Happy Pilz - Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.8/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Luminous yellow gold that looked to be lit from within rather than from without. The flawless liquid was crowned with a compact disk of bone white foam that melted to nothingness over time, leaving splotchy sheets of lace in the process.

The nose, sorry to say, was underpowered. My notes say only 'bright', 'balanced', 'grain' and 'possibly citrus'. I went back to it again and again, but didn't gain anything else as it warmed.

Wow! Happy Pilz is probably the most bitter beer that I've ever had at this brewpub. I can't say that it was unbalanced, though, because there was just enough underlying pils malt to take the sharpest edges off the alpha acid buzzsaw. Once I tasted it, I was even more amazed that I couldn't smell much.

I took a guess on the style, picking German Pilsener over Czech Pilsener because I thought the hops tasted more like Hallertau than Saaz. Of course, I'm probably way off-base. (Note: wdmrock has just informed me that American Magnum, a Hallertau variant, was used). The malt side of the flavor profile reminded me of barely toasted, sun-ripened grain rolled in granulated sugar. That isn't to say the beer was sweet. Far from it.

Ten tons o' hops swamped over my tongue, delivering such flavors as lemongrass, bitter greens, sourdough bread crust and a sprinking of dried herbs and shaved grapefruit peel. The finish was snappy, but it wasn't overly clean due to...

... a mouthfeel that featured an impressive hop oil linger. A body that was a few clicks more full than medium (for the style) contributed to the long finish. The carbonation was abundant, yet was so fine as to be manageable. In fact, I liked the tongue tingle.

This beer won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it will be if you're a dyed-in-the-wool hophead. It's another in a long line of quality offerings from what I believe is Iowa's best brewpub. I'm sure some people need happy pills to get through the day. I'd be fine with a daily pint of Happy Pilz.

Serving type: on-tap
@ Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, 4508 University Ave, West Des Moines

06-25-2007 19:12:34 | More by BuckeyeNation