Flywheel Bright Lager - Metropolitan Brewing

beertooth

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a 20oz mug. This was bottled today, about three or four hours ago.

This beer pours a bright clear pale yellow with tons of cascading bubbles that form two fingers of white head that sticks around for most of the glass.

The nose is packed with dry bready pale malts, grassy saaz hops, there is a tiny bit of some spicy yeast as well. It's making my mouth water.

The first gulp follows the nose. Tons of slightly sweet cracker and bready malts, grassy spice from the hops. It's very clean as per the style. It finishes a tad dry and leaves me wanting more and more. Very refreshing and the freshness is unbeatable.

Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied. Creamy carbonation up front that leads to some nice bubble bite in the end.

One of the best by the book American made Pils out there. Insanely sessionable and delicious. Thanks Doug and Tracy!

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2009 02:28:18 | More by beertooth

DoubleJ

California

4.15/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to alldeybrewin for the extra. Yay, a craft lager! On to the beer:

Pour it in a stange, and get yourself a slightly hazed, sundrop yellow beer with an inch thick head intially, dropping to maybe 1/2 inch and still holding on top with rich, creamy head. Lots of pilsner goodness in the nose. There is plenty of straw, raw grain, and grassy hops....and a touch of oxidation.

Raw grain and hop bitterness greet the palate at first. Lemon pepper is noticed. A bit of biscuit. The beer seems to get more sweet, tangy pale malt as I drink more of it, or the few pieces of parmesan cheese I'm nibling on has something to do with the effect. Smooth and easy on the palate with a biting carbonation.

What a pleasant surprise! This beer wasn't even on my radar. For all the pilsner fans out there, put this beer on your radar.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2009 04:17:16 | More by DoubleJ

jrallen34

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

I drank this from the bottle.

I drank it out of the bottle at a bar so I can't describe it.

The aroma is light notes of hops, like your typical lager but stronger and absent any skunk.

The tatse is very good which is surprising, I'm not a lager fan at all. It has strong and crisp and enjoyable with light taste of hops.

Mouthfeel is decent very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2009 16:06:38 | More by jrallen34

trbergman

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into a pilsner glass.

A - More amber-gold than straw in color, with a towering, bone-white head that sticks around and leaves plenty of lace. A slight chill haze, perhaps, with vigorous bubbling carbonation.

S - Bready, biscuit-like malt, herbal and floral hop aroma, some grass.

T - Again, bready, maybe a touch of sweetness, with noble hop flavor and a refreshing, spicy bite. Bitterness lingers on the palate.

M - I think this is where the beer falls short. For the style, it seems a bit flabby.

D - This is a solid pils, but I think it could be even better with a tweak of the hop/malt ratio, to give it a more spritely character with a lighter body. As it is, I'd still call it a good candidate for a session.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2009 02:53:48 | More by trbergman

dpodratsky3

Georgia

4.28/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

12 oz bottle poured into pint glass

A: A not crystal clear pale straw color with an airy but fairly substantial 1.5 finger head that settles to around .5 finger.

S: Distinctive pilsner hop profile, very clean aroma, with some hints of grass.

T: Slightly mellower and smoother hops than some other pilsners, makes it distinctive from a czech pilsner. Again a very clean taste. A little malty breadiness balances nicely.

M: Good, smoother than I expected from a pils. Not thin either.

D: I have found the elusive "drinkability", and it is from a pilsner, go figure.

Notes: It starts from the pour and goes all the way to the last drop. This is what a light pilsner should be. Super light look, clean aroma and taste, which won't let the brewer hide any imperfections. Everything is in balance. A really good all around beer. Big time thanks to beerad666 for throwing this extra in. It turned out to be awesome.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2009 03:25:32 | More by dpodratsky3

haveaduff2

Illinois

4.78/5  rDev +24.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Beer pours with a thick head that lasts. Aroma is fresh, bready. Taste is slightly malty with a pleasant bitter finish that disappears pretty quickly. It has characteristics of both German and a Czech pils, and I'm fine with that. Personally, I love this beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2009 17:24:53 | More by haveaduff2

malcontent

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Nice golden hue although the huge level of chill haze detracts from what should be a bright (hey, it's even named for it!), vibrant liquid. Head is minimal.

Bread with honey, hint of tree fruit (apricots? in a lager?!?), barely any trace of noble hops. Smell decent but not exactly what I'm looking for.

Man, this yeast is just way too fruity for a lager, especially a German-inspired one at that. Hops are at least present on the palate but there's a weird, doughy effect through the interplay of the yeast and metallic hop twinge.

Mouthfeel is appropriate but I'm just not seeing this as a go-to session lager. I was really hoping for something more because a) I love trumpeting all things Chicago and b) new session beers (and local ones at that) are hard to come by. Oh, well, it wasn't bad enough for me not to give the brewery another shot.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2009 20:09:27 | More by malcontent

BDLbrewster

Minnesota

4.38/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Pours a surprisingly hazy apricot, yellow with obvious amber hues. Pillowy white head that dissipates leaving sheets of light lacing.

The smell is light and fragrant, pils malt is the first and most noticeable smell this brew emits. I also pick up an odor of spicy and somewhat floral hops along with a hint of yeasty sweetness.

Wow, sweet, earthy and almost fruity malts rear their head instantly upon contact with my tongue. The malt character is very pronounced without being cloying. The very mild spice of the hops along with the aforementioned floral tones clean this one up well. The finish is so refined and crisp, for a lack of a better word, perfect.

The mouthfeel follows the style guidelines very well. Light bodied, moderate carbonation and slick on the tongue, no gripes here.

I was very surprised by this brew. A random extra from a brewery that I have never heard of has made a big fan out of me. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2009 23:58:46 | More by BDLbrewster

ClockworkOrange

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to kpruim01 for sending me this bottle. A 12 ounce bottle poured into my Blue point shaker glass. The lager appears a hazed muted straw yellow color with a good two fingers of creamy bone white foam. Nose and flavor consist of fresh, lightly toasted grain, mildly spicy, hint of black pepper, fruity, earthy hops with a decent amount of malt to pull it all together. Fresh, crisp, and pleasantly bitter. Medium in both body and carbonation. An excellent stab at the pilsener style. Perfect for a warm humid day.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2009 17:21:58 | More by ClockworkOrange

taylorhamrick

South Carolina

3.83/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

on tap @ the Map Room

Pours a pale yellow, very clear, with a nice 1-2cm white head that left decent lacing. Looks like a nice, normal lager. The smell is almost of pure pilsener malt, quite a bit of the melanoids in the nose here. With a slight presence of spicy, herbal, almost earthy hops. Again about what I would expect - maybe better, but not quite impressive. First, there's a more complex maltiness than you would expect from this. Starts out a bit like crackers, also there's a kind of powdery, husky taste, all backed with a nice sweetness - almost a hint of light syrup. There are some earthy - nearly dirty, leafy tastes, which I can only assume is from the hops. Not bitterness, not lingering, clinging resins. Better than average, but I wonder what a little more aroma hops would do, maybe some (more) dry hops are in order. The carbonation level was kind of moderate, no sting, but you could feel it. It was actually quite full tasting, almost syrupy feeling because the carbonation didn't quite bite. Still pretty light though, just not watery. The drink is pretty good. More flavorful than the average lager, especially on the malt side of things, but nothing really incredible. Just a pretty solid lager.

Serving type: on-tap

06-28-2009 19:07:22 | More by taylorhamrick

Redrover

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz brown longneck with no freshness dating. I like the label and notice that the bottle does not have a neck label.

Poured into my SA pint glass, the beer is a light yellow with a terrifically thick white head. There is a slight chill haze and nice lacing.

Inviting aroma of fresh hops and grains. The hops are a bit spicy in the nose.

Fresh tasting and well balanced. The hops a add a bit of white pepper and lemon rind. There is some sweetness from the malts and nice bit of graininess.

Crisp carbonation paired with a slick & hefty mouth add to the enjoyment. Very well made and dangerously easy to drink. Well done!!

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2009 01:35:21 | More by Redrover

orbitalr0x

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Slightly hazy yellow-orange pour with a nice full inch of creamy white bubbly head on top. Good retention. Aromas of crisp pale malts mingling with spicy, somewhat grassy hops. A bit of an earthy cereal accent as well. Pretty clean and balanced.

First sip brings crisp malts and cereal accents that moves into spicy, grassy hops with some earthy flavors as well. Mild bitterness on the finish. Mellow.

Mouthfeel is on the lighter side with stable carbonation. Goes down easy and refreshing. A pretty tasty pilsener that would work well on a hot summer day or after mowing the lawn, but not something I would actively seek out. I look forward to seeing what else Metropolitan brews up in the future.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2009 01:43:54 | More by orbitalr0x

csmiley

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Color is light yellow and crystal clear. Very light yellow. The white head tops out at a little over one inch and sticks around for a while. It becomes rocky after a couple minutes and then slowly recedes to a thick cap. Lacing is actually very impressive for this brew.

S - Aroma is light. A little pale malt and grain are evident on the front end. Could be some pine that finishes it off. That is pretty much it.

T - Flavor is a little better than the aroma. Some sugary pale malt flavors hit the palate first. That really makes this one start out smooth. A little bit of grain and cereal show up in the middle and both disappear quickly. Nice crisp pine on the very end.

M - Light body with a mildly active carbonation. I actually could have used a little move carbonation in this one. Finish is nice and smooth. It all gets rounded out by a nice bitter sting that sticks around for a few.

D - Drinkability is pretty good with the Flywheel. It is refreshing and flavorful. The crisp bitterness on the end is pretty much what I would expect from a good pilsener. This beer does have its flaws but none of those would be deal breakers for me. Aroma - really needs some work. Even with great effort, I could barely get anything. I would also say it's undercarbonated but just barely. I would have this brew again if it were available.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2009 02:03:16 | More by csmiley

drunkmonk

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours cloudy pale straw color. Nice eggshell head clears to thin lace. Husky malt aroma, some corn and cracker. Some vegetable, and corn notes as well. Nice crisp grainy biscuit malt base. Some mineral and grassy hop notes drop in. Finishes with a cereal like malt, and lemon zest fade. Before I knew, it my glass was empty. This is a nice pils, that is definatly a notch above the average. It doesn't demand much attention flavor wise, but a nice one to session with a few friends around the grill.

Thanks for the opportunity on this one Dave, Prost!

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2009 18:20:49 | More by drunkmonk

spointon

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I poured this one from a 12oz brown bottle into a tulip pint glass.

A= This lager poured a pale straw piss yellow color with an initial 3/4" white head. The head dropped fast and left zero lace behind.

S= Aromas of light sweet malts, grassy hops, some citrus, and a touch of sulfur.

T= Nice bready malt up front with a surprising but soft sweetness. The hops were light, grassy, and very tasty. Not complex in any way but still very compelling. Finished lightly dry and frefreshing.

MF= Light bodied with a modest carbonation level and clean feel.

D= After this one warmed a bit, the flavors became much more cohesive and tasty. Easily sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2009 04:25:07 | More by spointon

MasterSki

Illinois

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to d0b for throwing me a bottle of this brew. Served in my pilsener glass - couldn't make the German pub walk today, but I'll raise a German-style brew in toast to my buddies who are doing so.

A - Two fingers of egg-white foam that dissipates quickly at first, then settles to a slow-dissolving one-finger cap with some nice sticky lacing. Slightly hazed golden straw color that is significantly darker near the top of the glass. Plenty of visible carbonation in this one. Nice head but I'm not nuts over the color or the plethora of bubbles on the side of the glass.

S - Lemon zest and spice, likely from the noble hops, twangy yeast, and a light malt sweetness. Not my favorite collection of scents, and not a style I really enjoy to begin with.

T - Lots of grain flavor to the taste - almost like multi-grain bread or crackers. The hop spice is a lot more understated here, and the brew finishes with a light toffee malt sweetness. I actually like the taste a little more than the smell - better balance.

M - Light, refreshing, with moderate carbonation, and a velvety creaminess to it. Good stuff here - spot-on for the style.

D - This stuff goes down super-fast, and with the moderate carbonation and low ABV it can definitely serve as a inexpensive yet tasty substitute to those other "pilseners".

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2009 22:55:26 | More by MasterSki

robbyc1

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Got this during the Binny's sale for around $8 a 6 pack, good deal. It sure is bright, the lightest color I've seen in a while, very light straw with a nice 2 inch white head. Good lace as it goes down.

Smell is fresh grass, maybe smells of a lemon right at your nose, very light malt.

Grassy, bready malt, lightly hopped, really nice for a german pilsner, very fresh that helps. Not much depth, but very tasty. Slight sweetness at the end.

A bit chalky in the mouth, with perfect carbonation and good body. A fabulous drinker, a sessionable beer to keep around. Soft and luxurious, great new find. I'm gonna miss it at the discounted price.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2009 16:12:13 | More by robbyc1

Bitterbill

Wyoming

4.45/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I got this bottle in a trade with joe1510. Thanks Joe!

It pours a bright straw yellow colour with a huge head of foam.(chilled for 1/2 hour in fridge) That really is a magnificent head of foam...very billowy.

The smell has that nice German Pilsener smell of hoppy bitterness and sweet maltiness in near perfect balance.

The taste is also near perfect balance with the grassy hop bitterness complimenting the malty flavour very nicely. Yum. I love it when I get a tasty Pils like this one and lately, I've been very lucky...jeez, the more I sip the more I like it and it's getting slightly more bitter as it warms but I'm not enjoying it any less.

Medium bodied with a fairly low level of carbonation, it finishes dry and crisp.

Drinkability? No kidding, I could drink this beer all day long as it literally screams "I am a sessionable beer!" and... head retention is awesome. Metropolitan has hit a homer with this one!

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2009 14:56:52 | More by Bitterbill

dukedevil0

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a single 12oz bottle from Famous Wines in Lombard, IL.

A: Pours a pale golden yellowish color with a couple fingers of white bubbly head that settles to a nice froth and leaves good lacing on the glass.

S: smells like normal pilsner malt, with a mild floral aroma, straw, some yeast, grassy, lots of grains

T: Very similar to the smell, pilsner malt, straw, grain, grass, slight yeast, some peppery characteristics

M: a nicely balanced carbonation gives this a full bodied feel

D: Very drinkable because it's quite refreshing and easy on the palate as well as low ABV

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2009 19:07:34 | More by dukedevil0

paco1029384756

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a light yellow color with a short foamy white head.

Scent of grain, malt, and some honey. A light, well balance and unoffensive aroma.

Taste of grain, a hint of honey and a light fruitiness. A tasty and easy to drink lager.

Mouthfeel is light bodied with crisp carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2009 22:34:11 | More by paco1029384756

ckeegan04

Texas

4.28/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Clear bright straw yellow with a big frothy white head. Excellent retention and chunky lacing. Very good looking pilsner.

S - Big spicy hop aroma dominates the nose. A light sweetness lingers underneath and the faintest hint of grains.

T - Light grain driven sweetness initially. A very nice spicy noble hop taste dominates the drink though.

M/D - Light and crisp. Excellent carbonation and very drinkable. Pilsners are far from my favorite styles but this is a very nice version.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2009 16:23:14 | More by ckeegan04

PerzentRizen

Mississippi

4.7/5  rDev +22.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

WOW got this from Pudge43 and I'm damn impressed. This is a highly and I mean highly drinkable beer. I'm not usually down with too many lagers but this one is amazing! This is my new favorite lager. This has amazing flavor and depth. I'm convinced that the big macro breweries could produce something of this quality if they would leave the adjucts alone and stick with malted barley.

The appearance is a cloudy straw colored minimally frothy beer that quickly reduces to almost no lacing. Head or no head this beer is beautiful in color.

The taste is really different than I would ever expect. It's like Goose Island's Matilda or a lighter version of Duvel. There is a touch of spicyness that quickly gives way to the malt. There is a touch of carbonation that hits the palate hard then softens to give way to a buttermilk biscuit flavor then the hops ride off into the sunset with your imagination. While drinking this I'm imagining soft colored sunsets and waves of grain in the slightly rolling plain.

Mouthfeel is perfect for the style. There is a touch of body up front but the finish is really clean and well balanced. There is everything you want in a lager and much much more!

Drinkability - this is the most drinkable beer I've ever had PERIOD. I could and would drink this all day and night. I'd be like Sam-freakin'-I-AM...in a house, with a mouse, on a train...

My advice - go out and get yourself a case of this and then send me 12 of them. If you don't like the first beer I'll let you send me the other 11. But seriously JUST SEND ME THIS BEER!

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2009 02:39:17 | More by PerzentRizen

cadizkyguy

Kentucky

4.15/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I was looking for something different to try. And, having read about Metropolitan being an up and coming brewery in Chicago, I was lucky to find this brew at Santori's Liquors in Lansing, IL on April 12. The price tag ($10.99) was a bit high, but I figured it was worth it, to support a local brewery. Anyway, here it goes. Pours into pint glass and had quite the fluffy white head. I had read somewhere that it compares favorably with Victory Prima Pils. I've never had that Victory offering, so I just shrug off that comparison and dive right in. Wow, tastes wonderful. Spicy, Hoppy, Refreshing. This would be a great backyard beer when you fire up the grill and wait for the coals to get hot. It smells better out of the bottle, but still not all that bad out of the glass. Mouthful and drinkability are very high. I would recommend this Metropolitan brew to anyone looking for something a bit different. Chicagoans should embrace this brewery. I look forward to other offerings from Metropolitan.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2009 07:53:22 | More by cadizkyguy

bluemoonswoon

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev +6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Giving some love to some local brews, have the copper lager in the fridge and will get to it shortly.

A: Pours clear as it should bright golden orange straw with a quarter inch of a cap help up by lazy ropes of carbonation.

S: Wonderfully rich maltiness out of such a light beer is quite a nice surprise, just the slightest bit husky sweetness and noble hop leafiness, just clean and refreshing.

T/MF: Opens with a great complexity. First touch is doughy, slightly thick sweetness then quickly becomes grassy and mildly bitter. Mouthfeel moves into the crisp, slightly biting, a gentle nip at the back of tongue and throat. Finishes light with a crusty, bready sweetness balanced by an earthier over fruitier hop bitterness, though a subtle lemon/grassiness does come through in the finish and for a bit afterward.

D: Wonderfully drinkable, crisp, clean and refreshing. Complex but not demanding, would love to see what other beers this brewery could come out with in the future.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2009 03:11:45 | More by bluemoonswoon

joe1510

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz Bottle
$9.99 6-Pack
Binny's Orland

Flywheel Bright Lager is a Pilsner of the German variety. The body of this brew is incredibly clear and light in color. I'd call it straw golden but it's actually lighter than that at times and manages to take on the palest of yellows I've seen in a beer at times. A fluffy white head rose to a height of two fingers on the pour and shows good staying power. The carbonation rushes to the surface from multiple points of the glass and keeps the head strong. Big, sticky half sheet lacing is left here and there.

The nose shouts pilsner with a mild floral hoppiness intertwined with a dry grassiness. The malt backing is clean grain with a touch of creamy sweetness. The malt balances the hoppiness perfectly while both aspects stand out in the aroma. The floral quality takes on a touch of soapiness at times but that never interferes.

The flavor follows the aroma closely; all that was in the nose is here on the tongue. The dry, grassy hoppiness tends to stand above the floral qualities and leaves a mild lingering bitterness washed over my tongue. Clean grain and a soft sweetness bring up the rear and balance out the hop profile. The sweetness is touch higher than I'd fully enjoy but that's just a small complaint on my part since this really is a well made, enjoyable pils.

Flywheel sports a medium body with an active but soft carbonation. The carbonation keeps the beer moving at a good clip but never becomes prickly or overwhelming. A mild bitterness establishes itself on my tongue and in the back of my throat.

This pilsner disappears in a flash. I can and happily have put away a few of these in a sitting without a problem and will be picking up a few more sixes come summertime.

To tell the truth; I wasn't very fond of this beer as I drank my first bottle. Every bottle I have drank after have been excellent. It's a good pilsner and a treat to find one local of this quality and freshness. I'm looking forward to trying some of Metropolitan's brews once they get rolling.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2009 17:44:42 | More by joe1510