Skinny Atlas Light - Empire Brewing Company

chinchill

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Consumed at the brewery. Empire Brewing describes this as a light German pilsner mixed with an American Ale

A - very pale golden color with a good amount of rising carbonation and a white head. Clear

S - aroma was quite mild but clean. Surprisingly similar to a macro-brewery pils.

T - Surprise! A very flavorful and good tasting malty pilsner.

Mouthfeel - pleasing; medium full rather than light; good carbonation.

D - very good, but rating held down by the unimpressive aroma.

Serving type: on-tap

11-04-2010 03:23:21 | More by chinchill

JohnQVD

New York

4/5  rDev +5.5%

03-17-2013 20:01:36 | More by JohnQVD

nyrblue2

New York

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

03-14-2013 16:57:16 | More by nyrblue2

jeffbrew

New York

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

01-27-2012 01:56:17 | More by jeffbrew

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.35/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A very clean and crisp light beer that's beautiful in its simplicity, and should prove unoffensive to any beer drinker.

Brilliant clarity through light straw colors shape the appearance for the beer. Lively carbonation fuels an airy and short-lived head. Low on lace, the beer's light character shows in its terse foam character. Otherwise, an inviting beer.

Partly grainy, partly malty- the beer's nose is pilsner-esque in subtlty and balance. With an herbal hop tone, the beer has a light musty scent with lemon and apple esters. An overall clean scent that reminds me of better Munich Helles beers.

Flavors are consistent with the aromas: part grain, part malt combine for a blend that has a mild German lager taste but also with the flavor of raw barley, husk, and mild sweetness. Hoppy with flavors of lemongrass, fresh cut grasses, and herbs that turn cleanly bitter in finish. Lightly sulfury and minerally, these seem to bring attention to light acidity of apples and lemons.

Light throughout, the early malty creaminess is foregone and the grain feel causes mild astringency just as the bitterness sets in. Without a malty balance in finish, the rougher components of grain, sulfur, and bite surface. Still, clean and crisp enough so that the average beer drinker won't notice.

A good light beer that favors drinkability and simplicity over complexity and boldness. Straddling what's best about German lagers and American blonde ales, this beer compares well with other American made kolsch-style beers.

Serving type: on-tap

06-30-2011 15:10:52 | More by BEERchitect

lovindahops

New York

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

On tap at the brewery

A- pours a yellowy fizzy look with not too much for a head. A refreshing almost macro look... but I always expect that when snagging a Kolsch

S- an good whiff of lemony and grassy notes with good citrus up front. Not a slap in the face kinda scent like some craft pilsners out there

T- pretty tasty with good pilsner flavor that refreshes.

M- crisp and light with great carbonation

D- very drinkable for and tasty. Good flavor from Empire. When they get to bottling, I will be making sure I have these around for the warmer days

Serving type: on-tap

04-02-2011 23:19:00 | More by lovindahops

thekevlarkid

Maryland

4.2/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Off tap at the brewery this beer was a very pale gold color with a good amount of rising carbonation and a white head. Perfect clarity! The retention was weak and the lacing sparse. The aroma was bright and clean, grains, European pale malt and light hops. The flavors were just the same with excellent dry grains, slightly herbal hops and a lonnng grainy finish. Totally on-point for a Kolsch and appropriate for the style, especially for how light. The mouthfeel was good, the body light and the carbonation perfect.

Serving type: on-tap

06-28-2010 18:31:46 | More by thekevlarkid

tempest

Pennsylvania

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

On-tap at the brewpub, served in a pint glass it appeared a brilliant gold with a short white head. I really liked the authentic sulfur notes in the aroma and flavor to give this a true German kick. There's also a light apple note in the flavor and clean grain husk and toast. Very drinkable and perfect for a session when you're feeling like something lighter.

Serving type: on-tap

11-26-2009 17:22:50 | More by tempest

TheBCrew

New York

3.93/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

4 oz. sampler poured into a tasting glass. Slight white head dissipates quickly leaving minimal lacing. The beer itself is a pale straw color, a bit difficult to see in the low lighting but I thought it appeared slightly hazy. Faint lemony aroma with a hint of malts in there as well. The taste is really good for a light beer, I can see why this has previously won a medal at the GABF. Slight pale malt sweetness nicely balanced with slight hop bitterness. Light bodied mouthfeel leads to a very drinkable beer. Not my favorite of what they offer but it is certainly a good representative for the style.

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2008 13:01:13 | More by TheBCrew

WesWes

New York

3.43/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

The beer pours a nice gold color with a thick frothy white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is decent. It has a light pale malt scent along with a faint hops aroma as well. The taste is decent also. It has a weird pale malt flavor along with an overly bitter hop taste. It's all malt, but it tastes foreign, almost extract like. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is an average light lager. It different for sure, but I didn't enjoy it much. It seemed a bit unbalanced with the hops dominating the flavor profile.

Serving type: on-tap

10-14-2007 17:35:35 | More by WesWes