp bright Euro lager-style hoppiness and a touch of grassy Saaz like a proper Czech pils. Some honeyed malt characters come through to balance. It's all pretty mild, but what's there is pleasant enough, in a generic way.

Taste is clean and slightly metallic, with a true Czech-style bitterness on the back palate. Slight astringency comes through, giving a bitter lemon zing. Slight bready yeasty characters come through on the finish. Feel is finely carbonated, but overly so, leaving a very intense effervescence.

Overall, it's actually not a bad example of a very generic Czech pilsener. Unfortunately, it's like a Czech pils that has had a less than optimal journey to Australia, whereas the examples close to the source are wonderful when fresh.

I feel like this should be fresher too.
Dec 18, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of SmashPants
Reviewed by SmashPants from Australia

3.28/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Format: a good 330mL green bottle with a stylish Australian boutique label.

Appearance: pours a mid golden-copper colour with sporadic carbonation. A reasonable half-finger of white head that drops quickly to a thin film.

Aroma: a touch of citrus and grass hops. Perhaps some grain in there too.

Taste: pretty much follows the aroma - light grass hops and some citrus.

Aftertaste: some of the grains come through here with a light hop bitterness.

Mouth feel: lighter to moderate in feel with a moderate carbonation. A touch dry on the finish.

Overall: a fairly standard and somewhat formulaic Czech pilsner, but pleasant enough and refreshing nonetheless. Not bad for AU$50 a case.
Dec 14, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Stuckey_Stuckey from Australia

Aug 09, 2014
Photo of soju6
Reviewed by soju6 from Missouri

2.06/5  rDev -37%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
A: Pours a copper color with a creamy head that fades very slowly to good lacing.

S: Has that musty stale beer aroma with coarse grain and bit of malt sweetness.

T: Taste of grain and some malt sweetness. Bitterness seems a bit metalic and has a sticky finish.

F: Light body, coarse texture with a lot of rough edges.

O: Not a very enjoyable beer. Not what I have come to expect in a pilsner. Best thing about this beer is the label.
Aug 17, 2012
 
Rated: 2.5 by quantumcipher from California

Jan 08, 2012
Photo of pwoods
Reviewed by pwoods from Ohio

2.14/5  rDev -34.6%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3
"Australian Pilsner"

12oz. brown bottle poured into an imperial pint.

A: Pours an.. amber color, decent clarity. About a finger worth of frothy head forms and holds for a bit. Some lacing.

S: Not much of an aroma at all. Some very light cereal grains and maybe a bit of biscuity-ness. No hops :(

T/M: There's some hops that come out in the taste but not a whole lot. Light bitterness and only the smallest bit of spiciness. Malts are light cereal and maybe some more of the biscuit malts. Body is medium light with very controlled carbonation for a Pilsner.

D: Low ABV but very very boring and out of style in areas.
Jun 10, 2010
Photo of laituegonflable
Reviewed by laituegonflable from Australia

3.3/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Pours bright golden - the colour of old urine - with a slightly sparse snowy head of medium thickness, and slowly dissipating. Light but steady carbonation. Not much lace. Standard, but not bad.

Heavy amber malt on the nose with slightly resiny hops backing up. Malt smells a bit syrupy and slightly phenolic, but also is a bit subdued. Really needs a few more aroma hops, but otherwise has a good pilsener smell.

Far more hoppy than the nose suggests, although there is a rich malt flavour as well. Slightly bitter throughout with pleasant hops, and a slight steamed vegetable character on there as well. Finish is a well balanced blend of sticky malt and bittering hop, nice and clean. Mouthfeel is full but lacks the carbonation to be interesting.

Quite pleasant and drinkable. This surprises me a bit.
Apr 22, 2009
Photo of LittleCreature
Reviewed by LittleCreature from Australia

3.53/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4
Appearance - 4.0
Has the darker gold colour of a traditional Czech pilsener and a fluffy white head that has good staying power.

Smell - 3.5
Smells of biscuity malt, fruity hops and a little butter.

Taste - 3.5
Immediately after taking the first sip it is obvious that this is a proper pilsener, with real, toasty malt flavour, moderate bitterness from the Saaz hops and a slightly buttery quality to the smooth finish.

Mouthfeel - 2.5
Carbonation is quite fine but became too flat towards the bottom of the glass.

Drinkability - 4.0
At just 4.5% alcohol, the beer is easy to drink, and tastes interesting enough to keep coming back to.

OVERALL - 3.55
A much tastier and better beer than the more popular Bluetongue Premium Lager. An enjoyable pilsener that would be great with more lively carbonation.
Nov 17, 2008
Photo of WHROO
Reviewed by WHROO from Australia

3.6/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
A: Golden amber, 1 finger white head, with good carbonation.

S: faint floral hops, little fruits, hints of malt.

T: Floral hops upfront, some grapefruit citrus, followed by a slight malty midpalate, finishing with a good dose of bittering hops.

M: a little light & watery, maybe some more carbonation would have added to overall feel (expected some more considering the appearance showed nice carbs)

D: I gotta tell ya, so far this is my favourite Bluetongue brew so far...quite easy to drink & more flavour than expected...really liked the floral hops - gave it an American Pale Ale feel.
Nov 17, 2008
Photo of yemenmocha
Reviewed by yemenmocha from Arizona

2.94/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Pours translucent golden color, normal white head.

Nose is faint, with a suggestion of vegetables, and some hop zest.

Palate is bland malt flavored, modest hops for balance, and light to medium bodied.

Easy drinking, lacking in flavor, and what flavor is there isn't something to be appreciated.

Pass on this one.
Nov 16, 2008
Photo of BeerAdvocate
Reviewed by BeerAdvocate from Finland

2.06/5  rDev -37%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine March 07

We're suckers for a good Pils, so let's just dive right into it.

Pours an appetizing, rich amber-golden color with a creamy, white foam lace. Slow, steady carbonation rise. Wisps of lace. Powdery malts; herbal, a bit "skunky," with a slight metallic edge in the nose. Thin on the palate, even with a bland, malty backbone. Very bready, with husky tannins that stick around a bit too long. Limey bitterness; a touch of saltiness and a pithy citric rind along with strong herbal characters. Finish is loaded with bready notes, unpleasant tannins, and a lackluster herbal linger.

Overall quite boring and under-carbonated. A bit more carbonation might have livened things up and enhanced the hop character for a more interesting experience, but this beer falls fl at on the palate. They need to clean up those grainy tannins, too.
Oct 24, 2008
Photo of RblWthACoz
Reviewed by RblWthACoz from Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Pours a very light amber gold with a bright white head. Nose is yeasty and slightly sweet and oddly enough a touch of it reminds me of a Belgian style yeast. Weird. Flavor is the typical one. Metallic and a bit "earthy", it seems to be rougher in flavor and lacks much quality. Feel is decent with a thick carbonation. Drinkable, I guess. But not worth running to the store to try.
Dec 30, 2007
Photo of Dukeofearl
Reviewed by Dukeofearl from California

3.2/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Part of a Cost Plus World Market Beers of the World 10-pack for $10.99 or so. Purchased in July-August, tasted in October.

Pours a very standard pilsener yellow, but more solid and golden than many. Nice. No head and almost no carbonation.

Aroma is mostly czech hops, with a slight malty sweetness. Not strong by any sense, which is generally according to style.

Flavor is true to style, but on first swallow, seems overly harsh and bitter. Once the palate adjusts, it's not so bad, but this seems like a one-note hop flavor. Not a hop bomb by any stretch of the imagination, but it just doesn't seem balanced at first. As the glass continues to empty, this definitely improves, so this one shouldn't be served too cold or given a chance.

Overall, definitely a reasonable option for the style.
Oct 13, 2007
Photo of Redwood21
Reviewed by Redwood21 from Virginia

3.38/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A: the color is a nice golden straw, with a very white head. the head however is not very sticky or long lasting which for my personal taste is a let down.
S: there is not a strong aroma from this beer. there is of course the malty aroma, but nothign super special..
T: A crisp light taste with a little oomph of flavor. seems to have an off flavor. its nothing that would make you super excited but i imagine on a hot summer day tis could be a very solid beer choice.

this is a good beer worth drinking, lighter as a pilsner should be but not so light you think you are drinking water
Sep 08, 2007
Photo of DoubleJ
Reviewed by DoubleJ from Wisconsin

4.28/5  rDev +30.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
I expected this to be just another okay beer in my variey pack, and instead I got a surprise. On to the beer:

Poured into a glass, it's deep gold in color with lots of small carbonation bubbles racing to the top of the beer. Excellent hop aroma rises from the beer, and not skunked ones either, fresh ones. The taste starts with a soft crispness. It makes way for a floral flavor, with hops coming through the back. Notes of green tea are detected as a by-product of the hops.

A wonderful joy from Australia! Americans don't get to hear much about Aussie brews, so let me make a little noise about this one. Good flavor, clean, hoppy, delicious, and a great sessions brew. Not as meaty in comparison to Prima, but still tasty and enjoyable. That's what I'm talking about!
Sep 08, 2007
Photo of cjgator3
Reviewed by cjgator3 from Florida

3.51/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
12oz bottle poured into a pint glass. Pours an orangish yellow color with an impressive off white head with excellent retention and lacing. The aroma is slightly toasty malt with some spicy hops. The brew is rather smooth and creamy on the palate with some malt and some spicy hops in the finish. Overall, this is a pretty decent brew that I was surprised with. The aroma and taste could have featured some more flavor, but this is a highly drinkable brew that would make for a nice session.
Jun 20, 2007
Photo of Zorro
Reviewed by Zorro from California

3.03/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Well this beer sure looks like a Pilsner, clear dark gold in color with a puffy white head.

The smell is very herbal to the senses and full of Nobel hops. The scent is soapy and mildly spicy.

The taste begins neutral with a fair bitterness in the after taste. The taste is a disappointment after the promising appearance and aroma. Except for the hop bitterness in the after taste there simply isn't much Pilsner taste here.

The mouthfeel is OK.

This could have been a good beer but it just didn't deliver in the taste department, just a bitter lager.
May 26, 2007
Photo of Stimack
Reviewed by Stimack from New York

3.01/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
After seeing this brew in the store for the past few weeks I thought I would give it a try at my local beer bar. Just wanted to give it a try instead of getting a 6’r of it. The brew poured to a golden color that had a slight haziness to it while also having a fair sized white head that broke down quite quickly leaving some ring like lacing. The aroma was soft with a slight saaz hop scent, besides that it seemed very tame. The taste was not as crisp as I would have liked but had pretty good upfront flavors of sweet grain, grass and hops but then tail end just seemed to deflate. Over all I guess it is a fair brew, wonder if the distance, being from Australia, has caused it to loose some flavors that where not carried through? Probably will not get this brew again as I think there are to many decent pils out on the market.
May 18, 2007
Photo of rizzo
Reviewed by rizzo from Australia

3.65/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Easily their best beer. Not a true Pilsener. Lacks hop aroma and flavour but has a nice malt backing and reasonable body. Wouldn't seek it out but would choose it on tap given limited options. Will be interesting to see if this beer continues to be available given the growth of Bondi Blonde (low carb rubbish) and the pressure that had put on the Brewery's capacity.
May 02, 2007
Photo of Treebrews
Reviewed by Treebrews from New York

4/5  rDev +22.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A fine looking golden body, with a small whiteish head. This is a nice pilsener that has a nice mouth feel. It is a very easy drinkable beer. Goes down very smooth, and has a slight hoppy after bite. It is definitely a decent beer for a summer day. Nice aussie beer!
Apr 26, 2007
Bluetongue Traditional Pilsner from Bluetongue Brewery Pty Ltd
Beer rating: 78 out of 100 with 30 ratings