Dundee Pilsner - Genesee Brewing Co. / Dundee Brewing Co.

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

An oddly intriguing Pilsner with uncharacteristic flavors of lemon and tea. Obviously not part of normal pilsner profiles but interesting in a pale ale sort of way.

The beer pours a basically clear light golden color with a terse head, light retention, and low-lying lacing. Pretty standard look for American made Pilsners.

Aromas of grain, light caramel, crisp malt, esters of lemon, apple, and appricot, along with an herbal and grassy tea-like scent all shape the nose in a very odd aromatic make up.

Flavors of caramel, grain, and malt allow for moderate sweetness before the grain flavors transend towards more the more hoppy taste of grasses, herbs, and light tobacco and eventually the bitey bitterness of vegetal hops. The balance of assertive hop flavor and restrained pilsner maltiness makes the beer taste more bitter and hop-forward than Pilsners should.

Medium body at first, but after the quick pang of carbonic bite, the beer is left light and somewhat thinned, partly because of the bite and bitter dryness of hops in finish.

A nice beer, but not what I reach for in a Pilsner. Very lemony and tea-like with a hint of caramel and tobacco leaving final impressions.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2011 04:22:53 | More by BEERchitect

TMoney2591

Illinois

2.98/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Served in a Chicago Bears shaker pint glass.

Another freebie courtesy of my brother. Whatta guy. It pours a very clear pale straw topped by a finger of short-lived white foam. The nose comprises wheat and flour. 'Tis all. Not even a hint of florals or (other) grasses or anything of the kind. Not even any malty sweetness...just wheat chaff and flour. Okay. The taste holds notes of wheat, thin corn syrup, rice, light flowers, and a touch of lemongrass. The body is pretty light, with a very light moderate carbonation and a watery feel. Overall, a fairly mediocre pils. Hell, it doesn't even have a crisp finish...it's just a watery little beer. At least, though, it's not really offensive in any way...

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2011 19:40:26 | More by TMoney2591

WesWes

New York

3.68/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a pale gold color with a thick frothy white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is decent. It has a light, pilsner malt scent that's clean and refreshing. The hop character is tame with little bitterness. The taste is decent as well. It has a delicious pilsner malt flavor that goes down easy and finishes dry with a lager yeast character. The hop character is well pronounced. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a low bodied beer with adequate/good carbonation. This is a good drinking beer. It's crisp and clean; a fine session beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2011 01:33:38 | More by WesWes

zeff80

Missouri

3.55/5  rDev +12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a clear, golden orange color with a one-finger, white, bubbly head of soft foam. It left thin trails of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled of grains and grasses with a sweet caramel nose.

T - It tasted of sweet caramel, grains and spicy, grassy hop bitterness.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A light bodied lager with a dry finish.

O - This is a nice sessionable pils from Dundee. Easy drinking and great in warm summer months.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2011 21:06:27 | More by zeff80

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.53/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pretty funny that with the success of the Sam Adams noble Pils Dundee releases a pilsner that happens to have a bright lime green label similar to the color used on the Sam Adams product. This one pours a pale bubbly straw golden hue with a bright white thicket of head forming chunky sporadic lacing. Aroma has a light cereal malt bill with hints of cooked veggies and a slight mineral water note. Also citrus/herbal hops are mild but evident. Price point is great 12.99 a 12 pack with a pale, kolsch, bock, and pilsner. I believe this beer replaces the porter at least during the warmer summer months. Again decent mix of flavor light refreshing nice for what it is, not the best end all of pilsnes but a solid offering from Dundee. Mouthfeel is light bodied with even but sturdy carbonation nothing cloying finishes mildly sweet with herbal/citric hops giving it a drying effect on the palate.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2011 21:31:09 | More by WVbeergeek

plaid75

New York

3.53/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a clear medium straw hue with a four finger foamy white head. There was good retention and lacing.

The smell featured a grassy and spicy noble hop and moderate grain.

The taste consisted of a pretty decent noble hop experience with a solid graininess and soft sweetness.

The mouthfeel was toward the fuller side of the style.

Overall a pretty tasty pils.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2011 02:34:08 | More by plaid75

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

2.83/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

When I am not drinking beer from a CAN and I am at home, I do not mind bottles. I am somewhat curious to try the entire Dundee oeuvre and I recently found singles of most of the ones that I have not previously reviewed.

From the bottle: "Legend has it in 1840 a monk smuggled precious lager yeast into Bohemia, setting the stage for the first Pilsner. Today, the smuggling may be over, but the Pilsner tradition continues. Dundee Pilsner is brewed with the noblest of saaz hops and premium German Pilsner malt - for a rich, crisp taste and a finish so smooth that it deserves an encore."; "Hazy and Hoppy".

My pour netted me just better than a finger of foamy, bone-white head with moderate retention. Color was a beautiful sunshine-yellow with NE-quality clarity. Nose had that Saaz hops bite and my mouth began to water. Mouthfeel was kind of thin and watery and the taste did not live up to the nose. It was as though it had been set to "Mute". Finish was more malty than hoppy, which is par for the style, but it added up to something underwhelming. Not bad for the price point, but there are better examples of the style out there.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 18:09:10 | More by woodychandler

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into that special Sam Adams glass specially made for Boston Lager.

Clear bright hay and brass color with loads of bubbly carbonation. Thick head of three fingers after the pour and a thick foam that lasts to the finish of my twelve ounce bottle.

The aroma has sweet malted barley with a light toast, hint of cream, and grass from good Saaz hopping.

The atste starts malty upfront. Lightly toasted with a little creamed barley grains. The middle has a more ....pungent cream flavor. Not bad necessarily bad, just a little off-putting. The finish light and earthy with grass and chopped vegetation in the finish.

The body of this beer is light to medium and crisp from start to finish. A pretty good example of a German pilsner. Very drinkable and enjoyable. Also widely available in my area.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2011 00:56:50 | More by scruffwhor

beertunes

Washington

2.75/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into 9oz pilsener glass. Poured a very thin yellow color (the color of most macro beers) with less than 1/4 inch of white head that had good retention and light lacing. There were also a lot of tiny bubbles clinging to the side of the glass throughout the beer.

The aroma and flavors mostly basic "beery" grains, no real hop presence, a little sweet and basically just on the bland side of average. The body was decent, crisp and clean, with just a slightly sweet finish. Drinkability was good, you could drink these all day as your "chore beer". Overall, not a bad example, but not a notable one either. An OK choice if you're looking for a "value" brew.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 20:50:52 | More by beertunes

Gmann

New York

3.38/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Into a pils glass, pours a clear pale straw color with a short soapy pure white head that left some real nice lacing on the glass.

The aroma is grainy more than anything else. It doesn't have that dry cracker edge like most pils and more resembles an adjunct lager.

The taste is a bit odd. It does have a cracker like malt base with some grassy/peppery hops, like a traditional pils. There is also a more malty/doughy presence like a munich malt. Some light general fruitiness. Not too bad, decent flavor.

The feel is light but not watery with spritzy carbonation. Fairly dry, finishes clean.

Not a bad pils. Starts off a little odd but is true to the style. Seems like they uses some munich malt.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2011 02:03:44 | More by Gmann

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

3.18/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #54 (July 2011):

Looks like a Pils, all golden and clear. Smells like one too, with spicy herbal hops and some graininess. Smoothness is off the hook, though the flavor is more of an oily hoppiness that just doesn’t quite seem to fit, like a jigsaw piece that won’t work no matter how hard you try to cram it in. Maltiness is a little thin but gets by, while the oily hop keeps truckin’ along. Clean, dry finish without much besides the thin malt and oily hop. This beer begs for a bit more; it’s shallow in character, yet still an easy brew to knock back.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 02:29:31 | More by BeerAdvocate

puboflyons

New Hampshire

3.3/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From bottle no. 09510-8:55 4W. Sampled on July 23, 2011. It pours straw yellow with a thin head that diminishes quickly to a ring. Lots of grain on the nose followed by a milder sensation of malts and an ever subtler sensation of European hops. The body isn't too bad and it is smooth and creamy. Bitterness is a bit off-medium on the taste with just a hint of hops at the end. On a hot day it might leave too much of an aftertaste and less refreshment. The label reads hazy and hoppy but it doesn't quite live up to either.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2011 18:14:21 | More by puboflyons

chinchill

South Carolina

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

undated 12 oz bottle from a Dundee "Seasonal Variety Pack" served in a pint glass.
A: Light golden-amber with plenty of visible carbonation.
M: Crisp and lively feel with a medium body.
Good malt/hops balance for style. Hops are earthy and spicy, as expected.
O: a solid, if uninspired pilsner.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 21:33:25 | More by chinchill

portia99

Massachusetts

2.45/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle (no date noticed) poured into a Foonf Zane pilsner glass.

A - Pours a very pale, almost Bud Lite straw yellow color, crystal clear (despite the bottle quoting "Hazy and Hoppy" - hazy no - not complaining, we'll see about hoppy), with a finger of bright white foam with pretty good staying power. Endless streams of carbonation bubbles rise from the bottom of the glass.

S - Grainy, cereal like, sweet and sugary up front with a flowery and perfume-like hoppiness backing it up. Not as crisp or bitter as I'd expect from the style...very soft, sweet and bready.

T - As with the aroma, very soft and delicate...sugary sweetness, grainy malt and floral hops all the way. Bitterness is lacking, fading into the background behind the malt. Rather adjuncty and macro tasting...fairly bland.

M - A bit thin and watery, carbonation is noticeable, but too low for my tastes. Adjunct grain off flavors dominate and point out how under hopped this pilsner is. Drinks like water...

O - Had decent hopes for this one which have proved to be founded in naive belief that this might be a traditional German style Pils. Turns out to be not much more than a macro style light beer in a freshly labeled container (which is 0 for 2 in its claims). Oh well, live and learn, try, try again...and so on.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2011 00:45:02 | More by portia99

kangarooAdam59

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

In a pilsener:

A: transparent, light golden body with a great foamy white spider-webbing lacing, no carbonation is seen rising

S: some toasted grain with a faint grassiness working through some slight maltiness.

T: some grainy malt sweetness with a very faint herbal bitterness at the end

M: light to medium with a slight watery feel, sessionable, there is no carbonation felt on the tongue.

O: good for the style and for me, I would have this again.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 00:12:34 | More by kangarooAdam59

marlinsfan4

Maryland

3.25/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Part of the mixed 12 pack I picked up for $11.99 the other day. Nothing too crazy here, kind of the run-of-the-mill pils most breweries toss in a mixed pack. Has the nice bubbly carbonation and crisp, biting hops, but a bit too light bodied and not flavorful enough for my liking. A decent beer, drinkable for sure.. but nothing you'd seek out.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2012 22:55:11 | More by marlinsfan4

kbnooshay

New York

3.83/5  rDev +20.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is from the new seasonal pack.

I've said it once and I will say it again. I love the design system that Dundee has going here! Each beer has a different color and illustration. Brands like Weyerbacher could learn something. Green bottle with a fat monk leaping and carrying a beer.

Body is a as clear as can be straw yellow color with a good amount of carbonation. Large white head is a good combination of frothy and foamy. Nice sheets of lacing forming.

Aroma is nice. I picked up peppery notes, apple and other fruitiness. Light hop scent to the nose.

Oh noooo. This has a little of that Genny taste that most Dundee/Genny pale beers all have. But this is decent. Hops are apparent enough, floral and peppery.

This is pretty refreshing though, and a hell of a lot better than the macro offerings like Bud or Labatt while being less snobby than a overrated wanker like Victory Prima Pils.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2011 00:37:50 | More by kbnooshay

JMad

Texas

3.03/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I drank this from a pint glass...

The beer pours a pale yellow color with a pillowy white head. The smell is hardly there but I did pick up some grain and fresh cut grass. The taste is mostly grain, lemon and green apple, it is kind of homebrew-y. The beer has a mdium body and it is way overcarbonated. This is not a very good example of a pilsner.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2011 01:30:03 | More by JMad

JuicesFlowing

Kansas

4.03/5  rDev +27.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a standard pint glass. The beer is a light golden straw color. A very airy head sits on top and dissipates to a film. Some sticky lacing sticks to the glass. The beer smells like lemongrass and faint malts. The taste is refreshing. A very light lemongrass hits the palate first. There's a touch of hops in the finish, very balanced. The mouthfeel is light.

Overall, pretty good summer beer, for sure. Light, low ABV, and tasty. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 12:04:50 | More by JuicesFlowing

divineaudio

Michigan

2.83/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

pokal glass.

a - pours a transparent, light golden shade and forms a two finger, pillowy, bright white head right away. after calming i get a thin cap, a few streaming bubbles, and some nice leggy lacing.

s - toasted grain with a faint grassiness.

t - grainy malt sweetness with a very faint herbal bitterness in the finish. hop character is seriously lacking here.

m - lighter side of medium with adequate carbonation. coarse co2 profile.

o - average at best. goes down easy enough, but doesn't have much to offer flavor wise. $11 for a sampler 12 pack, you get what you pay for i guess.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 22:03:54 | More by divineaudio

Jadjunk

Georgia

3.2/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From the Dundee Variety pack, the Dundee Pilsner is a German Pilsner style beer. Legend has it, in 1840 a monk smuggled precious lager yeast into Bohemia, setting the stage for the first Pilsner. Today, the smuggling may be over, but the Pilsner tradition continues. Dundee Pilsner is brewed with the noblest of saaz hops and premium German Pilsner malt- for a rich, crisp taste and a finish so smooth that it deserves an encore.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to a pint glass. Served at 48º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a white crisp foamy head over a golden straw yellow body, mildly hazy. Retention is average, crown lacing is thin with a soapy consistency. Carbonation is relaxed but plentiful. A decent appearance, but could improve a lot. 3

(Smell) Pilsner malts, honey, faint hop flavor with a low hop bitterness, much more sweet than bitter. Aroma is almost cider-like with semi-sweet apples and thin honey malt leading the aroma. Potency is below medium. Not particularly impressive, its quite an average aroma, with plenty of common off-flavors. 3

(Taste) Pilsner malts, light caramel malt, some mild honey cereal sweetness and hop extract if anything at all, not nearly as bitter or flavorful as one would hope for in the hops department. The hop flavor seems shallow and artificial, and the malt profile the dominating flavor in the beer, complete with a sticky, sweet and unclean finish. A mild citrusy lemon zest on the finish is enjoyable. There's a lot of work to do on the flavor profile of this beer. 3

(Mouthfeel) Airy and smooth with a little tartness on the tongue, a light body and little alcohol presence. A decent texture for the style and this beer in particular. 4

(Overall) It's not hard to determine that I've had much better pilsner choices than Dundee's variation. A cider tartness and a thin, limited hop profile (low bitterness) with a sweet cereal malt base makes this a slower drinking, less clean and crisper pilsner than the average competitor's offering. It's not one of the choice picks of the variety pack but it's decent for the price and certainly a viable option for pilsner lovers who may be in a financial pinch, but with a little better cash-flow may easily find a better year-round Pilsner. 3.5

Genesee/Dundee Brewing Company's
Dundee Pilsner
3.2/5.00

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 21:00:03 | More by Jadjunk

sixerofelixir

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle. Purchased as part of a 12-pack sampler. What I believe is a Julian-style date code is on the bottle neck.

Pours an ultra-clear lite-yellow. Many large carb trailers. A white ring washes the glass. Smell is well grainy, with hints of pepper and lemon zest. Taste is soft and biscuity. A fair amount of mineral in the middle, morphing into a nice bitterness to finish. Clean and enjoyable, light-bodied. A decent pilsner here, and well worth the price if they made a 6-pack.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2011 05:50:18 | More by sixerofelixir

SickGnar

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pale straw, bright and clear, multiple streams of bubbles rise to the small white head. Settles moderately fast, but leaves some pretty okay lace.

S: Grainy & touch doughy malts. Hint of sweetness more form fruity esters than from malts. Pear mostly. Faintly spicy noble hops. Sort of pilsner, but also sort of kolsch.

T: Fresh milled grainy pils malt. Hints of toasty & doughy. Very kolsch-like pear & white grape light fruity ester notes. Medium firm noble hops bitterness and character. Spicy & floral up front, grassy in the middle, and herbal on the backend.

M: Must under medium body. Carbonation is nicely matched & expansive in a softly creamy way. Crisp & refreshing with a balanced finish. Hop drying increases as consumed.

D: It looks the part, but lacks truly clean crispness in aroma and flavor. With fresh milled grain & fruit ester aspects, it is a bit like a kolsch in some ways. Actually, it is about as much a kolsch as their way fruity Kolsch offering in the same mix 12 pack. Regardless of style, it is a nice, pleasant, refreshing and easy drinking brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 06:23:28 | More by SickGnar

almychristopher

New York

3.15/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

this beer pours a clear light golden color with a tall white head that fades to a layer of lace. the aroma has a bit of light malt to it, without the promised hop backing. the flavor again provides a subtle malt, but little else. it's a clean crisp beer, but not my favorite style, an easy drink but not something i'd go out of my way for

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2011 01:14:28 | More by almychristopher

Tschnab

New York

2.8/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- looks like your classic pils, golden color with good carbonation, foam, and lace.

S- toasty grain, malt, very light saaz hop spice aroma.

T- for a pils, this is a malt bomb. Hops are there but they are not at all prominent. It has an unpleasant carmel flavor and light citrus.

O- I tend to pan malty pilsners. I'm open to the idea, just not this one. poor execution here.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 00:50:26 | More by Tschnab