König Pilsener - König-Brauerei GmbH

FatSean

Connecticut

4.15/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

I picked up a 5L mini-keg of this beer because it was $10.99 whlle the Heinekin mini-keg next to it was $19.99. By my calculations, that would be $0.78 for 12 oz assuming you really can get 5L of liquid out of there. That's BMC cost/volume territory! So, I was intrigued. Could it be any good?

Brought home and dispensed into a 20oz Otter Creek pint. I'm rating the initial pint here.

Poured a hazy yellow color. Plenty of head that left behind substantial lacing. Very carbonated. I always thought clarity was important to the pilsner style, and this one is quite hazy. It may have been due to opening the mini-keg within minutes of the car ride home, so I won't count that against the beer.

Smells sweet. Sweetness and biscuit. Perhaps a bit too sweet, but so far so good!

Taste is sweet and a bit syrupy. Finishes very clean, very little aftertaste. Just enough hops to put a period on each sip.

Mouthfeel is decent. The carbonation at the tap did not carry over to the glass. Seems the taste profile takes a fast track to the finish flavors.

Drinkability? Very much so. On a hot day you this beer's flaws might as well be nonexistant.

I was very pleasantly surprised to find this beer to be so good for so little. I'll have to have some people over to finish it off before it goes flat/stale in the fridge.

Serving type: can

05-11-2009 23:08:12 | More by FatSean

ZachRusk

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

05-20-2013 07:23:24 | More by ZachRusk

capuchinpilates

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -19.8%

05-19-2013 00:58:33 | More by capuchinpilates

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

deadliest

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%

05-14-2013 03:33:46 | More by deadliest

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

nhudson

Alabama

4.75/5  rDev +27%

05-01-2013 18:56:55 | More by nhudson

jk3

New York

2.75/5  rDev -26.5%

04-29-2013 23:34:25 | More by jk3

NightINgale

Quebec (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

04-25-2013 01:33:16 | More by NightINgale

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

DoctorBrew

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +20.3%

04-19-2013 21:35:02 | More by DoctorBrew

gory4d

New York

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

04-18-2013 18:08:32 | More by gory4d

mechgt

Georgia

4.75/5  rDev +27%

04-18-2013 00:38:40 | More by mechgt

nzerbe

New York

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%

04-14-2013 13:49:57 | More by nzerbe

prisdefer

New York

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

04-09-2013 22:15:41 | More by prisdefer

DavidBart

New York

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

03-23-2013 17:46:27 | More by DavidBart

lccrunchy

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

03-17-2013 23:58:36 | More by lccrunchy

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

CaptainNomihodai

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

03-03-2013 04:18:24 | More by CaptainNomihodai

lupercmda

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

02-28-2013 04:04:04 | More by lupercmda

Guinnsslvr

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%

02-20-2013 02:50:29 | More by Guinnsslvr

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

Beerstorian

District of Columbia

4.5/5  rDev +20.3%

02-15-2013 15:17:04 | More by Beerstorian

DmanGTR

New York

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

02-10-2013 16:49:12 | More by DmanGTR