Polestar Pilsner - Left Hand Brewing Company

Lauthaha

Michigan

1.8/5  rDev -50.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a 12 ounce beer mug at around 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Appearance: Well, it looks like beer, which is more than I can say for the last beer I reviewed. Pale golden color, light carbonation, oddly translucent and no head with light lacing.

Smell: Very light corn scent, gentle alcoholic tones waft through the air. Nothing outstanding about this one.

Taste: This is pretty bad. Seriously...it's salty with almost no hop flavor, and way too yeasty for a pils. There is little to no foretaste, and a bitter and unrewarding aftertaste. No go.

Mouthfeel: Fluffy, if you try to savor the flavor. This beer is on par with bark-flavored styrofoam tea.

Drinkability: I can handle it...but would not recommend it to a friend. The foaminess is too much, and takes away from any redeeming potential the taste could have.

Maybe it's the spaghetti I ate for dinner, but there's something starchy about this beer that just doesn't sit right with me. I wouldn't dissuade someone from trying this beer, but I would urge them to partake with caution. Not impressed.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2010 01:23:14 | More by Lauthaha

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

1.8/5  rDev -50.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

First had: Philly Beer Scene Tasting panel with Matt Falco at Victory Brewing Company, Downingtown, PA

I was privileged enough to be on the tasting panel for PBS Magazine, along with Bill Covaleski of Victory and Greg Ramirez of Exton Beverage. This was one of 21 beers we sampled during the session.

I like Left Hand beers. I think the problem here with this one is that it was unfortunately past its prime. It was actually pretty undrinkable, and our ratings for this one were discarded. Hopefully I'll be able to sample it again in the future and give a better rating, because I have to believe they couldn't make a beer this bad.

Clear golden-yellow pour, foamy white head...everything looked like a normal pils. Aroma of grains, sulfur, heavy funk. All signs seemed to be pointing to oxidation. Taste was a blast of funk and skunk, sulfur, wet grass and cardboard, distant flavors of what may have been a good beer: spent grains and generic hop bitterness. I didn't see a freshness date, nor do I know when our host got the bottle, but I think it's safe to say, this one was not fresh. Lighter body, and pretty much undrinkable; "drain" pour.

I'll still take it over a Bud though.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2012 03:31:54 | More by Rifugium

benito

Oregon

2/5  rDev -44.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

From a bottled dated 19 October 2005, I poured this 40 days later on November 28. It pours a clear, light gold with slight carbonation and a small head which dissipates quickly, leaving only a speckled hint of its former presence. The bouquet is light and sweet, neither enticing nor off-putting and doesn't strike me as too different from any American macro-lagers.

The instant the beer touches my tongue I sense a tingling that quickly becomes a jumping bitterness as the liquid moves farther along on my tongue. This flavors dissipate quickly but linger well. As I take larger
swigs, the flavors become slightly less distinct, and I struggle to catch any of the aromas well.

As one would expect, the body is light and seems crisp at first, but by the end of each mouthfeel, I felt that the feel took on a slimey, mucous-like quality. My bias is that I'm not a huge pilsener fan, and
this certainly hasn't won me over. Not recommended.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2005 15:34:01 | More by benito

PDXHops

South Carolina

2.05/5  rDev -43.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Growler poured into a pils glass. Bubbly light gold with a modest-for-style frothy white head and some drippy lacing.

I see I'm the first to review this beer from a growler, and I'm inclined to give it another shot from a bottle. Something definitely seemed off here (although it was consumed fresh, poured about 20 minutes after purchase). Some earthy and grassy hops in the nose, some lightly sweet malt, but not as lively as you'd expect from a pils. Nice lemony bitterness, but the noble hop flavors are subdued, it seems overly sweet, and even at this modest ABV, it's rather boozy.

Overall impression: I'll give this another shot in a bottle, but this growler provided a subpar pils experience. Old keg, maybe? (This was one of the first kegs in the state.)

Serving type: growler

08-02-2011 01:51:28 | More by PDXHops

HomebrewPgh

Pennsylvania

2.1/5  rDev -42.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Blah! What a boring pilsener. Pour was a light gold with no head and no bubbles. Aroma was almost nothing. I blew my nose and tried again...nothing; so it's not my allergies. Taste was a semi carbonated mix of corn, grain and grass. A little biscuit in the aftertaste. Very watery and thin. Nothing to remember.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2008 17:02:08 | More by HomebrewPgh

PsychoJedi

Alabama

2.13/5  rDev -41.3%
look: 5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

This beer pours a perfect look. Just the right shade of golden with a nice thick head. Could not help but notice the born on date. Smudged, it showed a little over a month ago. Then, the smell. I smelled that smell before and I cursed the day when I first smelt it. The smell is a dead ringer for Milwaukee's Best, The Beast. The salty smell was overwhelming. Being hopeful with the looks, I took a drink. The salty beast was all over it, though I remember The Beast (been over 10 years) to be worse. Not smooth in the mouth or going down. After drinking the beer, which was good enough to finish but it is rare that I would ever not finish a beer, I needed a drink of water to kill the taste out of my mouth. Assessment, if you are dirt poor and want to get drunk to drown your worries, drink something cheaper.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2009 14:25:28 | More by PsychoJedi

UncleFlip

Alabama

2.3/5  rDev -36.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Looks remarkably like a BMC in the glass....nice fluffy white head, VERY light yellow in the glass, and very clear.

Smell is almost nonexistent. There's a little malt and spice there (a touch of clove), but you have to get a hefty noseful to find it.

Flavour is dry and a bit woody, with just just a hint of bitterness at the end. Remarkably like a BMC. This is microbrew for Bud drinkers. ;)

A bit too highly carbonated, with a body that's thinner than medium, but not quite what I would actually call thin.

Not drinkable to me. It's just not interesting enough to make me like it. I'll pass.

Be well
-UF

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2006 00:56:52 | More by UncleFlip

cjgator3

Florida

2.38/5  rDev -34.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

12oz bottle

A- Pours a pale golden yellow color with a white head with pretty good lacing and retention.

S- The aroma is grainy malts with some light floral and citrusy hops.

T- The taste like the aroma starts out with some grains up front and an odd lingering bitterness. I'm not a huge fan of this one.

M- The mouthfeel is light bodied with a good amount of carbonation.

D- Overall, I didn't really care for this one and probably wouldn't purchase again.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2010 02:44:40 | More by cjgator3

TexIndy

Texas

2.42/5  rDev -33.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass. Front label had a bottled on date of Dec 12 '08. It was a slightly hazy golden yellow color with some carb and no lacing. It had a small off-white head that quickly settled into a thin collar.

The aroma was grainy, earthy, wet grass clippings - typical pilsener aroma. Taste is very crisp and dry with a very bitter aftertaste. Not a big fan of these in aroma or taste. This one is good for the style but that only goes so far for me. Mouthfeel is hurt by the stinging bitterness.

Overall, not a good beer for me. As I said above, it's more the style than the beer. If you like this style then this is probably a good one to try. For me, one and done. Only had this one since it was part of a mix pack. I'd honestly rather have a BMC than a German Pilsener.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2009 01:59:09 | More by TexIndy

pmcadamis

Illinois

2.48/5  rDev -31.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - This clear lemon-yellow brew puts up a big fluffy four finger head that shows nice retention and leaves a lot of crusty white lace on the glass. The head gets fluffy and puffy as it slowly shrinks down to a solid two fingers.

S - The aroma is grainy and husky, with some sweet lemon notes and a whole wheat cracker malt note (like the little rectangular crackers that you get in a two-pack with a salad). I'm not really getting any of the spicy hops that I crave in a GP.

T - A bit more hops are present in the flavor, and the cracker notes are there too. This tastes more like a bitter "green bottle" Euro lager to me, and I taste what might be described as a mustard seed note...and that's throwing me off big time. It's more along the lines of Heineken or Groslch than a GP.

M - Light bodied and slightly slick. The carbonation is relatively low for the style, and a lingering bitterness dominates the finish.

D - A very average and forgettable pils. Not bad, but definitely not very good.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2008 17:35:59 | More by pmcadamis

BurnsTau

Alabama

2.55/5  rDev -29.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a pale transparent yellow, some fizzy head that dissapates quickly.

Smell is very faint and not too appealing, in fact there is very little to this beer in way of smell.

Taste is clean and simple, pretty much too simple. Sweet maltiness with very little hops. Not much challenge or complexity to this brew.

Overall I wouldn't recommend it, it is a clean refreshing beer, but there is not much redeeming about it.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2006 02:20:13 | More by BurnsTau

danielharper

Michigan

2.65/5  rDev -27%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Purchased from Vulcan Beverage, Birmingham, AL.

A: Pours dark yellow color, slightly cloudy, thick foamy white head. For a pilsener, really nice.

S: I was expecting grassiness, but this really has very little aroma at all. Slight maltiness, perhaps a bit of alcohol. No skunk.

T: Slightly corny sweetness, a bit of malt underneath. Finishes clean.

M: Thin, about average. Not bad for a pilsener.

D: Not my cup of tea. There are much better pilseners out there, although this one is a fairly inoffensive example of the style. Glad I just bought the single.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2006 23:57:44 | More by danielharper

maxpower

Missouri

2.68/5  rDev -26.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours hazy pale golden-straw with a small fizzy white head that doesn't last long, not much lacing, light grassy and flowery aromas. Bready, grainy and buttery flavors . Light bodied with a soft lightly carbonated mouthfeel, something just not right about this pils, this is a fresh sample brewed on 06/15/05.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2005 18:08:21 | More by maxpower

atsprings

North Carolina

2.68/5  rDev -26.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a clear pale yellow with almost no head that quickly diminishes to just a ring. The aroma is of pale malt with very mild floral hops. The taste was of very pale malt balanced by a light hop bitterness. A little on the bland side. The beer is very light on the palate and the carbonation is a little on the heavy side. I must say, I really did not enjoy this beer. I'm not that big a fan of pilsners, and this reminds me why.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2007 06:05:36 | More by atsprings

seh410

Massachusetts

2.68/5  rDev -26.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: 2 fingers of fluffy and thick pure white head that retains well and leaves lacing. The beer itself is yellow and clear with bubbles of carbonation streaming through it. It looks crisp and light.

Aroma: Light, crisp smell. Malty and sweet - a little citrus in the back.

Taste: Ugh. I'm immediately getting fish or dishwater - something is off and it is gross. The taste is nothing like the nose... After a few sips, my palette has adjusted a little, and the taste is less offensive - the off flavors mellow a little, but I still think it's weird. Not a fan.

Mouthfeel: Light and crisp

Notes: Easy to drink, I just don't like it.

Serving type: on-tap

06-17-2010 20:58:35 | More by seh410

compass40204

Kentucky

2.73/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

When poured into a glass, it has a very nice head- nearly 2 fingers- and leaves nice lacing as it subsides. Crystal clarity, straw color. Aroma, not much beyond some cereal. Flavor also bland and cereal. Finish leaves a hint of creaminess but nothing that lingers. This is not a beer made to impress. I guess it was made as a session beer, or just something you can pound without the nuisance of tasting anything. PIlsners can be great, but this one seems happy with just not being offensive. Given BudMillerCoors or this, I'd drink it again. Otherwise it'll be a long time before I bother with this one again.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2009 05:24:46 | More by compass40204

emmasdad

Colorado

2.75/5  rDev -24.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Picked up a bottle of this one as part of a mixed six. Poured a clear golden yellow with a min imal white head. Aromas of straw and light citrus. Palate was light bodied and crisp. Flavors of straw, bread and spicy hops with a crisp dry bitter finish.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2011 21:15:35 | More by emmasdad

1fastz28

Illinois

2.85/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

pours a very pale light lager color, looks about as clear as bud light, but has a pure white head that stays around for almost the entire beer. Smell is kinda skunky with a very light maltiness. tate is average, pretty standard lager overall. its an average beer i suppose

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2008 00:36:57 | More by 1fastz28

Zadok

Kansas

2.88/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A-Light golden yellow with a quarter inch pure white head.

S-Yeast and mild citrus are the main aromas I am detecting.

T-Hate to say but I can't really taste anything, at a loss for words I guess.

M-Very light and smooth with mild carbonation.

D-First real disappointment with Left Hand, but on the other hand this is just not my style of beer. Tried to be objective nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2008 15:03:14 | More by Zadok

drpimento

Wisconsin

2.9/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Not a bad beer, in spite of slightly lower than average rating - don't ask me to explain. Nice light gold color, slight head, smidgen of lace. Well (maybe over) carbonated. Good body and some sweetness to compensate the bitterness. But the bitterness does contribute for a very long finish. Found a very slight hint of elemental sulfur in the nose. - fleeting, but there. Nevertheless, drinkable

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2007 05:11:26 | More by drpimento

emsroth

New York

2.9/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12oz bottle

App: Nice puffy pils head. Light golden in color.

Smell: Sweet pilsener malt and refreshing alcohol. A slight bit of hop scent.

Taste: Light on the malt. Greeted by bitterness up front. Very grassy hop flavor. Ends with a light lingering bitterness and a strong mineral taste. Low in taste.

Nice, crisp, and dry. Wonderful light body. Refreshing and highly drinkable, but when paired with food it tastes like soapy chemicals.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2009 22:10:05 | More by emsroth

TMoney2591

Illinois

2.9/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Served in a Gale Sayers shaker pint glass.

Another shout-out to my brother's increasingly improving beer selections. This one pours a clear pale straw topped by a half-finger of white foam. The nose comprises wheat, light corn, and what seems like powdered sugar (though, admittedly, this may be my glass...I just don't think so). The taste holds notes of light wheat, flowers, light greens, and a strong undercurrent of vinyl. Yowza. The body is pretty light, with a light moderate carbonation, a watery feel, and a crisp finish. Overall, were it not for the rubbery bitterness pervading this thing, it would be a pretty nice pils. Alas...

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2010 08:43:41 | More by TMoney2591

mytireisfat

Colorado

2.93/5  rDev -19.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

P: Drank this beer off tap.

A: No head. Beer was a clear yellow color. No lacing.

S: Some caramel malt, a hint of lemon.

T: You can tell the hops are there. Slight malt flavor.

M: Light body. and low carbonation.

D: So i think this one is pretty weak for left hand brewery. Not much going on with flavor. However it is easy to drink, and could be drank on a hot day of fishing, cause its kind of like water. i wouldn't buy it again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-20-2010 16:11:30 | More by mytireisfat

kingcrowing

Vermont

2.98/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle poured in a pint glass.

Very nice big 2 finger head, light golden color. Smells like Corona. Tastes better though. Good mouthfeel, just the right amount of body for a light beer. Overall I'd say it's a decent summer beer but I wouldn't buy it often.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2009 00:50:21 | More by kingcrowing

Blakaeris

Iowa

3/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours very clear golden yellow with a thick foamy head and plenty of lacing.

Smell has a little more citrus hoppiness than the standard macro pilsner. I detect a slight sourness as well.

Taste is lightly malty up front. The mild bitterness in the finish overwhelms any sweetness.

Mouthfeel is light as expected.

Overall I felt this beer has quite a bit of similarity to the corn syrup flavor of the macro beers. That said, the hoppines does help to make this beer better than the average macro.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2006 01:39:20 | More by Blakaeris