Kaiser Pils - Pennsylvania Brewing Company

IronCitySteve

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Penn Brewery.

A: Pours a bright clear yellow color with a thick pillow of white foam head. There is plenty of lacing.

S: A nice amount of buttery crackers, grassy hops and some white toast. Smells very clean.

T: The taste is quite balanced throughout. Lightly toasted white bread, crackers and some grassy hos all blend well.

M: Extremely crisp and clean taste on the palate. A very nice light body.

D: This is an easy to drink, nicely balanced beer. A really enjoyable Pils!

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2011 16:02:59 | More by IronCitySteve

nukem5

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Pale golden coloration with little or no head.

S: Light scent of hops just picked this beer up yesterday and still tastes fresh and crisp.

T: Light metallic flavor with a nice hoppy citrus backing.

M: Slightly alkylyne with a light body.

D: Could drink a few of these but will ration them in ,my growler for the next 2 days.

Serving type: growler

10-15-2010 05:56:41 | More by nukem5

crossovert

Wisconsin

4.28/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

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

09-16-2010 23:00:56 | More by crossovert

KTCamm

New Jersey

3.8/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a light bronze color, also could be termed a light gold. Nary a spot of foam to be found. No lacing.

Very mild smell, maybe a hint of fruit but nothing else. Empty.

Solid German pils taste with malt start and familiar bitter close. That bitter finish is maybe a touch firmer than others.

Well balanced carbonation good mouthfeel.

Tasty, smooth pils, quite drinkable. Another nice offering from PBC.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2010 15:17:35 | More by KTCamm

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clean yellow color with a white head. In the aroma, a dryer malt and a small hop, very clean. In the taste, dry and refreshing malt and a nice hop, again really clean. A smooth and light bodied mouthfeel, with a dryer saaz/ pils hop in the aftertaste. Clean, fresh, and damn tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

07-28-2010 13:21:12 | More by OWSLEY069

wisrarebeer

Wisconsin

4.33/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This one is old school before the sale of the brewery. Probably 2008ish. Traditional Penn brewery labeling for Kaiser - an upside down Penn Pils label for the front, a Weizen label in back, and a neck label that is just a blank piece of white paper!

A: straw-colored, crisp and clean
S: not a huge amount of nose, but definite German maltiness and nice balance of hops
T: for a 5% ABV this beer held up very well, no noticeable oxidation or aging in any way, great malt with good smack of bitter hop finish -- one of the best pilsners in America, a bit more bitter hops than a high-end German pils but still very good
M & D: lively and very easy drinking, extremely smooth

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2010 22:53:05 | More by wisrarebeer

Stigs

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

on tap at Fathead's last Friday...reviewed from notes. 16oz pour into a standard pint glass.

A - very light gold/straw colored body. hoists about half an inch of lightly frothy slightly off-white foam. leaves some mild spotty lacing behind. a bit pale for the style - someone actually came up to me and asked me if i was drinking a ML.

S - subtle mostly grassy hops...bits of grain and a light crackery malt bed. floral with just a tiny speck of spice near the end.

T - the majority of the flavor comes from a somewhat bland (yet eerily pleasant) grain profile, the hops are definitely present (grassy, slight pine) yet struggle to really take hold.

M - lightish body, good active and present yet not overwhelming carbonation. leaves mouth feeling a bit prickly, refreshed.

D - highly drinkable, almost to a fault. a little "lame" for the style but still not all that bad. would be a good intro beer to show off a lightly-hopped, light body.

Serving type: on-tap

04-28-2010 16:11:17 | More by Stigs

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.13/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A standard American-brewed Pilsner with a grain/malt mix and timid hop spice.

The standard straw colored beer gives a highly carbonated activity. Somewhat fizzy, the beer gives a formitable head that displays light lacing. Bright clarity. It's the standard pilsner look.

Aromas show mostly pilsner malt notes but a grain scent does show through. Bready and sweet, the nose is tempered by a lightly spicy noble hop balance.

Flavors fare much the same, with the emphasis of the malt complex based on the pilsner maltiness. But the grain character shows just a bit too much. Sulfur character gives a slightly harsh match-stick flavor and is quite minerally. Hop flavor isn't as prevailant as in the nose but the bitterness offsets the sweetness without bring undue attention to itself.

Still, a bit too grainy in the mouthfeel for my liking and the sulfurs create a rough texture to accompany the crispness of the malts, astringency of the grains, and dryness of the hops.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2010 03:50:24 | More by BEERchitect

DerekP

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A few notes on Penn Pilsner's Kaiser Pils:

I bought a case in California, PA for $28.59 before tax.

Drank some homemade elderberry wine in celebration of my grandfather-in-law's 91st birthday before I tasted this brew, which unfortunately threw off my taste buds.

I didn't much care for it last night, so I opened up a bottle today to give it another chance and let it breathe in a nonic pint glass. The result was in the positive direction.

There's no freshness date on the bottle, so who knows if the age of the brew is effecting the quality. The head has disappeared, 3/4's of the way in.

The look is yellow-golden; typical pilsner. The taste offers very oily, bitter hops. The smell is a little grassy, pretty refreshing, with a hint of barley.

Medium body, decent mouthfeel, but personally a brew I'll drink less of. I prefer Penn Dark, Penn Gold, & Penn Pilsner over Kaiser Pils from the brewery in the north side of Pittsburgh, PA.

UPDATE 3/19/12: I've had this brew a few times since I bought the first case. Once on-tap, another out the bottle, and just yesterday I bought another case. Long story short, my palate now favors Kaiser Pils. Hoppy, bready and ultimately tasty, with a floral/citrus hops and cracker-like aroma. It's a definite go-to, when it's around (rotated).

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2010 01:31:23 | More by DerekP

Naugled

New York

3.08/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served in pils glass
Mostly yellow color with a slight orange hue, very clear but barely carbonated with absolutely no head
Corn sweet smell
Ok malt flavor and good balance, but has a bit of a chemical or medicinal note
Medium to light mouth feel with some richness
Drinkable but lacks style and carbonation, somewhat of a disappointment.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2009 21:30:49 | More by Naugled

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.38/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle poured into a Pilsner glass. No date or info. Thanks to Nerofiddled for this one!

A - Crystal clear deep straw yellow with minimal carbonation rising up. The head didn't rise up too high and had low retention but it was a bright white, densely packed foam that left a little collar of lacing.

S - Crisp and clean aroma that's lacking a punch of anything at all. A bit grainy in aroma with a light noble hop smell. Very faint overall.

T - Well hopped pils with a very faint malt presence. Crisp and clean, it leans towards the noble hops fully. Kaiser finishes dry and bitter. Floral and a touch citrusy. Just plain.

M - Crisp and light-bodied and very refreshing with a watery feel and a dry, hard finish.

D - It's easy to drink but doesn't offer anything else as far as flavor or aroma. Just a very plain beer that would make for a great sessioner. One-dimensional and boring.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2009 21:07:58 | More by BeerFMAndy

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Light yellow with a fierce crackling head that disappears to nothing.

Smell is of light bready malts and a whiff of grain and some distant noble hops

Taste follows the nose with a cracker like malt/yeast componant and a very light herbal hop bitter.

Light bodied, spritzy carbonation.

A fair attempt at a true pilsner, I was hoping for a little more hop character. Decent but nothing extraordinary.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2009 16:55:26 | More by Stinkypuss

goblue3509

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a golden color with a slight off white head that is about a finger thick. The smell is of floral hops with sweet malt and some bread malt also. The taste is of a sweet malt backbone with a little bit of sweet bread, the hops are present throughout and are floral in nature. The mouthfeel is of moderate carbonation. You could drink alot of this beer there is nothing to turn you off from it. For a pilsner it has some flavor and some complexity which you dont always get with this class, overall it is a solid entry.

Serving type: on-tap

09-14-2009 21:56:55 | More by goblue3509

Chinon01

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

This is the maltiest German style pils that I've ever had. Quite bready and tasty. Similar to the malt toastiness I like from Hofbrau Original Helles lager. The hop finish is pleasant but not really complex and there's little to it on the back of the throat. I'd like to visit this beer again on tap.

Not bad

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2009 01:34:46 | More by Chinon01

ToddT

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Clear golden yellow with a off white head. Head falls quickly to a ring and leaves some lace on the glass.

S- Dry, crisp, and mild aroma of hops and a little malt. Not a very complex or strong aroma.

T- Mild bite of hops from beginning to end, a little malt and some notes of yeast provide a counterpoint.

M- Less than medium in body and good carbonation. Finish is dry and crisp.

D- Very drinkable and a session beer. At 5% ABV that was what it was aiming for and it hit the mark here.

Easy drinking pils for a hot summer day. The best pils I've ever had, well no, but it's nice and refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2009 04:22:59 | More by ToddT

blackie

Virginia

3.53/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

a: pilsner glass, two-finger head steadily falls to leave a nice layer behind, the beer is a deep golden in color, good lace

s: dulled grassy hops carried on a body of pilsner malt that shows hints of bread and a mild sweetness, lacks the zesty hops I love in the style and really comes out a bit clumsy, but it's a pleasant if simple sniffer

m: carbonation on the lighter side leaving to body to drag around on the palate, should be livelier and more snappy

t: much like the aroma, the pilsner malt carries a touch of bread and a sweetness that seems heavy with no crisp hops to back it up - just a dull herbal flavor with a pathetically limp-wristed alpha acid slap in the finish, far from the "royally-hopped" pils it is billed as, grainy breads linger

d: down for a few, enjoyable overall but not good enough for a long session

picked up a six from Norm's in Vienna, VA, for July 4th...consuming the rementants

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2009 01:38:28 | More by blackie

bonbini26

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Part of the BOTMC

Pours a yellow clear color, with medium carbonation, two-finger white head that fades quickly. Bready, grain some comes through with a tine of lemongrass. Crisp malty taste with some sweet bread flavors and light hops. The finish is semi-dry with some bitterness. Pretty smooth and clean, which makes it pretty drinkable. For the style its a solid brew, def. sessionable

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2009 13:12:56 | More by bonbini26

bsp77

Minnesota

4.3/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Received in the May shipment of my Beer of the Month Club.

Serving glass: Poured from bottle into Pilsner glass.

Appearance: Pale, clear gold with some head and lacing. Expected look for a Pils, but needed more head retention.

Smell: Bready malts and some noble hops. Smells fresh but a little too mild.

Taste: 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.

Feel: Moderately high carbonation, medium body (fuller than I expect for a German Pils), somewhat dry finish.

Drinkability: Perhaps the most drinkable Pilsner I have had, likely due to the perfect balance.

Note: this beer was shipped with the Penn Pilsner label (their flagship beer, which is actually a Vienna Lager). I emailed the BOTM company as I had expected the Kaiser Pils. They said the labels weren't ready yet for the Kaiser so they slapped the Vienna label on there instead. Idiotic. That's okay, the beer is so good that all is forgiven.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2009 03:38:48 | More by bsp77

bonkers

New Jersey

3.78/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I received this as part of a BOTMC. The brew is a pale gold in color with a moderate white head. The aroma is bready and grassy. The flavor is crisp and pleasantly bitter, with a lingering after taste. The beer is easy drinking, light bodied, and has moderate carbonation. IMO a fine pilsner.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2009 21:25:48 | More by bonkers

BeerIsland

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Penn Kaiser Pils
I, too, bought (2) growlers from Bierkraft on 3 May, at around 1300. They had a lot going at that time and it took a little dexterity juggling the many growler orders coming in. The first of these was consumed right away; a delicious beer! I didn't really get a chance at it until today, Thursday 7 May 2009.
This beer is still in good shape. Very nice in the glass, decent fluffy head, smells of central European summers. Extremely flavorful and so easy going. Might have had this beer once before in a bottle,; as the recent NYT review indicated, not to be missed.

Serving type: growler

05-07-2009 18:09:46 | More by BeerIsland

TheycallmeTim

New York

3.98/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Growler from Bierkraft in Brooklyn poured into American shaker pint.

A--Yellowish-gold body the color of apple juice or some weak-ass brandy. Head is two fingers of white fizz that die quickly and leave more skim than I've ever seen in a lager. Bubble curtain remains throughout tasting even in a non-nucleated glass.

S--Bready, lots of dough and whole grain huskiness going on. Some muted diacetyls going on that I don't mind but shouldn't be there. A bit of grass and tangy lemon or orange coming through on the nose as well.

T--More malt. Beautiful barley spectrum represented here as this has been very carefully attenuated. Lots of breadcrust, whole grain, and cracker, even a little sweetish but mostly deeper bread flavors w/o being Marzen-like and getting all honey and caramel about it. Hops is pronounced in the medium-dry finish as a bittering agent, with a little tang from that nose coming through flavorwise, but mostly this is European-styled hopping. Very nice--super smooth and clean, with not a trace of DMS. Only beef is that those diacetyls pop up and make this taste a little too buttered popcorny, like a botched hefe. Not a big deal, and certainly not prominent, but not the best thing about this beer.

M--Excellent. Spritzy, scrubbing bubbles scour your palate each sip. And that's not just the alliteration talking. Super refreshing lager that's crisp without being watery.

D--Another winner in this category. You could drink this as soon as it got warm, or at a tailgate party, or just sitting in the living room no matter the weather outside. If you like your Pilsner a little more on the malt side rather than the spicy hopped-out side, as I do, then pick this up over Victory's Harvest or Prima pils.

Serving type: growler

04-19-2009 21:49:36 | More by TheycallmeTim

hopdog

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -10%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

750ml, foiled, bottle.

Poured a medium golden color with an averaged sized white head. Aromas of wet grass, some breadiness, doughy, and grains. Tastes of grass, straw, spices, and a lighter breadiness. At 4%, would make a decent hot summer beer for sure.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2009 00:04:42 | More by hopdog

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear yellow with a nice white head. Nose is sweet grains with a minor grass. Flavor is bringing a lot of grain tones as well. Nearly inky taste on the backside. Definite earthy aftertaste. Feel is smooth on liquid and carries a vibrant carbonation. Easy to drink. If you like earthy and inky pilsners, this is for you.

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2009 05:44:23 | More by RblWthACoz

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Local 44 on 3/7/09 during Philly Beer Week.

A - Clear pale golden, sparsely carbonated body with a slim, creamy white head that receded into a patchy film and scant amount of lace, but popped back up with each swirl of the glass.

S - Grassy and herbal hops with a subtle citrus character paired with bready malt and some sweet caramel.

T - Grassy hops dominate the initial flavor, followed by a mild herbal hop bite and some citrus/lemon notes. Malt is a little sweet with a hint of caramel and some bready, grainy characteristics. Finish is moderately bitter and actually just a tad tart.

M - Medium bodied and a bit oily with moderate carbonation on the palate. Finish is mildly bitter on the tongue.

D - Solid effort from Penn. Is it the best pils I've had? No. Is it easy to quaff? Sure.

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2009 00:21:33 | More by ffejherb

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.8/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed on 10/20/08. Bottle. Pours a clear very pale yellow with a foamy white head that leaves nice lacing. Aroma of light sweet fruits, wheat malt, and grassy hops. Flavor is much of the same--wheat malt, grassy and floral hops. Nice light fruity sweetness with a tinge of hops. Nice refreshing pilsener.
8/3/8/4/14 (3.7/5)

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2008 19:44:28 | More by LilBeerDoctor