Mama's Little Yella Pils - Oskar Blues Brewing Company

kirkmichel

Georgia

3.35/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Yellow-gold. Clear. Transparent. light lacy head, a bit of which clings to the glass.
S- None detectable.
T- Light taste. Honey and hops and toasted malt. Right now, tastes to me like a lighter, wweter version of Bud. but I'll rethink as I drink.
M- fine, evaporates quickly. True to style.
D- Good summer beer. Not too heavy, but more depth of flavor than a true light beer.

Serving type: on-tap

03-21-2009 01:34:36 | More by kirkmichel

trbergman

Illinois

3.28/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz can into a shaker pint.

A - Clear, golden yellow with one finger of bone white head and lively carbonation.

S - Not very strong, with subtle graininess and earthy hop aroma.

T - Bready and grainy malt character that turns sweet and lingers on the palate. Herbal and floral hop flavor, with gentle bitterness.

M - Not quite as effervescent as I like in a Pils.

D - This is an adequate Pils, but it's really a letdown after enjoying all of the other fine beers canned by Oskar Blues. I was hoping for another good craft Pilsner to add to the rotation, but I don't think this makes the cut.

Serving type: can

03-19-2009 02:37:21 | More by trbergman

dasenebler

Maine

3.48/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pale gold, well-carbonated. Fizzy head sticks around pretty well actually. Musky, grainy aroma.

Taste is very grainy and sweet. Not enough bite and not that refreshing. Yet, this is definitely an above-average lager compared to others that attempt the same style. Even then, I'm not buying this beer as a pilsner, stylistically speaking. Due to the sweetness it is more like a munich helles or exportbier. Pretty smooth, but a little thin. Some hop muskiness, but the best pilsners are much more bitter.

I was excited to see a new can on the shelves from Oskar Blues, but ultimately I was disappointed. An okay beer.

Serving type: can

03-18-2009 02:04:16 | More by dasenebler

Proteus93

Virginia

3.38/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Received this can courtesy of my friend, Chip. Thanks!

A: Pale yellow... one of the lighter brews I have had in some time. It might even be in the same ballpark as Rolling Rock. Head was about half a finger tall, with some decent retention and lacing.

S: Clean, soft, pale malts with a balance of modest hops. The smell is light, but not thin... appropriate for the style.

T + M: Flavour seems a touch one-dimensional, perhaps. It has the nice malt/hops balance that I noted in the aroma, but nothing really stands out. It may be more an issue with the mouthfeel, which does not feel quite as crisp as I'd expect from a Czech Pils.

D: It goes down quick, easy, and it IS refreshing - I'll give it that. Not a horrid beer by any means, but maybe lacking a little. Glad to have tried it... I'll probably stick with other offerings from the brewery.

Serving type: can

03-17-2009 03:13:28 | More by Proteus93

Bitterbill

Wyoming

4.2/5  rDev +16%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

This pours from 12oz can a clear bright straw gold with a 1 finger head of foam.

The smell has that Pilsner smell that you find in a lot of European examples of the style. Slightly sweet from the malt, slightly bitter from the hops. Balanced, for the most part. Good nose.

The taste follows the nose. Some malty sweetness with a light earthy, no more bready than earthy flavour balanced with some light lemon citrus bitterness...cool and crisp flavour. Not cold and crisp as I always let my beers warm to near room temps. A very solid tasting Pilsner that doesn't go overboard with the flavours like some. Hey, sometimes it's ok to go overboard...see Prima Pils!

Light bodied with medium carbonation, it finishes slightly sweet. Head retention, not that good but there's some lacing.

Drinkability? This one screams it for me. Bring it to Casper and it's an instant classic for me. I like to think of it as a "comfort" beer.

Serving type: can

03-16-2009 23:36:09 | More by Bitterbill

Patrick

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a clear golden straw color with very active carbonation and a thin white head that sits on top.

S: Smells like tart grain and a little bit of lemon rind, kind of like a sack of old grain actually, but it is faint.

T: Grainy with some lemon action going on. Hard to put this more eloquently.

M: Dry, crisp, refreshing, well carbonated.

D: I think I found my new session beer, well another session beer.

Serving type: can

03-16-2009 23:08:56 | More by Patrick

nhudson

Alabama

3.28/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Ill start off by saying that Pilsner's aren't my favorite beer style to drink. That being said I could drink this one every now and then as a session beer. I need to start taking a pint glass with me when I travel cause I had to use the hotels glass cups for this one.

a- Straw yellow, very clear with a nice 1 - 1 1/2 finger head with tons of lacing in the glass.
s- Smell is of a bannana/citrus/lemon with a slght breadiness to it. I get a slight hop smell as well with a nice malt smell rounding it out.
t- The taste reminds me of an adjunct lager, which I dont really care for. Very citrus taste with an adjunct after taste.
m- Very clean and crisp
d- I could easily drink a 6 pack or 2 in one night. Like I said I dont care of Pilsners that well, but I would drink this again if I needed something to drink. The only other Pilsner I can say is better is the Olde Town Pilsner.

Serving type: can

03-16-2009 15:45:50 | More by nhudson

sevopie

Colorado

3.53/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance - Piss yellow with a decently thick white head. Only laces at the top.

Smell - Light grainy smell, slightly sour with a touch of fruit on the nose.

Taste - Rather sweet grain flavor, almost corn syrupy. There's only a little hop touch on this one with a tiny grass flavor, and no real off-flavors.

Mouthfeel - Mostly light, but slightly oily with a heavy dose of carbonation.

Drinkability - Not too bad, goes pretty fast due to the pilsner's habit of being water-like. Overall, I don't see myself getting it again, but that's the style's fault, not the beer's. Solid one from Oskar Blues.

Note: To those who haven't noticed it, the can actually says "MALT LIQUOR" on it right next to the government warning. Kinda funny I thought.

Serving type: can

03-15-2009 07:09:04 | More by sevopie

ATLbeerDog

Georgia

4/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear light straw color with a frothy quickly dissipating white head. Smells of sweet malts and a light floral hop aroma dominate the nose. First sip is all malt with a light Saaz/Nobel hop profile. Great example of the style. Light and refreshing...what a Pils should be. Does the lawn need mowing?

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2009 00:52:08 | More by ATLbeerDog

jwc215

New Jersey

3.1/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Canned on 2/27/09 stamped on bottom of can:

Pours straw yellow with a thin white vanishing head. It leaves virtually no lacing.

The smell is of some sweet grain. While the head is there, there is some banana, but it vanishes. It has some husk. More of a "psuedo-pils".

The taste is sweet - malty - with a bit of husk. Something about it is like a malt liquor with a lower abv. The hop spicing is very subtle, and only noticeable in the finish, which remains on the sweet side. A hint of "wet cardboard" shows in the aftertaste.

It is light-bodied. Carbonation could use a refreshing spritz. It's a bit under-carbonated for what it could/should be.

A mediocre attempt at a sweeter pils, is all. Rather bland. Pretty drinkable, but lacking. It lacks the refreshing character that this style should have.

Serving type: can

03-14-2009 01:56:47 | More by jwc215

dsa7783

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The limited amount of Oskar Blues' beers are all robust, flavorful, and agressive... This one, although a decent stab at the style, gets lost in the shuffle as a commonplace, unexceptional beer...
Pours a clear, lucid, straw-colored hue... Not much going on in this department....
Smell: Notes of honey and florals...
Taste: Sweet candied sugars, less hoppy than I was expecting... Easily drinkable, very clean and smooth, but nothing exceptional... Slightly too sweet for me...
For a better canned pilsner, go for sly fox's pikeland...

Serving type: can

03-13-2009 21:40:22 | More by dsa7783

NJpadreFan

New Jersey

3.05/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Oskar Blues- Pils

A- Bright clear yellow with a thick huge billowy head. Thick messy lacing.
S- Strong pungent corn/ lemon malt and hops. Slight tinge of alc.
T- Sweet lemony corn like adjunct maltiness. Slight dried earthy hop finish.
M- Very sweet and dry. Tangy malt gives way to a dried hoppy, slight alc. touched, finish.

Overall- Nah. Just didn't care for it. Sweet, yet bland. Worth buying a single, but not 6er worthy.

Serving type: can

03-13-2009 21:32:21 | More by NJpadreFan

Umbra

Maryland

3.88/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Golen brew, served on tap at Mahaffey's. Finger full of white head had little retention, but some decent lacing.
Euro hops and some grassiness
Bready, grassy brew with a light smattering of Euro hops on the finish. Light hint of yeast with subsequent tastings
Finishes clean and crisp. Very drinkable and would be nice in the warmer months in can. Hopefully, they'll have it available around these parts.

Serving type: on-tap

03-12-2009 02:55:13 | More by Umbra

philbe311

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

On tap at Capone's as part of Philly Beer week...

A - Golden copper color... One finger of white head quickly fades... Little or no lacing... Moderate carbonation...

S - Earthy... Faint blend of European hops and caramel...

T - Mild, but intriguing hops bill with Saaz the most noticeable... Solid malt backbone... Hints of popcorn and yeast...

M - Clean and crisp... Moderate carbonation...

D - Very accessible Pilsner... Extremely sessionable... Not a standout in the category, but quite respectable... It's nice to see Oskar Blues adding more of a session beer to their portfolio...

Serving type: on-tap

03-11-2009 01:22:39 | More by philbe311

gford217

Georgia

3.4/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz can poured into a pint glass.

Pours a clear bubbly golden yellow with a very short-lived white head that leaves nothing behind.

The aroma is very sweet for the style with yeast, some light grains and only a hint of citrus. It's a bit buttery in the nose.

The taste is a little more toasted than the aroma but does have the same yeast and grain sweetness. There's not nearly as much crisp bitterness as I would like in a pils.

The mouthfeel is light to medium with moderate carbonation and a slightly dry finish.

I really don't think Oskar Blues quite hit the mark on this one. The aroma and flavor seem a little too sweet to me, and despite being drinkable, this is just an average pilsener.

Serving type: can

03-11-2009 00:27:35 | More by gford217

hopdog

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On tap at Capones.

Poured a lighter and clear yelllow color with a smaller sized white head. Aromas of citurs, grainy, and some yeast. Tastes of citrus, the same graininess, and some spices. Overall, drinkable, yet boring.

Notes from and tasted on: 3/10/09

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2009 18:43:24 | More by hopdog

San7a

Colorado

2.58/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

I picked this brew up in a six-pack form from Bottles in Boulder, CO. It was the only one available, so I felt pretty blessed to be its owner. I'm a long time follower of Oskar Blues. I enjoy all their concoctions, so you can imagine I was as happy as a bullfrog in a bowl of milk to try this pilsner. Recognizing that the alcohol content was weak, I also picked up some barleywine to be safe.

The brew poured from the can a transparent yellow color. Aesthetically, it reminded me a lot of a cheap beer, or pilsner. The head was substantial but faded quickly.

I haven't heard anyone mention this, but the beer tastes a lot, to me, like a buttered popcorn Jelly Belly (Especially the aftertaste). Weird, I know. When I realized this fact, the beer became very hard for me to drink. With that in mind, it became even harder for me to justify the price against other pilsners. In the end, I opened the barleywine instead and listened to my friend comment on how much better, and cheaper, his fifteen pack of Stroh's was. I couldn't really disagree.

I'd take any other Oskar Blues beer over this any day. I'm drinking it as we speak though. Someone has to.

Serving type: can

03-09-2009 01:44:24 | More by San7a

Domingo

Colorado

3.93/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

(This is a review originally posted for the version that was "retired" under a different name, but is the same beer as Mama's Lil Yella Pils. The review still holds true and is based upon servings from the Double Daughter and the OB restaurant. NOTE: The canned version probably lacks a little texture and flavor from the tap version)

Arrived in a pint glass with a little bit of head at the top, but no more than 1/4 inch. The head was gone quickly, though. It's a light yellow color and is a little lighter than some, but it's a far cry from a macro's yellow/green tint.
The smell isn't as hoppy as you might expect from OB. It's mainly a sweet grain smell with a little hops to accompany it.
Taste is smooth and sweet with the hops hitting in the finish. I'd say it reminds me a lot of Urquell. It's not a hop-twangy as some, but the malt flavor is excellent. It's definitely a Czech pils because of the creamy malt flavor. I think I prefer that to German ones.
It's a little on the thin side but maybe that's intentional to keep it drinkable. Once the initial head was gone, the texture reminded me of a typical draft Euro pilsner.
I only had one of these, but it's because it was getting late and I needed to get home. Had it been earlier in the day, I could've easily had more.
Seems like a great item to have on warm days with some pizza...which is the exact scenario I had it in.
Good stuff, and something that was badly needed in Colorado. A canned session lager is a great thing on so many levels.

Serving type: on-tap

03-04-2009 17:56:15 | More by Domingo

rowew

Colorado

4.2/5  rDev +16%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Presentation: Gold and black can, with red accents. No date information on the can, but it does have the ABV clearly marked.

Appearance: Pours like you would expect a pilsner to - clear golden, nice frothy head that eventually fades to just a bit of lacing. Good retention.

Smell: Clean grainy aroma with just a bit of what smell like noble hops.

Taste: Again, the first word that comes to mind is clean - this is just a crisp grain flavor with a bit of a spicy hop finish.

Overall impression: Very nice addition to the OB stable - I can imagine drinking quite a bit of this when the weather warms up.

Serving type: can

03-04-2009 03:11:09 | More by rowew

flexabull

California

4/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Was pleasantly surprised to see this, and 4 other Oskar Blues beers on tap at a local pub for their pint night. (the samples of Ten Fidy and Gordon were pretty tasty on tap too...)

Pours a bright gold/blonde color with a decent white head.

Aromas are quite white wine like to me. Kind of floral, and a little bit spicy.

Taste is floral like the aromas, with some light creamy malty, and a doughy like quality. Finish has a light earthy and spicy hop finish, that is also slightly sweet from the malts.

Finish is pretty full, with light carbonation.

Drinkability is good. Not a great pilsener, but it's good, and worth trying.

Serving type: on-tap

02-27-2009 04:00:31 | More by flexabull

GilGarp

Colorado

4/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours from a 12oz. can into a pint glass with golden yellow color, big frothy white head, and great clarity. The head settles slowly revealing some lacing on the glass.

Aroma is good clean pilsner malts with slightly spicy floral hoppiness.

Flavor is crisp and dry with a healthy dose of hop bitterness. Certainly not as subtle as the genuine Czech counterparts but I wouldn't expect anything less from Oskar Blues. Starts slightly sweet but finishes with a good kick of spicy hops.

Mouthfeel is pretty good with medium light body, crisp, with a good level of carbonation for the style. Drinkability is certainly good and it's O.B.'s most sessionable beer yet at just over 5%.

A nice crowd pleasing beer to add to the lineup but probably my least favorite beer they make. Nothing especially bad about it but it's not exceptional like their others. I expected more of an uber pils.

Serving type: can

02-25-2009 18:39:59 | More by GilGarp

kleffman

California

3.75/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap at PB Tap Room. Listed as Mama Yella or something as the guy below mentioned. I believe listed as 6%. Poured an extremely clear golden color with no head really. Very clean light aroma of noble hops, and slight sulfur. Tasted like an american pilsner should, not a lot of hop presence. Light sweetness. Very easy to drink and carbonated just right. I could have a lot of this beer. While there's not much to say about it, it's just a clean well made beer. I would get it again, but I've never seen it before so we'll see if it continues to show up around town.

Serving type: on-tap

01-29-2009 16:30:40 | More by kleffman

Georgiabeer

Georgia

3.25/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had this on tap very recently at the Brick Store Pub. Is this a new batch or a stored keg? I have no idea, but it tasted perfectly fresh. That said, this wasn't the most impressive Pilsner I've ever had, but it was decent. Poured pale yellow with a fizzy white head that faded away to nothing. Smelled grainy and fresh and with a bit of cereal grain sweetness. The taste is light and grainy with little hop presence. Soft and a bit grainy in the mouth, but nice enough. Pretty easy to drink, but lacks interest.

Serving type: on-tap

01-20-2009 16:34:13 | More by Georgiabeer

Tolnik

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had this pilsner in a sample glass.

The appearance of the beer was a good wheat color with a yellowish white foam. The aroma of the beer was that of a typical pilsner in that it has the aromas of the wheat and coliander. But nothing that really stuck out. The taste of it followed suit but tones of cloves could be picked up. Overall this beer is a good pilsner to have just not too overly impressed with it as it is a "typical pilsner".

Serving type: on-tap

01-11-2009 20:16:01 | More by Tolnik

glid02

Georgia

3.58/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had this at Brick Store in Atlanta. I thought the purported actual name was a bit funnier - "Mama's Little Yellow Pils" - get it?

Pours a perfectly clear gold color with a fizzy one-finger white head that dissipates quickly into a wispy layer of bubbles on top and a thin ring around the glass. Lacing is surprisingly pretty sticky.

Smells of sweet malts and noble hops. There's a bit of grassiness in there as well.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Nothing out of the ordinary, but it's pretty tasty. Sweet malt up front with some grassy hints, with an ending that is both sweet and bitter.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a good thickness with grainy carbonation.

Drinkability is good. This is a solid beer that would be good for a warm day, as opposed to the miserably windy cold day when I ordered it.

Overall this was a pretty solid take on the style, but the flavors just don't have enough to them. They kind of sneak up instead of asserting themselves. Still, not a bad beer, and I'm always open to anything Oskar Blues puts out.

Serving type: on-tap

11-23-2008 03:57:52 | More by glid02