Brooklyn Pilsner - Brooklyn Brewery

innersanctum

Illinois

1.6/5  rDev -56.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

Maybe this one was a bad example, but maybe it wasn't...

Appearance and mouthfeel were pretty much average for this pilsner, which appeared to be of the Czech variety - a balanced lager with a bittey-hop finish.

The taste was very distracting. Its hop finish, which is typical of this style, contained the presence of floral and perfumy tones which persisted from the front of the tongue through its finish. Although this dissipated somewhat, its prescense never left the bear, which was like a dark cloud on a beufiful day... Reminicent of a skunky Heinekin.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 16:34:00 | More by innersanctum

XsoreXsubjectX

New York

1.95/5  rDev -47.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Hey, I like beer. I'm a beer-liking man. If your company makes beer, there's an excellent chance I like it. So when I don't care for a beer, it's usually a shock, and it calls for a little extra evaluation. But damnit, can't find much nice to say. Here we go:

The appearance is the strongest part of this beer, though its beauty is traditional and uncomplicated. Pretty hay color, with a little more nuance than your average lighter beer, and a classic one-finger pour of head.

Smell hints at spicy hops and sweet, malty undertones. There is a gentle, piny prickle crossbred with a ruddy molasses. I would characterize the nose as optimistic, but chancy. The two dimensions of the nose are very separate, barely intertwined, which suggests a battle of some sort for supremacy in flavor.

The flavor turns up with a disappointing minimum of hops and an overwhelming and uninteresting malt flavor which frankly conjures a narrowly improved Ballantine's. Basically, one-dimensional, and on the sweet side, with notes of...well, college. After a suspicious start, the flavor really puts to rest the question, but it's worth mentioning the mouthfeel.

The mouthfeel does its work to elevate this otherwise underwhelming beer into a realm beyond cheap hooch but beneath quality beer. It is richer and fuller than beers I would usually associate with this flavor profile, and the thickened mouthfeel helps separate it out from the really bad stuff.

I wondered today while drinking this beer if Pilsners were generally disliked amongst the otherwise beer-loving public. I wondered this question because I can't say many nice things about it myself, and yet, it persists as an omnipresent choice amongst fast-moving shelves at a high-quality price. Judging from these reviews, it seems Pilsner has many detractors. Still, I would love to try a quality version of this style.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2011 23:14:51 | More by XsoreXsubjectX

Dougal

New Jersey

2.05/5  rDev -44.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

I am confused as to what a pilsner is... Take a beer like sunshine pils or victory pils then try brooklyn pilsner. This does not taste like a pilsner it is way way way way too unbalanced and malty. It has a heavy taste to it and does not taste like many other pilsners i have tried.

I am perturbed by beer advocate boys review... am I wrong?

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2011 02:32:36 | More by Dougal

sstackho

Ontario (Canada)

2.33/5  rDev -37%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle. Pours a pale straw with lots of carbonation. Little to no aroma. I'm always wary of anything described as "refreshing" on the label, and this proves to be no exception. The taste started off rather bland - but eventually, a somewhat nice aftertaste actually did develop. I guess the Brooklyn Pilsener offers something lighter than the Brooklyn Lager, but I would choose the latter every time.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2007 21:41:52 | More by sstackho

LPorter33

Massachusetts

2.48/5  rDev -33%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Purchased single bottle from Martignetti's

Appearance: straw colored, light golden hue, transparent with tons of bubbles rising upward, minimal head.

Smell: Slight sourness with a hint of a floral like aroma. I can't get much else out of it.

Taste: Not a lot of flavor here although tastes much better as it warms up a bit. There's a tiny bit of sweetness that's barely noticable, mixed in with the typical malt/hops proportions. Still can't really ascertain a distinct aftertaste.

Overall: Not too impressed. It doesn't stand out far enough from mass marketed pilseners for me to recommend it.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2005 00:06:54 | More by LPorter33

psugrad98

Pennsylvania

2.68/5  rDev -27.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Light Golden in color, with slight head. Some traces of bitter hops taste, and ever so faint malt character. Very weak in flavor, but still better than just the flavored water which is an A-B macro.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2002 18:01:54 | More by psugrad98

micahgoldfus

New Jersey

2.7/5  rDev -27%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Looks light brown with a slight amber tint. One finger length head that was creamy dissolved slowly. The smell was mild and hoppy. Not thrilled about the taste: lingered in the range of not quite bitter enough and not quite flavorful enough for my taste. It could have used a strong hop taste, or strong accents to the hops. Fine mouthfeel, leaves the pallate dry. Does fine, but overall not too drinkable to me.

Serving type: on-tap

04-16-2007 15:11:36 | More by micahgoldfus

LilBeerDoctor

New York

2.73/5  rDev -26.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Reviewed on 6/13/08. On tap at the local bar. Pours a golden yellow with a white head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma and flavor of buttery popcorn, sweet malt. Didn't really like this one-- too sweet and buttery and not well balanced. Loaded with diacetyl. Not a fan.
6/4/5/3/12 (3.0/5)

Serving type: on-tap

12-20-2008 15:48:23 | More by LilBeerDoctor

kimcgolf

Georgia

2.75/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Pours to a slightly hazy straw color, with thin white head and decent lacing. Floral aroma carries over to the taste, which is bitter. Dry finish. Not bad for a pilsner, but not my favorite. I actually drank this beer over a month after its "best before" date. Not sure if that had a major effect, or if it is just a second-rate beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2006 03:02:10 | More by kimcgolf

drunkmonk

North Carolina

2.75/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Clear golden, nice ring with thin lace. Lively carbonation. Bready malts with some grassy hop aromas also detecting some butterscotch aroma. Bready malt, hints of honey again some buttery flavor, slight grassy hops on the finish. Gotta beleve diacetyl is involved here. Too bad as I was enjoying the malt and hop profile and this seemed to be a nicely hopped Pils. Note: this is the third sample of this over the last two nites. I was hoping the first two might have been the exception. The rest of this six pack will be returning to the store. I'll revisit this one later in the summer.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2008 20:38:46 | More by drunkmonk

heidelbeerg

Pennsylvania

2.85/5  rDev -23%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pale straw color with a bright white head. Hard to pick up anything special in the smell. A little hoppy. This beer was very crisp, clean and had a slightly bitter finish. This beer is easy to drink but does not do anything special for me. I would not look for this beer again, but if I went to a party and this was being served, I would be thrilled that it was not your run of the mill macro. This is a nice step up from them.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2004 02:34:24 | More by heidelbeerg

SkunkWorks

New York

2.85/5  rDev -23%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Had on tap at the restaurant Pie in Port Jefferson, NY. Served in a pint glass.

Look: clear, light golden color with a thin white head. The head doesn't last for very long but while its there it leaves some lacing, though the lacing also seems to disappear shortly.

Smell: some pale malt notes and some honey but not much in the way of hops.

Taste: pale malt with some bready flavors, not much in terms of hop taste, but some chalkiness in the finish.

Feel: fairly dry which is odd considering the low ABV. Crisp and well carbonated though.

Drink: I probably wouldn't want more than one. The chalk flavor in the finish makes it tough to drink a lot of these and, well, isn't that the point of a pilsener?

Overall, fairly disappointed on this one. I don't know what I expected, exactly, but I didn't get anything I would want to try again. Brooklyn can be a little hit or miss sometimes and this one was a miss. I'd go elsewhere if pilseners are your thing.

Serving type: on-tap

11-21-2010 13:32:08 | More by SkunkWorks

Mitchster

Michigan

2.88/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Pours to a brilliantly clear pale golden, forming a tall soapy "pure as the blown snow" white, with excellent retention and lacing. Great looking brew. Carbonation is moderate. Aroma initially of dry, dusty floral hops, freshly mown hay, grain husk, macro booze, and a faint corn sweetness. Mouthfeel is bright and flittering with a light body. Taste is an echo of the aroma...dusty floral hops, hay, a very light malt body with medium bitterness, and unfortunately, a pervasive taste of nasty Brooklyn water complete with chlorine. The bitterness has a grape skin harshness, with some perceptable off-alcohols and esters. Yellabrau.

A very average beer, and a decent representative of the style, however it's not my thang. The empty bitterness and lack of malt body really doesn't satisfy me in any way. Honestly, if I was blind-folded, I would call this a product of the big three (until it warmed up). I'll pass on seconds.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2004 23:46:19 | More by Mitchster

Onceeven

New York

2.88/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I've been looking for quite some time for a Pils that matches up to my all time fav, but have always been severely disappointed. I had high hopes for this one, thinking it would be fresher than the imports, but was a bit skeptical given Brooklyn's hit-or-miss track record (in my opinion).
This one was a bit of a miss.
I purchased a growler of this brew, refrigerated it, and consumed it the very next day, but found it to be largely flat. This may have been the pub's fault, I dunno. The brew was a lovely golden color, but lacked the pils' penchant for a stunning stream of bubbles. The nose was nothing to write home about..with just a hint of flowery hop presence, otherwise I'd guess I was smelling any old adjunct lager.
I may have rated the taste of this beer a bit low... but it just doesn't do it for me. The delicate hop presence seems to take backseat to a malty sweetness that creates a overall bland impression.
It's on par or better than most of the pilsners I've tried, but comes nowhere near the memory of that one perfect pils.

Serving type: on-tap

04-03-2005 04:31:57 | More by Onceeven

tweeder263

Pennsylvania

2.9/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours out a golden brew with a one finger head that doesnt last. My first whiff i coulda swore smelled like euro skunk. But it must have settled out,,smell wasnt too bad as i started drinking it.Slightly hoppy smell not much else. Taste isnt bad,,nothing compared to something like prima pils but not too bad very subdued.An all around good drinking brew a few notches better then macros.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2005 00:56:47 | More by tweeder263

deaconoflove

Pennsylvania

2.9/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Ap. Pours a rich golden color with a smallish head that disapated quickly.
Sm. Not very strong anything...some hops and grain, maybe some sweetness.
Ta. Very mild, again a little hops, a touch of citrus.
Mf. Fairly thin with some fuzzy carbonation.
Dr. A good tasting beer, but not remarkable. A few would go down pretty easily.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2009 12:46:41 | More by deaconoflove

gfreed

Massachusetts

2.9/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A not-great, run-of-the-mill offering. Soft amber color and an off-white head that stayed around for a while, leaving behind a nice amount of lacing. Pleasant and malty in the nose, with some citrusy hops and a bit of sugar. Rather flat body, and an overly-hopped taste that managed to have a pleasant dryness, but not enough to overcome the bland taste. Drinkable and enjoyable under the right circumstances, but on the whole... blah.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2009 01:06:26 | More by gfreed

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

2.91/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 2.5

12 oz bottle. best before Feb 2013.

A: bright gold, clarity could use a little work in my opinion. head is a tightly bubbled bright white. retention is moderate. some spotted lacing.

S: minerally, slightly metallic. might be some herbal hop aroma as well, but it is definitely on the faint side.

T: a distinctive grain flavor here. some sweetness. not really getting much in the hop bitterness/flavor depot. slightly acidic, but still more cereal than anything.

M: moderate amount of carb. light bodied.

D: decent, but I would stay a step below good. a serious lack of hop aroma/flavor/presence mostly ruined it for me. that and the lack of clarity. not really much of a fan of either of Brooklyn's main lager beers. stick to your ales boys.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 23:38:46 | More by Jimmys

Bighuge

Minnesota

2.93/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Clear golden color. Nice foamy head with some retention. Faint hops on the nose. This beer is pretty void of taste. There aren't any bad things of note however. It's got a pretty light body. The tastes that I do note are some pils malt and very,very slight hop bitterness. The beer is pretty easy to drink. This beer is better than the yellow fizzy macro counterparts, but not by much.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2002 21:33:38 | More by Bighuge

mjw2808

Maryland

2.93/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a very light transparent amber color with a one finger head that leaves a lot of lacing. The nose is heavy on malt and grain and a slight bit of hops. The taste is very grainy with a slight bit of malt sweetness and a touch of hops. Very watery and lacking in flavor. The mouthfeel is decent but its not a very drinkable brew and one of my least favorite from brooklyn, which is a brewery I like a lot.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2010 03:30:47 | More by mjw2808

ski271

Pennsylvania

2.95/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Very slightly hazy, medium gold with a small, white, foamy head that quickly diminishes to a thick film. Some light lacing.

Smell: Grainy bread and grassy hops with touches of citrus and caramel.

Taste: Floral and perfumey. Subtle flavors of herbal tea and apple, and then moderate citrus on the finish, which is bitter, slightly metallic, and medium-long in duration.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, dry texture, moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Sure, a pilsener should be fairly bitter and crisp, but I think the bitterness is a little too strong. No, change that, it’s not too strong, just out of balance. I found this to be a very average pilsener.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2005 18:40:13 | More by ski271

Jacobob10

New Jersey

2.95/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a European Pilsner glass. The color is golden and clear with lively carbonation. Small, fluffy, white head with excellent retention. Faint hop aroma with a touch of citrus...barely. The taste is crisp and clean. A bit of a sour/bitter aftertaste that hurt my overall impression of the beer. However, it is very light on the palate and goes down easily. Glad I tried this beer but probably will be looing elsewhere next time I'm in the mood for a pilsner.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2006 19:14:36 | More by Jacobob10

hreb

Washington

2.98/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Cold 12 oz bottle poured into pint glass. Bottle is labelled best before August 2008. Beer is very pale yellow with a thin white head. Doesn't look like much. Nearly no skunky lager aroma, but a hint of banana(?).

Even though the carbonation is only moderate, this pilsner is sharp and straight. Beyond that the beer is very thin and, honestly, not that interesting. Not the best Brooklyn, nor the best American pils. Although vaguely Pilsnerish in its bitterness, as opposed to tasting like a typical cascade-loaded American ale.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2008 19:06:06 | More by hreb

kangarooAdam59

Maine

2.98/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Into a pilsener:

A: clear yellow colored body with no head, no lacing, no rings in my pint glass. A fair amount of carbonation was seen rising slowly.

S: sweet grains with some malts and breads in the background.

T: malts and breads with the sweet grains in the background. Some floral tones came out in the taste.

M: light, sessionable, crisp and the carbonation was definitely felt in my mouth.

O: I guess its not a bad beer, but nothing to scream about. From what I've read of other reviews, I was hoping for a better appearance, but was let down a bit. I'd probably only seek this out again if I found it on tap.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 12:37:04 | More by kangarooAdam59

Wikipeteia

Ohio

3/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I'd like Brooklyn Pilsner to decide what it is -- It's both a baby IPA, with it's strong, stringent hop presence, as well as a much better alternative to the macropils of the world -- and stick to it.

This is my first experience with the brewery, and while this isn't a terrible beer in the slightest, it's confusing in every aspect. My tastebuds wanted a punch from the hops my nose smelled, and it didn't deliver. My palate wanted much more of a straight pilsner taste, and it didn't deliver.

The hazy, quasi-unfiltered golden color was fantastic, and my mouth literally watered as I watched the near inch head bubble in the glass, as I smelled the beer. The mouth feel confused me, and while I have every intention on finishing the 6pack, I don't think I'll do so with my usual wreckless abandon. And by that, I mean I like beer. And I like this beer. I just wish it had an identity of it's own.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2007 23:28:08 | More by Wikipeteia