König Pilsener - König-Brauerei GmbH

ppvora

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Poured the bottle into a tall Pilsener glass. Light gold color with plenty of bubbles resulting in a finger of head that disappears quickly -- within 30 seconds. Beautiful and inviting light gold color beer.

Smell: Classic smell of a Pilsener. Beer like, with some smell of straw. Not complex.

Taste: Again, classic Pilsener taste. If you want to understand why when Pilsener were first introduced in Europe they caught on so rapidly, taste this beer. Not complex. A great example of what German Pilseners taste like. Not bitter, not hoppy. Refreshingly delightful.

Mouthfeel: Drink this beer quickly as exposure to air makes it a little bitter...almost flat. This is the only quality of this beer that surprised me a little. To counter it, drink while it is still very cold (assuming it was poured from a cold bottle or otherwise served cold).

Overall: The rock of Gibraltar of Pilsener beers. Smooth, tasty, classic Pilsener taste. Beautiful light gold color. Refreshing. Just drink it quickly...don't linger over it.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 11:31:52 | More by ppvora

Haydn-Juby

Quebec (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served from a 500ml can to a Konig boot

A: Soapy sudsy head about two fingers. White in color. Left some nice lacing as well. Straw appearance. This beer is almost definitive of what a good pils should look like.

S: Some spicy German hops backed with light crackery malts.

T: Spicy notes provided by the hops are very pleasing. A very slight lemon flavor is also attainable. Bready malts provide for a nice balance to the hops. There's just a touch of caramel malt character as well. Bitterness is mild and appropriate for the style. Very clean tasting and very drinkable.

M: Crisp and refreshing due to the dry finish and nice balance of the beer. It could be quiet easy to drink a few of these. Carbonation is also nicely done and cleans the palate nicely.

O: This was a great beer and very nice for the style. Perfect for the patio on a hot summer day. It had all of the qualities I enjoy in a good pils and it made for an enjoyable experience. I wish this beer was more easily obtainable.

Serving type: can

05-07-2013 22:20:14 | More by Haydn-Juby

yemenmocha

Arizona

4.6/5  rDev +23%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

One of the best German Pils brought into the U.S., both on draft and when fresh in bottles. Pours straw/golden with virtually no haze into my 0.5L mug. Glorious carbonation and good size and retention of contrasting white head. Nose is clean, light, lemony, with a whiff of herbal elements. Palate has a great combination of rather clean malty flavors and delightful herbal hoppy flavors to balance things nicely. No skunk. Zero. Finish is more of the herbal hops. Incredibly easy drinking and a great example of the style as far as what we have for options here in the U.S.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 23:47:39 | More by yemenmocha

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

3.88/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Yellow and clear with some rising bubbles, a white head and sparse lace.

Grassy and grainy with a faintly sweet smell.

Flavor is lightly sweet and well grainy, grassy, with a touch of bread and a light hops twang.

Body is very light, medium carbed, and quite easy to drink.

It's a very fine German pilsner.

Serving type: can

03-08-2013 23:41:14 | More by AlCaponeJunior

Halcyondays

California

3.8/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

2 11.2 oz. bottles,

A: Pours a clear dark gold with a soapy fizzy white head, some spotty lace.

S: Grainy pils malt aroma, some grassy noble hop.

T: Upfront it's malt driven, a nice flavour but nothing too substantial. Finishes with an outstanding herbal hop note that takes this beer to the next level.

M: Crisp, clean, some good biting carbonation, easy drinking.

O: A solid pilsner that certainly has its sweet spot in the finish. The price is right there with most other German imports, worth a pick up for fans of the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 00:50:14 | More by Halcyondays

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.85/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A nice finger of head formed on a clear, golden colored body.
The aroma is a nice scent of grain with a touch of honey.
The taste is great. A mild bitterness throughout with a clean finish.
The texture is crisp with moderate carbonation.
This beer stands out in that it does not have the sticky sweet or metallic taste that accompanies too many pileners.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 21:58:13 | More by Fatehunter

MaximalC

Illinois

1.98/5  rDev -47.1%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Pours a transparent straw color with perfect clarity, topped by only the faintest whisp of a white head. Aroma is mild and primarily skunky, with a very vague sweetness and hop essence. The flavor is similar to the nose--faint and unappealing. This tastes like beer in the most generic sense of the term. There's a mild honeyed malt flavor on the front end and some hop bitterness in the finish, but those are the closest things to defined flavors I can discern. The rest is just a wash of what I would normally associate with a "light" beer. Yet another Pilsner that leaves me scratching my head as to the merits of the style.

Serving type: can

01-08-2013 01:03:49 | More by MaximalC

doktorhops

Australia

3.65/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

There's a lot to be said for being older and wiser - whilst the 'older' part isn't so great the 'wiser' part is most helpful. German Pilsener is a great example of being older and wiser; when I first started drinking them I mistaking found myself comparing them to their Czech brethren, and I was wondering why the Germans were so shit at making Pilsener (spelled by the Czechs as "Pilsner" by the way). Turns out they weren't trying to make Pilsener for the Czech palate, they were making it for the German palate, which prefers a more bread yeast taste, less bitter hops and a dry finish, much like their Helles Lagers. There you go, I'm older and wiser now.

Poured from a 330ml bottle into a stein.

A: This one is a lively pour - nearly a 3 inch white head which just as excitedly fizzes down to a meagre lacing. Body is a clear pale goldenrod.

S: Aroma is distinctly German right down to the soured yeast, vegetable matter, lemon zest and biscuit malt base. A little bit more vegetal in the aroma than I like but nothing to make me run for the porcelain.

T: Sour yeast and citrus lemon hits the taste straight off. Light malts then lead to a bitter (for a German beer at least) hop finish, typical German dryness is strangely absent. The flavour is however dominated by the yeast and citrus pairing. Not bad, refreshing in the least.

M: Bit watery, light to mid bodied with flat carbonation, although that could be because of the excitable pour.

D: Overall not bad, decent enough as a refreshing summer Lager. The biggest bonus is the price: $10 for a six pack? That is as cheap as the much cheaper tasting Oettinger! So a better brew than the price dictates, and one I will certainly try again as summer is upon us.

Food match: For some reason, perhaps the lemon taste in this brew, seafood really feels the best option.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 09:49:08 | More by doktorhops

socon67

New York

3.25/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - Light golden pour with an active white foam. Small bubbles of carbonation move about the glass.

S - Smells of light grain and a bit of musty yeast. Not much else here.

T - Flavors of wheat and some lemon citrus are noted. Finish seems to have more of the funky yeast flavor.

M - A crisp, dry beer that has a bit of grit and leaves a raspy feel in the mouth. Balance on it is fine. The best quality on this is in its simplicity to deliver nice flavor and be easy drinking.

O - I've had better imported pilseners but this is worthy to try again. In the warmer weather this could really hit the spot.

Serving type: on-tap

11-17-2012 21:57:17 | More by socon67

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4.6/5  rDev +23%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Konig Pilsner has a thick, soapy, white head, and a somewhat hazy yellow straw appearance, with lots of little white floating particles visible throughout the beer. A few streaming bubbles are seen, and a good amount of lacing is left on the glass. The aroma is faint, but one can detect some lightly-roasted malt. Taste is of sweet biscuit, lightly-roasted malt, sweetness, and it closes with an outstanding, grassy hop bitterness. Mouthfeel is light to medium, and Konig Pilsener finishes crisp, clean, refreshing, and mostly dry. This not a perfect beer, but it is not far from it. I insist that you try it!

RJT

Serving type: can

11-15-2012 19:33:58 | More by RonaldTheriot

Douberd

Netherlands

3.4/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle of 500 ml, bought at a gas station in Germany. ABV is 4,9%. Ingredients are water, barley malt and hops. Poured into a footed pilsner glass.

Light golden yellow colour, with average activity in the glass and a white, soapy head of two fingers, with very good retention.
Hoppy aroma, with bread notes.
Taste is sweet at first, then the hops are coming to balance it and introduce a long lasting bitterness, as soon as the stale bread taste goes away.
Creamy body and perfect amount of carbonation.
Overall a really nice pilsener.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 21:27:58 | More by Douberd

Lemke10

Wisconsin

3.58/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

It pours a clear, yellowish amber color with a foamy white head. The aroma has that classic pilsner scent. The texture is decent with an ok flavor. This is a fairly weaker in taste than most German Pilsners. The use of malts and hops are very difficult to find in the flavor, as there seems to be more of a raw grainy taste. Drinks smooth and easy, however there are better German made pilsners on the market.

Serving type: can

11-06-2012 04:54:18 | More by Lemke10

mjurney

Texas

4.45/5  rDev +19%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Slight haze, straw color. Lots of bubbles rising up. Fairly nice frothy head. Leaves a nice lacing behind.

Spicy, grassy, peppery aroma, along with some sweet pale malts.

Spicy noble hops up front along with sweet pale malts. Grassy, wheaty, slight caramel, lemony, touch of black pepper. Crisp, refreshing and dry finish.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2012 19:04:21 | More by mjurney

tastybeer

North Carolina

3.73/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Very light straw colored beer, super clear, and topped with a white bubbly head. Lots of rising carbonation bubbles are clearly visible.

S: Sweet and crisp. Bread dough, caramel drizzle, water crackers, and zesty lemon.

T: Good clean pilsener malt and lemon = pleasantly refreshing flavors. Lightly bitter with perky carbonation.

M: Slick, light bodied, dry, and stirred up by prickly carbonation.

O: This is better than the last one I reviewed, which was in a bottle. I think the other one I had (5 years ago) might have been a little out of whack. This time its more like a German Pilsener should be.

Serving type: can

07-09-2012 00:11:54 | More by tastybeer

keithmurray

Louisiana

4.63/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance - clear straw color with fluffy white head

Smell - grass, wheat, cracker, hint of black pepper

Taste - lemon zest, grassy flavor, wheat, cracker, malt, hint of black pepper

Mouthfeel - crisp, refreshing beer, light end of being medium bodied without being thin, medium carbonation, slightly sweet, hint of bitterness on the end to keep this balanced

Overall - this is an excellent pilsener, the best I've had thus far for consumption at home, I would suggest getting this in a can as this is probably the closest iteration to the true integrity of what this beer is supposed to taste like. Will make this a staple in my fridge

Price Point - $5.99/ 4pk 16.9 oz cans

Serving type: can

07-06-2012 00:24:59 | More by keithmurray

beergoot

Colorado

3.63/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Light straw color, crystal clear, with a one-finger thick white head. Basic pilsener aroma: light grain, somewhat biscuit-like; earthy hop aroma. Taste is light, clean with a honey and grain character and a light bitterness at the finish.

A decent, slightly above average pilsener, but nothing extraordinary.

Serving type: can

06-17-2012 22:18:18 | More by beergoot

McStagger

California

3.7/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pale straw with insane clarity. Aggressive pour leads to two finger bleached white head. Decent retention. Nice lacing. Moderate carbonation.

S: Toasted grain, grass, touch of citrus. Very clean smelling. Good malt bill.

T: Toasted cracker malts with grassy notes transition into spicy lemon hops with an awesome floral presence. Crisp, dry finish with just the right amount of hop presence. Very balanced.

M: Good levels of carbonation, but mouthfeel is too light for my taste.

O: Disappointed in this brew. Definitely not a bad pilsner, just runs on the light side of what I enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2012 05:21:49 | More by McStagger

BierStein711

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into shaker pint

Three finger off-white head, massive carbonation.

Smells: Grassy hops, and malt

Taste: Grass, herbal smells, and malty warmth. Bitter finish to boot!

Mouthfeel: Thin, but not as thin as BL platinum.

Overall, I think I would only have this at a party where pilsners were served.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2012 21:39:35 | More by BierStein711

tubeboy

Maryland

4.63/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A classic golden pilsner with about 1 finger of head that settles quickly with a nice lacing. A distinct aroma of grains with a slight hint of citrus. This is a very good tasting beer for the style. I taste perfectly malted grains. None of the skunk that I normally get with the mass market German or Dutch lagers. Probably the best of the German Pilsners I've tried. I really appreciate the creamy texture which is rare for a pilsner style. This is my new go to Pilsner. I wish that I'd found it sooner.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 22:38:54 | More by tubeboy

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Near pure-white frothy head. Leaves plenty of stringy lace. The broth is straw colored and crystal clear.

More grainy than malty with very little hop aroma. Still, it's attractive.

Much stronger hop presence. This still starts off with a grainy flavor, but it is very fresh. The swallow is well balanced while the aftertaste is a long lasting floral hop flavor. The body is quite full for the style.

Outside of the smell, this is a world class pils.

Serving type: can

04-14-2012 20:02:58 | More by smcolw

Brad007

Vermont

4/5  rDev +7%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a straw gold/yellow with a one-finger head into my glass. Some bubbles.

Crisp with grainy buttery malt and a kiss of hops. Just as a pils should be.

Somewhat sweeter than I expected upfront. Finishes clean at the back but has a cider-y finish. There's a good amount of hop bitterness to counter that.

Buttery, crisp malt with that sweet edge, muted by just the right amount of bitterness. Great mouthfeel or what?

Very authentic. Not the greatest but certainly up there!

Serving type: can

04-08-2012 00:50:18 | More by Brad007

UCLABrewN84

California

3.95/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Best by 7/21/12.

Pours a clear golden yellow with a 1/2 inch fizzy off-white head that settles to an oily film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form on the glass on the drink down. Smell is of grain, grass, and some grape-like fruity aromas. Taste is of grain, grape juice, grape jelly, and a grassy and herbal finish. There is a very mild bitterness that sits right on top of the tongue after each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp and clean mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good pilsener that is very easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 03:42:45 | More by UCLABrewN84

flagmantho

Washington

3.8/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 500mL can into a pint glass.

Appearance: pale golden hue with a clear body and a nice effervescence. Head is a thick finger of pillowy white foam. Decent.

Smell: light malty aroma with a light graininess. Some noble hops are discernable. Plain but free of flaws.

Taste: nice noble hop flavor on top of a grainy malt with a nice, balanced sweetness. Bitterness is low but works well for the style. Actually a damn fine Pilsner.

Mouthfeel: light body with an effervescent carbonation. Refreshing.

Overall: tasty and very refreshing; a real, authentic Pilsner. Extremely quaffable, I'd be glad to have this again.

Serving type: can

03-21-2012 20:21:28 | More by flagmantho

harrymel

Washington

3.9/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Best by 21DEC12

Pours a toasted straw with loose, white foam and lots of bubbles in the glass (dirty glass?). Anywho, the effect is pretty. Smells of sweet grain and a hint of noble hops. Classic and pleasant. Lovely pils with good grain and sweet corn hints followed with a bit of bitter subtlety. Thin with moderate carb and a semi dry finish. Good beer.

Serving type: can

03-10-2012 15:46:00 | More by harrymel

Thickfreakness

New York

3.63/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours a crystal clear, straw yellow into my Great Divide glass. Two fingers of bright white head that fades rapidly and leaves barely any lacing.

S- Slighty sweet and bready. Decently fruity German yeastiness. Nothing over the top, but you can tell it's going to be refreshing. Very mild on the hops.

T- Very crisp and light with a really nice fresh cut grass hop and yeastiness. An excellent and refreshing brew that can be enjoyed anytime. I can imagine pairing this with some fresh Brats and spicy mustard!

M- Crisp, fresh and grassy. Leaves your mouth clean and dry. Wish it had just a touch more carbonation.

O- Although not a huge fan of German Lagers, this is really nice and well put together! Really looking forward to working out in the yard this spring with a few dozen of these!

Serving type: can

02-26-2012 23:10:11 | More by Thickfreakness