Old Credit Pale Pilsner - Old Credit Brewing Co.

SebD

Ontario (Canada)

3.05/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: It has a nice pale straw yellow color to it. It has a nice white head that dies down fast and leaves next to no lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitely give out hints of grainy malts, some breadiness and some floral hops.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has a some grainy malts, some breadiness and faint floral hops.

Mouthfeel: It has a med/high carbonation with a slightly light overall balance and feel.

Drinkability: It's a very smooth drinkable beer accompanied with decent flavors and aromas.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 22:45:01 | More by SebD

thehyperduck

Ontario (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

341 mL bottle; no best before date. Courtesy of this season's OCB Holiday Sampler. I seem to be outside of this brewery's distribution range, because the only time I've ever seen anything from Old Credit is in these samplers.

Pours a clear, pale, golden-yellow colour, topped with a half-finger of fizzy white head that quickly diminishes into a thin collar and cap. A far cry from the "thick, creamy, fine-textured head" the box describes it as, but maybe I'm doing it wrong. Decent aroma; some grainy, crackery malts, a hint of honey and some grassy hop notes. Nothing fancy, but at least it has quelched my suspicion that this isn't really a pilsener.

Somewhat interesting flavour; not entirely pilsener-y, but it's not like it's adjunct swill, either. Starts off light and grainy, a bit crackery/biscuity with a dash of honey sweetness. The hop bill comes across only mildly and only toward the finish - it's grassy, lemony, and maybe slightly noble in nature. Light, malty dryness in the aftertaste, of a fleeting nature (the package's words, not mine). Light-bodied and fairly watery, with moderate carbonation. Easy to throw back quickly, and probably not interesting enough to serve any other purposes.

I can't say for sure how fresh this is, since Old Credit doesn't stamp any bottling/best before dates on their bottles - but one thing I *will* say is that it does strongly remind me of a local pale lager brewed by Railway City, their Canada Southern Draft. The difference is, I pick up CSD from the brewery when it is quite fresh, while this stuff has probably been sitting around for a while, due to the nature of the OCB sampler system. I have a feeling this variable probably accounts for my difference in opinion between two relatively similiar-style brews.

Final Grade: 3.25, a marginal C+. Even though Old Credit Pale Pilsener is far from a bad beer in general, the lack of a significant hop bill restricts it from being an especially good pilsener. I don't know what price bracket this particular stuff is sold within, but if it were priced at the same level as most of the common 'premium' lagers (think Canadian, Moosehead, etc.), I could see myself opting for this instead when drinking socially. If you're looking for a genuine German-style OCB pilsener, I can't really recommend this, but if you just want a sessionable, straightforward lager, then OCPP might just be the brew for you. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 15:29:01 | More by thehyperduck

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

3.05/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Another brew out of the OCB holiday mixer.

A - Pours an extremely pale golden colour, finger of head with little retention and no real lacing.

S - Scent is dominated by grainy biscuit and grassy hops.

T - Flavour is mild and reminiscent of a macro lager, bready biscuit malts, hints of sweet corn and a touch of grassy hops on the finish.

M - Medium bodied, a tad prickly and finishes wet.

O - Decent but nothing spectacular here. Could be easily mistaken for a macro adjunct and I'm missing the loaded grassy hop flavours common for the style. Not something I would get again.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2012 20:57:32 | More by andrenaline

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

3.15/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Very light blonde colour, collar of white head, little to no lace. Smell is a mix of grainy malt and lemon, some earthy/grassy hops come through, some 'muddy' points with more crackery malts toward the end. Taste follows suit with lemon and cracker flavours, mild to moderate bitterness throughout, bright grassy hops, earth notes, clean finish and aftertaste. Medium carbonation, light to medium body. Pretty average stuff, fairly straight forward and inoffensive though a little uninteresting.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 13:59:37 | More by peensteen

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

2.8/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured in to Sierra Nevada pint glass.

A - Very pale yellow colour with a lot of visible carbonation and half a finger of white head that quickly disappeared.

S - Slight bitter hop bite is evident up front with some bready malts and a strange off-putting sour smell. Not a very pleasant nose.

T - Bready malts with a slight hop bite that is mostly noticeable in the finish. As the beer warms up a slight sweetness is evident from the malts.

M - Light body, moderate carbonation.

D - A very average pils that I would buy again with other choices available.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2011 00:29:13 | More by TheSevenDuffs

karait95

Mexico

3.3/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Even the color is a nice yellow pale one it is not as clear as it should be, the head is also little really withe with small bubbles but no layer stays on top of the liquid, there are not many traces on the glass after the head dissipates.

S: Nice aroma but not to strong, malty smell with some sweetness inside, not something really incredible, more average.

T: It is a little better at the beginning but not with a very good final you get a little bother somehow fast.

M: Nice, this is the best part, it is smooth for the tongue and it is a little mix of sensations, not to simple but even not to complex, refreshing sensation as a good lager.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2011 02:27:09 | More by karait95

TheHammer

Ontario (Canada)

3.48/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: A nice two fingers of head that sustained admirably but did not lace. The body is a bright, almost white wine white with ample carbonation in the body.

Smell: Smells like it looks, like wine minus the alcohol. It makes it's presence known well enough and warming helps to bring out notes of lemon and light floral hops. All in all nice but nothing to write home about.

Taste: Neat and clean, as it starts with a very mild biscuit malt that turns to a mixture of malt and grapes and ends with the barest dusting of hops. Very smooth, albeit light to the taste and could certainly be a bit more flavourful, but I liked it.

Mouthfeel: My biggest problem is, it is very similar to diluted wine. It's got some odd acidic notes which I don't like. That and I really wish there was a bit more of a hop presence. Also no aftertaste at all to speak of. Still the carbonation is superbly done.

Drinkability: Yeah....I polished this off before I could finish typing the whole review. Crisp and clean but not to the point you'd say it's watered down and light. It's just a bid odd to drink because of the taste. The complete lack of hop presence make this easy to guzzle.

Final Thoughts: I've called Duvel the champagne of Beer before, and when I drink this, I can't help but feel this is the Spumante Bambino. Cheap, bubbly tastes like wine, not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination but your wallet leaves you far more inclined to buy it at new years. I'd pick it up again in the summer. Heck, I'd be tempted to just drink it from a bomber.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2011 04:09:45 | More by TheHammer

bryehn

Ontario (Canada)

3.13/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a slightly cloudy, pale, rusty-gold colour with little more than a collar of head, despite a seemingly high carbonation.

The aroma reminds me of brewed orange pekoe tea with a bit of lemon, rye whiskey and, of all things, white wine at first whiff. It's kind of enticing, maybe a bit strong.

The mouthfeel is watery to be sure, but also bubbly. Kind of like a light beer.

Definitely getting tea in the taste as well, it has a nice bitterness to it and a slightly malty back-end. There isn't alot going on here, but finding it easy to drink and there's nothing particularly unpleasant about it. Feels like a Spring/Summer beer, not sure why it's in a Winter seasonal OCB sampler.

I'd buy it here and there for bar-b-que outings and it tastes like it would go well with Indian food. Passable, but will never make it into my regular rotation.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2011 19:28:39 | More by bryehn

GodOfBeer

Ontario (Canada)

3.28/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From an OCB six pack. Pours a cloudy very light yellow with a thin white head.

Not anything interesting in the aroma, some sweet grassy grains; maybe a hint of fruit, nothing stands out here.

Tastes like a light fruity pilsener, finishes sweet and crips, could use more hops!

Overall a decent lager but nothing unique.Crisp and refeshing nonetheless!

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2010 22:50:45 | More by GodOfBeer

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz Bottle

Appearance - The beer pours a slightly hazy yellow colour with a small fizzy white coloured head. There is a low amount of carbonation showing and there is some faint lacing on the sides of the glass. The head stuck around for only a few minutes before it was gone.

Smell - malts, cookies, light hops, apples, corn

Taste & Mouth - The beer has an average amount of carbonation on the tongue and an average mouth feel. It really doesn't taste like a pilsner at all, more like an ESB session ale. Most of the flavour consists of malts, light hops, apples/pears, and corn syrup. There are also notes of lemon and cookies. The beer finishes with a malty aftertaste.

Drink - It really doesn't taste like a pilsner.. and it really wasn't very good. I wouldn't seek this one out again.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2010 14:54:32 | More by spinrsx

Swedes21

Ontario (Canada)

2.68/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

341 ml served in a chilled glass

Appearance - beer pours a cloudy amber, although very yellow. The carbonation levels appear low and the white head lasted only seconds. There appears to be minimal lacing as well.

Smell - Had to take a few sniffs of this beer in order to nail down the scent. I can smell some floral as well citrus, although only hints. Their is a sweet smell as well, just not sure what it comes from.

Taste - Bitterness is the first thing that comes to the taste. The beer is bitter upfront and goes down smooth. There is not a lot of taste, the floral comes through but not much else.

Mouthfeel - the carbonation levels bring out the hops as well the floral taste. The amount of carbonation is not outstanding, but it does add some "substance" to the feel of the beer.

Drinkability - Not something i would seek out again and stock. Happy i tried, but not going to recommend.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2010 23:02:32 | More by Swedes21

paxkey

Ontario (Canada)

1.27/5  rDev -60.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

pours a gold color looks similar to apple juice. not clear not cloudy just kind of opaque. no head.

this might be soured. smells quite sour, vinegarry.
came in a six pack from lcbo called the discovery pack. this is my fifth selection and havent had any problems yet with freshness.

maybe not sour but highly vegetal. a bit of a bready yeast under that but still kinda sour smelling. afraid to taste it.

godawful. not soured just shite.
other then the mill street coffee porter every thing in this 'discovery pack' is horrendous. if someone offers it up dont walk away--run away.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2010 02:31:07 | More by paxkey

kwjd

Ontario (Canada)

3.03/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I was a little bit confused by "pale pilsner" in that pale is usually implied. Pours a pale (they weren't lying) yellow with thin white head. Not too much lacing and ok head retention. Smell was pretty muted straw and grassy, some bread malt. Flavour had a little bit of grassy bitterness, but not too much. This was a clean beer and tasted fine, but won't seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2010 14:57:32 | More by kwjd

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pilsners look good in yellow, that's their colour. And this one, with its bright lemon yellow suit, looks just fine. Its complexion is perfectly clear and makes no fuss about highlighting when held to the light. There's a periodic whisk of bubbles that serves no purpose other then to please the eyes because there is no head, never was and never will be.

The best pilsners will give air of grassy, floral, spicy or lemony hops, perhaps a good bite of cracker-like malt too, but this one proclaims an odd combination of muscat grapes, a stiff carbonate water and buttery toffee. The latter can be attributed to a miscue somewhere along the brewing process but the other two leave me clueless (and apprehensive).

The flavour is pleasant, if only for having a clean and neutral disposition. The taste of corn grits predominates and neither bitterness nor sweetness overrides it. It is an agreeable corny taste, however, not one of cloying, synthetic adjuncts but just of a very grainy malt. This needs more of a hop presence, both for reasons of taste as well as bitterness.

The brewer uses some kind of ice filter to reduce the beer's sugar content down to virtually zero; this technique makes for a very parched beer. Indeed, the finish feels like ice - it is dry and has no aftertaste. The lack of biscuity sweetness allows the lemony, grassy quality of the hops (what little there is of it) to be noticed (and even appreciated).

"Pale" pilsner is right! You might as well add "faint" and "diminished" while you're at it. It's fair to imagine Old Credit's Pale Pilsner as an upgraded macro lager: it doesn't have any of the off-putting adjuncts but it doesn't really have any more character to it neither. While I'd take this over any major industrial brand 10 times out of 10, it's got far too much competition in the craft beer community to even earn a ranking in that league.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2010 02:30:19 | More by biegaman

ThatWineGuy

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

First off, I liked the label with its invitation to take a brewery tour and the advice, "Not pasteurized, keep refrigerated @ 40 to 45F and serve within 45 days" ... but as Derek pointed out earlier, 45 days from when?

This beer poured a pale, clear yellow in my tall Boddingtons glass that might have been a bit wide for this pilsner. The white head was fizzy but short lived, no lace and no ring to speak of. Mildly carbonated with only a bit more retention than your typical macro-pilsner.

Smell was grassy, wet straw. Taste was a bit on the sweet side, mildly hopped with an appropriately light malt balance, inoffensive but nothing too remarkable either. Light body, good for a hot day but not to be taken too seriously. I recall some years ago being impressed with the amber beer from this brewery, I should try it again; as for this beer, it's not offensive and probably okay for a non-beer loving crowd at a BBQ but a serious pilsner drinker would not find anything to cherish with this offering, it's just "okay", there's really nothing special about it.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2010 01:07:23 | More by ThatWineGuy

mooseisloose

Florida

2.78/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A previously untried brew in a 680ml bomber bottle, let's give it a whirl. Popping the top yields a kind of skunky straw and grape kool-aid smell. Pours to a cloudy yellow straw colour with a thin large bubble head that dissapates quickly. Taste is very lemony and zesty as if this had lemon juice in it. The lemon is accompanied by straw. Not much hopping to speak of. Finish is sour like unsweetened lemonade. Mouthfeel is good, not really a factor in all this sourness. Not a bad beverage but I don't know about it being a beer, at least not a pils. This would be a great hot weather beer, problem is, its not hot, it's cold. Would be a great brew to make Strip and Go Nakeds. An interesting brew but not something I would want again.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2010 01:27:53 | More by mooseisloose

MeisterBurger

Ontario (Canada)

2.7/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

It's a boring beer to look at, a straw like gold with lots of visible carbonation at first that's gone quickly, not a lot of head, and zero head retention or lacing.

The aroma is fruity. Like apples. Some caramelly bread, sugary sweet pale malts, and floral notes as well.

The taste is fruity, with a straw like, highly sweet pale malt badly in need of more hop flavor and bitterness. Far too fruity for a pilsner. Only slightly drying in the finish.

Very light bodied mouthfeel, very watery after a few minutes. The carbonation blows its load as soon as it's poured and doesn't last long, a problem not helped by the fact that this comes in 680ml bottles--you're looking at a good 500ml or so of under-carbonated beer to finish by the time it's gone.

It's an unexceptional though passable beer from a brewery I simply can no't warm up to. Their labels are badly designed, they don't advertise or have a website or any kind of brand identity. Which would be okay if they brewed exceptional beer. But they don't. It's pretty mediocre. Their beer only comes in monster sized bottles. Add to this the fact that the owner seemed rude when I was there last summer and there's no reason on Earth I can think of why I bothered to give this a second chance.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2009 00:49:39 | More by MeisterBurger

demcorhip

Ontario (Canada)

3.65/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

An interesting brew. Likely not a lager, but an interesting hybrid ale somwhere between a kolsch and a blonde ale (at least when i drank it, it had been cellared for ~5 months). Reviewed to reflect the beer and not the style assigned to it. Thanks to chonyr for bringing this north.

Appearance
A straw coloured brew, clear with some yeasty floaters. Big 3 finger head atop this finely and somewhat actively carbonated beer. Decent, intricate webs of lacings and a decent collar gave me something to look at while drinking this brew.

Aroma
Big tangy hop nose with pronounced floral character, as well as fresh cut hay and a peppery quality. An estery hint of pineapple also present, the first clue that this was not a lager, overtop the bready malts.

Taste
White peppery fresh cut hay leaps out due the assertive use of noble hops. Fruity character also quite apparent, with a mildly acidic note of sweet yet tart red apple. Simple yet tasty pale malts with flavours of cracker and bread and an underlying wheatiness. Must be some wheat in the grain bill?

Mouthfeel
A refreshing, almost crisp light bodied brew. Just enough pale malts/grains to stand up to the zesty and tangy hopping.

Drinkability
A very drinkable and refreshing brew, perfect for the humid summer evening in which i enjoyed it. Solid, sessionable summer fare, although the pronounced hoppy bite might reduce its approachability. I'd gladly drink this again some hot summer's day.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2007 14:35:50 | More by demcorhip

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.23/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Floral pilsner aroma, good looking moderate head. Served a bit too cold, still a moderate and very clean bitterness.
Well yes this is a pale lager, a pale pilsner as they express it.. I met the European brewer/owner at the brewery to have this fresh as he intends it. Ice is used to filter and it is left on ice to remove unwanted sugar, from 6.1% down to 0.1%.That point he is trying to educate as part of the health correctness, and is not (yet)promoted in advertising. He said there would be no aftertaste, but it was a bit of bitterness and was what we are looking for.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2007 23:28:52 | More by northyorksammy

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

2.63/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a clear amber, thin white head forms and disappears immediately, some spots of lace. Smell is sweet, some caramel and honey, citrus, bit of floral, nothing special. Taste is sweet up front, fruity middle and finish, some citric bitter/sourness in the finish. Mouthfeel is light bodied with medium carbonation. Not very good, thin and light.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2007 00:48:14 | More by Viggo

allergictomacros

Ontario (Canada)

3.05/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - Hmm... clear straw, wussy head... and floaties? I get a bad feeling about this one.

S - A touch of that skunky and sweet floral hops. Some sockiness as well.

T - Bready I suppose... mild overall flavor with a graininess and mild hop bitterness.

M - Carbonation level is actually quite nice, unlike a lot of pils/lagers. Slightly slick mouthfeel.

D - Not bad, easy drinking, lager I guess. Not outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2006 03:17:44 | More by allergictomacros

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +24.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 5

A: Clear, golden liquid. Pours with a nice white head, although there's not much retention, it does leave a little lace.

S: Not a lot of nose. Some bready malt, with a hint of noble hops.

T: Fairly light on the flavours. Nice bready malt, balanced with a clean, crisp hop bitterness. Very mellow & refined.

M: Body is fairly light, and it could use a little more carbonation.

D: Exceptional.

From the label:
"Our goal is to serve you a quality pale pilsner. We brew small batches with no additives or preservatives and in the finest tradition to ensure quality, freshness and taste. We use choice quality malts, imported hops and specially selected yeast. Our water is charcoal filtered to ensure purity. We heat our copper kettle over an open fire and our lengthy aging process gives our pilsner a unique flavour, we know you'll enjoy."

"Not pasteurized, keep refridgerated @40 to 45F and serve within 45 days."

45 days from when?

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2006 23:50:58 | More by Derek

funkengruven

Ontario (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +32.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured this pale gold wonder from a 680ml bomber, came out with ever so slight fizzing and no lacing. Smell is a tad sour, but not overly offensive. Taste is very very fresh, flavors of fresh grain are very evident that make their way to an exceptionally clean finish. There is practically no bitterness in this at all and the finish is surprisingly smooth. I'd take another in an instant. Old Credit Brewery is another fine example of good local brewing talent we have here in Ontario, this is one that should definitely not be overlooked.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2006 18:44:27 | More by funkengruven

CAMRAhardliner

Ontario (Canada)

3.13/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Ive never seen a 680 ml bottle before. This lager one pours a very pale gold with a sptritzy head that leaves some lace ridges on the glass. The aroma is sweetish with a side of grassy floral hops. Its too weak and lacking complexity. The tase is light and maltcentric. Theres a syrupy sweetness that tends to hijack other malt flavors. Diacetyl is also apparent. Hops are too light to be a pilsner IMO. The mouthfeel is bogged down by the sweetness and butter notes. The finish is light and lacking in bitterness.

This is an average micro lager, its definitely not nuanced enough and its too sweet. Diacetyl should be non existent. Still, its not undrinkable and miles ahead of Canadian or Blue.

On the label they mention that the coppers are heated over open fires. Thats impressively antiquated.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2005 02:53:20 | More by CAMRAhardliner

clvand0

Kentucky

4.22/5  rDev +30.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber sized bottle. Pours a golden color with a small head and leaves quite a bit of lacing on the glass. The aroma is sweet and has a subdued hop presence. Pleasant but mild aroma. Very light mouthfeel. The flavor has a subtle floral hop as well as a very mild malt in the back. This was a surprisingly good beer. I expected much less and was very surprised.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2004 18:18:45 | More by clvand0