Alpirsbacher Klosterbräu Pils - Alpirsbacher Klosterbräu

beerman_60

3.75/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

When you taste this beer, on tap, at the brewery tasting room in Alpirsbach you begin to know what it's all about. I stayed at the brewery guesthouse (called Hotel Loewen-Post) on September 14, 2012. If you are there by 2pm-ish, they run a brewery tour at 2.30 most days.

I'd had a bottle the day before at a small restaurant in Karlsruhe, but this was the real deal.

Bright, clear, pale straw in the glass - not so big on the 'hop-explosion' (aroma hops) so only a 3.5 here. Taste was very nice, good underlying 'aromatic acid' bitterness typical of Tettnang or Saaz.

I drank 3 x 330ml glasses in about 30 mins and yep, could have had many more. I cannot put it up there with the Farny, Anker or Floetzinger Pils, but it's really on the way.

If you are in Alpirsbach, I recommend the brewery tour. We all think we know everything about beer, but we don't - and the tour was full of little snippets of beer history that made you think back, add 1 + 1, and finally make the links. Of course, the tour is totally in German, so not for the faint-hearted, so brush up and get on it.

Hotel Loewen-Post is not only the brewery Gasthof (75 Euro for double room with breakfast - 5 star accomodation too) but also one of the finest restaurants in the Schwarzwald, totally awesome.
(The breakfast was probably the best of any during the 21 days of my trip)

Serving type: on-tap

10-09-2012 11:02:25 | More by beerman_60

StJamesGate

New York

3.78/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

White gold with a snowy pitted loose head that rims and trails. Baguette crust, nettle leaf and coriander seed nose.
Doughy malts with a touch of perfume quickly overwhelmed by parsley and nettle bitterness.
A touch of pear at the end, a metallic finish and astringent powdery linger. Light, crisp, lean, lively, a touch of oil.

Whoa – serious bitterness. One of the hoppier pilsners I’ve had, German or Czech. Uses fresh hops (“100% Natur-hopfen”) rather than extract as many German brewers do, and I have to think it makes a difference. Not entirely pleasant, but does what it sets out to do.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 15:08:20 | More by StJamesGate

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

3.03/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

500ml Bottle, best before 4th Sept 2012, poured into the correct Pilsner glass twice. Bright, clear and light golden in colour, a quickly thinning white head sat on top: looked your normal refreshing pilsner/lager/helles.

The smell was your typical ‘no show’ smell so many beers of this style seem to have. Hints of far away hops and dried grass, almost hay like.

The taste was very dry, crisp and mildly of hops, a sprinkling of malt might have been added during the brewing process but it doesn’t come across greatly in the flavour of the beer.

This is a summer Pilsner; it lacks depth and strength of character for a winter night, but I’d have enjoyed it a lot more if I’d been sat in the sun, beer in the shade and having a cold meat platter with my feet up.

Scored objectively and fairly (IMHO).

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2012 16:24:51 | More by BlackHaddock

jerryjeff

Tennessee

4.18/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Aroma
Light grassiness from hops, with a slight floral scent with some nuttiness in there. Inviting and light, not meant to be overpowering.

Mouthfeel
Light on the palette but not watery, slight twinges of bitterness on finish. Low to medium carbonation which is good here as helps to not overshadow.

Appearance
Light straw, poured 1/2 liter bottle to slight head with large bubbles in a pilsener glass which quickly dissipated.

Taste
Very good on the palette, mouthfeel contributes in this case and there's a slight residual sweetness. Grassy and nutty taste from the hops with slight residual bitterness.

Drinkability
Very drinkable, meant to be a session beer.

Overall
Really great beer. Like a bit more in the hops and maybe a better head retention for appearance, but a very good German Pils.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2011 19:00:23 | More by jerryjeff

Emarq

South Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +22.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at my hotel in Stuttgart.

Pours to a tight white foam. Crystal clear in the glass.

Aroma is full of noble hop spiciness with just a tinge of malt sweetness.

Flavor is hop forward vs the malt. Bitter yet refreshing.

Easy to drink and had the perfect level of carbonation.

The head sticks around for the duration.

One of the better pils that I have had in germany.

Serving type: on-tap

04-28-2011 07:41:34 | More by Emarq

bloberglawp

Quebec (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear straw yellow, intense head and solid lacing. Aroma of fresh hay, german malted barley and nothing out of place. Flavor is a typical german pils: crisp malt backbone, firm but no overwhelming hop presence. Just a very balanced beer you could drink all day on a hot summer one like today. Subtle tasting beer, delicious beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2009 02:02:55 | More by bloberglawp

stcules

Italy

1.78/5  rDev -49.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Golden yellow, low carbonation, white average foam appearance. Decent.
The smell is a decent hop, not too much, but quite long. Average, decent, without points.
In the taste: malt, but also some acidic notes. Hop again, but a little stale, and not toopleasant.
Quite dry taste, it seems, but it ends with a useless sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2007 11:49:40 | More by stcules