EKU Pils - Kulmbacher Brauerei AG

dasenebler

Maine

3.2/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

.5L, Germany, best by 2/11.

Pours with a nice, creamy head atop the standard light gold body. Great clarity, plus above-average retention and lacing.

Aroma has a bit of grassy hops, but is mainly muffled and grainy.

Flavor is dry and clean. Malts, though not sweet, seem to take over a bit. Bitterness is there, but the hop flavor needs to be elevated. Some spice and earthiness from the hops. Finish is woody and bready. Mouthfeel has smooth carbonation but lacked creaminess.

This is a solid pilsner, even if it's not very impressive. Easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2010 23:21:24 | More by dasenebler

ronniebruner

Arizona

3.35/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I bought a larger fridge keg of this at my local BevMo. It was on sale and I decided to give it a try. It is a straightforward German Pilsner, with a hint of Lager taste. The beer is a beautiful golden color, has a strong aroma (which is sweet), leaves a slight aftertaste, and is easy to drink. Definitely worth a try, especially if you like St. Pauli or Steinlager.

Serving type: cask

12-05-2010 20:16:47 | More by ronniebruner

BeerNinja007

New Hampshire

2.68/5  rDev -25.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Got this 12oz single for $2.00 from Manchester Wine & Spirits, Manchester CT. Code 2013311. Served cold in a chilled pilsener glass.

Perfectly clear, bright yellow brew shows moderate carbonation and puts up a healthy 1.5" of white foam. Smell has some dried hay, lemon, raw grain, and a little skunk... smells like a standard EPL. Taste is a good dose of saaz, then lemon rind, hay, grain. Fairly hoppy. The feel is light and crisp, but astringent in a way that makes my teeth feel gritty, which is a bit offensive. Finishes with gritty teeth and a lingering flavor of leather.

Bleh. I'm not impressed, won't be seeking this out again.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2010 22:57:16 | More by BeerNinja007

RoyalT

Ohio

3.05/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance - This is a very thin yellow in color but with a nice, big, fluffy white head that left little pits on top of the liquid.

Smell - There's a light grassy hop aroma that isn't bad but doesn't nail the style. It's off and kind of stale.

Taste - The malt comes out a bit more at the taste but again the hops are stale. The overall effect is that it tastes like the ingredients are really cheap but I'm sure that's not the case as this brewery has a strong reputation.

Mouthfeel - This is light-bodied with modest carbonation and no finish to speak of.

Drinkability - This was good enough to finish but I wouldn't buy again.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2010 01:53:58 | More by RoyalT

SkeeterHawk

Texas

4.1/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Unfortunately as is practically against my religion, I am drinking this beer out of the bottle as I am traveling and have no suitable drinking receptacle. I can't really review this beer on appearance rather than judging from what I can see through the brown bottle.

Appearance: The beer is really clear in the bottle with no yeast or sediment on the bottom of the bottle. There is quite a bit of carbonation visible as the bubbles rise after the sip. It looks like there would be a medium sized head of small white bubbles.

Aroma: I get predominantly sweet and somewhat toasty malts with a reserved hop presence that really just has a hint of spice (like from Saaz), but is not completely obvious as it typically is in Northern Pilsners. I may have to knock it a bit on this section as a Pilsner typically has a more dominant hop profile and this beer comes across more like a Helles. This is a good thing for my taste, but I will have to "ding" it here.

Taste: The hops is a little bit bigger player in the flavor than in the aroma, but it is still reserved when compared to the toasty malts. There are lots of toasty notes in the flavor from the malt as well, and this is the key player in the finish. The hops are really only a player in the beginning of the flavor profile and then the malt takes over and that is the last you hear from the hops. The carbonation is ample and makes the beer dance across the palate a bit on the way down.

Opinion: This is a really good beer in my opinion, and this is the second six-pack that I have drank in the week that I have been traveling, so it definitely goes down easily. I am anxious to try it again is a more "proper" setting, but this beer is good enough that it isn't suffering even from this inferior presentation. I am looking forward to drinking this beer again.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2010 10:00:53 | More by SkeeterHawk

zeff80

Missouri

4/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Poured out a clear, straw yellow color with a two-finger, white, pillowy head of fluffy foam. It left thin traces of lace.

S - It smelled of grains and floral notes. No skunkiness thanks to a brown bottle.

T - It had a sharp, spicy hop bite for a pilsener. Good grain flavor with some caramel sweetness. Really well done.

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

D - This was really pretty good. I feared it might be old because of the high price point. Quite a tasty German Pils.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2010 23:49:48 | More by zeff80

Kala1073

Hawaii

3.98/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a pale gold color. Aroma is of floral hops and grassy grain. It is a totally straightforward pilsner with the taste of grain and peppery hops with a malty backbone, and a very dry finish. Might not be the most intricate beer, but on a hot summer day it sure beats water.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2010 02:52:55 | More by Kala1073

sixerofelixir

Ohio

3.83/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Drinking from a 1.32 US gal mini-keg. Tapping instructions in German only!

Pours an ULTRA clear golden yellow, with slow bubble trailers. A thin head sticks to the sides of the glass nicely. Smell is beer-like (aka malty and a tad sweet and grassy.) Taste is smooth at first, twisting into a hoppy high and malty backbone. Nothing bad, just a good pilsner taste with a solid, bitter (and a bit of tankard) finish. Drinkability is expectedly high.

Serving type: can

08-08-2010 03:22:55 | More by sixerofelixir

largadeer

California

4.5/5  rDev +25%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Gourmet Haus Staudt. Bright and clear in the glass, golden-hued with a thick frothy head. Nice spicy hop aroma, quite fragrant and fresh, a bit grassy. Crackery pale malt resides right beside the hops, and the yeast profile is clean, showing only a hint of sulfur. It's crisp and dry on the tongue, more hoppy than malty, with a robust spicy/herbal/green/grassy hop character. There's a touch of dry maltiness around the mid-palate, reminiscent of a sweet baguette. Finishing with a firm, punchy and lingering bitterness, this is especially dry and bitter for a German pils.

Serving type: on-tap

06-18-2010 00:18:36 | More by largadeer

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.9/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I made the rounds tonight while the wife had some work to take care of... stopped in at Brewforia... I had to buy something :-) This took $2.79 off the $25 bill :-P

The Label on this one is now different .... it now shows dark blue dusk with a fortress and spotlights .... the EKU is big block red.

Pours very nice... 1" rocky white head... crystal clear straw golden... Great lacing.

Grainy maltiness... spicy/grassy hoppiness... a bit of sulfur that goes away thankfully.

crisp.. not as bitter as many German pils (especially American takes) ... lite cereal maltiness throughout... the bitterness also trails through well... some grassy hops show midway and move on to the finish.

Body is lite/medium with a good everpresent small bubble carbonation.

This tastes surprisingly fresh... dry and a bit sulfury in the burps.. but really I am pretty happy despite the price tag.

4/3.5/4/4/4

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2010 07:50:27 | More by JohnGalt1

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.03/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 ounce bottle - $2.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours out a perfectly clear, yellow body with a medium-sized, frothy, white head.

Smell: Moderate degree of sweet-scented graininess on the nose coupled with notes of noble hops and just a whisper of DMS.

Taste: Subtly grainy Pilsner malts with a modest touch of imparted sweetness. The maltiness is balanced well by spicy noble hops that also yield a slight, grassy herbaceousness. Rather small, fleeting traces of DMS. Finishes dry, crisp, and clean.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied. Medium-plus carbonation.

Drinkability: It's another hot, muggy, stinky in all the wrong places kind of day in Georgia and it's not even summertime yet and as much I enjoy a full-bodied, hearty stout, I was definitely looking for something lighter and more refreshing to satisfy. While it's not the punchiest pils on the block (this could be an issue of freshness, sadly there a no apparent dating codes on the bottle), it did fare well with me when it came to being refreshing and easily drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2010 21:58:07 | More by ChainGangGuy

Cubsfan1087

Iowa

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

EKU Pils pours a nice golden color, with little head that doesn't stick around for too long. The beer looks very average. The taste is stronger than I was expecting. A little bitter even. Aftertaste lingers a little. Overall, this is a good pilsener, but probably not the best beer I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2010 03:07:27 | More by Cubsfan1087

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.65/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from an 11.2oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep gold color, with a short white head that fades slowly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of lager yeast, light caramelized malts, some honey and a touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of light malts, caramel and honey that are quickly followed by bready flavors of lager yeast and grain. There's a mild hops presence that bring some balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, light-to-medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean.

D: A little tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, it's a solid beer to drink for a while but there are better beers in the style that I would choose first.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2010 04:41:24 | More by TheManiacalOne

qazelisc

Connecticut

3.58/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle into a pilsner glass

a - straw/gold color, white head, nice lacing

s- sweet malts, honey, grassy hops

t - malty/bready and grassy hops, slightly bitter aftertaste

m - light to medium body, smooth and well rounded, medium carbonation

d - a nice easy drinking smooth, well-lagered and slightly bitter German pilsner

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2010 18:09:45 | More by qazelisc

Zorro

California

3.35/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Clear and pale yellow colored beer with a small white colored head.

Smells mostly of toasted grain, pilsner malt and biscuit. Hop scent is confined to just a grassy scent.

Starts out very dry with a slight grassy aftertaste. Taste doesn't really change that much as you drink it, just dry mild lager. Hop bitterness is on the low side of medium, no bite.

Mouthfeel is light.

An OK beer but not one I will likely buy again because I like more hop bite in my Pilsners.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2009 03:42:19 | More by Zorro

jsh420

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

pours bright golden yellow with a 1+ finger that leaves some spotted lacing

smells of cereal grains and light grassy hops

taste cereal grains and grassy somewhat spicey hops but its missing the the lemon citrus zest

mouthfeel is light crisp smooth and creamy

drinkability - very easy drinking - if you want session beer you want pils

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2009 03:33:49 | More by jsh420

colts9016

Idaho

3.98/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pokal glass at 35 degrees.

Appearance: A good one finger white frothy heat that has okay retention. The body of the beer is a pale straw color. There is a lot of effervescence in the beer. The clarity of the beer is clear to brilliant.

Nose: A light biscuit grainy aroma with a light bouquet of flowers and citrus zest. In the background of the beer is some yeasty notes.

Taste: A light grainy flavor with a zippy zest of floral esters light pine, and citrus zest.

Overall: The mouth feel of the beer is crisp, edgy, and zippy. The body of the beer is carbonated and the finish is medium. This beer has a nice pilsner flavor with a zesty body. I like it very much.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2009 21:42:48 | More by colts9016

AKBelgianBeast

Alaska

4/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a pale yellow with slight orange tint, totally clear with a stark white head that retains well for the style and leaves nice enough lacing.

Nose is full of lagery grain, typical grassy pilsner hop profile and a little bit of old lager sweetness.

Taste follows with some old lager like sweetness in the malt profile, almost an oktoberfest like malt dominance. There is still some hoppiness alive here, but its not prominent by any means. What there is is some minimal grassiness. The finish is fairly crisp, but nothing to remark at.

Mouthfeel is what you would expect. High carbontion and crisp thin viscosity.

Drinkability is pretty solid, but i'd imagine it would be considerably better if it were a bit more fresh.

Overall a decent representation of the style, but im pretty sure this bottle has some unwarranted age on it that has caused it to become something slightly less desireable. Still a good session beer and one i could drink a couple of with ease. A nice pils.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2009 01:01:57 | More by AKBelgianBeast

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

EKU Pils poured into a pint glass from a 12 oz bottle. Appears a light gold in color, tightly formed bone white head.

Aroma is lightly yeasty, some euro hops are also present.

Very light in flavor all in all. A cracker like malt/yeast adds to a thin bodied beer. Euro hops are there adding an earthy bitterness. Lightly grainy and sweet.

Mouthfeel is light bodied and has a semi-dry finish.

Overall this is an easy drinking German Pilsner that really fits the bill.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2009 14:50:52 | More by Stinkypuss

unclejimbay

Florida

4.43/5  rDev +23.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

EKU Pils
Kulmbacher Brauerei AG
Style: German Pilsener
4/4.5/4.5/4/4.5
mini keg > pint glass for Ofest party 9/6/2009

Appearance was very clear/golden straw color, noticeable carbonation with a good 2 finger head.

Smell included a noticeable hop profile for a Pils.

Tastes as it smells on a solid malt/munich malt base.

Mouthfeel is high carbonation with medium body for a Pils.

Drinkability was a 4.5! This was an awesome surprise. I bought it as a German Pils mini keg for our 2009 Ofest party. World Mkt had them on sale for $14.99. It was a a great comparison for homebrew tasting!

Serving type: can

10-13-2009 18:16:17 | More by unclejimbay

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a pale straw yellow. Very clear, some bubbles, and a one-finger white foamy head. Some lacing, but not alot.

Scents of sweet grain and fresh grass. Maybe a little hop leaf, but that could be the grassiness as well.

Light crisp malt and light grain, some raw grass sweetness, light hop bite towards the end. Clean, crisp, refreshing.

Light and well carbonated. This was an easy drinker. I could hit this all day in the summer -- just knock em back in front of the grill. Not super complex, but it is what it is supposed to be. I dug this one.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2009 22:46:01 | More by OtherShoe2

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

3.48/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Pilsner glass.

From a 12oz. bottle.

A - Pours a pale straw clear, clean yellow with nice 1 in. head that seems frothy and recedes slowly leaving some sticky lace behind. Big slow bubbles of carbonation rise from the bottom.

S - Citrusy hints are immediate some grassy and husky hints are there as well. Earth tones are present as well and some spices.

T - Grainy malt is ever so present to start with a nice clean feel. Slight sweetness. Nice hop bitterness and floral character at the back end. I've had more complex tasting Pils but this is still good.

M - Carbonation is on the higher side of medium but not too bad. Well balanced.

D - Refreshing and light very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2009 23:47:34 | More by JoEBoBpr

PeterLemonjello

Alabama

3.13/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - very clear straw/yellow. Solid head, lingers and laces. Nice looking beer

S - smells floral and clean, I was excited to taste after the smell

T - lacking in taste, watery and not much there. a little hop bitterness, but just an underwhelming experience

M - thin

D - could certainly drink a lot due to the light quality, but nothing noteworthy

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2009 00:45:56 | More by PeterLemonjello

BierFan

Michigan

3.83/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from an 11.2 ounce brown bottle into a pint glass.

Clear yellow body is topped by a sizeable white head. Carbonation is a little on the lighter side. Decent flowery hop taste and a nice amount of hop bitterness. Mouthfeel is a little thin and watery.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2009 01:09:20 | More by BierFan

drjamyma

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +20.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Keep in mind I'm not judging whether or not it fits the perfect Pilsner mold, just whether or not I liked it. And damn, I liked it. Keep in mind I was 5 beers deep when I had this. (also keep in mind I'm built like shaq)

This beer was served cold, perfect finger and a half head held on through the entire drink. The only thing distorting my vision through the drink was the glass itself. It was just a beautiful straw looking beer.

The taste was lightly floral, not thick, but not watery at all. A slight skunky taste as well, which was very nice.

After two disappointing casked porters, this really hit the mark.

Edit: Picked up a six pack of it and was very disappointed. Was quite plain in bottle form. No skunky taste at all which was ironic.

Serving type: on-tap

04-03-2009 06:42:00 | More by drjamyma