Schwelmer Pils - Privatbrauerei Schwelm

SirSaranac

New York

3.13/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I had never tried this pilsner before, so I decided to give it a try...

A- Poured a clear golden blonde... 1 finger head... lot of carbonation... poor lacing. Great looking bottle though.

S- Malty... yeast... light light hops. Eh... light nose.

T- Malty, but not strong malt... slightly spicy... Hops pop in for a brief cameo. Overall rather watered down flavor.

M- Crisp... light light body

D- I drank a 6'er... buuuut, at no point did i really look forward to the next one. It's no Victory Prima Pils

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2008 05:18:52 | More by SirSaranac

TheTrevor

New York

3.33/5  rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I'm such a tool for cool gimmicks like a resealable bottle. This beer poured a golden copper color with light half-finger head. The smell is pretty sweet with some definite honey characteristics along with malts. The taste is fairly dynamic and starts off sweet and ends with a decent amount of hoppiness and a fairly clean palate with a bit of lingering bitterness. The mouthfeel is kind of watery with decent carbonation, and makes for a reasonably drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2008 06:06:00 | More by TheTrevor

Absumaster

Netherlands

3.6/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A bright golden beer with a thin head and little visible carbonation.

Smell is very malty with biscuit and straw notes and some sulfur. There is a light hoppiness.

Taste is medium bitter with a nice hoppy taste. The malt is light sulfuric and has biscuity and green notes. Aftertaste is dry and lingering bitter. Drinkability is good.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2008 18:10:48 | More by Absumaster

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a clear gold with a slight amber touch. Nose is caramel and sweet with a strong malty edge. Flavor is a bit smoky with a thick mature sweet tone. Feel is bordering on a slightly syrupy side. Low carbonation. Drinakble, yeah. But the low carbonation and the syrupy feel kind of kill it. I didn’t appreciate it that much in the long run.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2007 22:35:31 | More by RblWthACoz

Pauly2X

Wisconsin

3.3/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

A- One finger head atop a rich golden color.

S- Rich floral hops, crisp pale malty aroma.

T- Crisp somewhat astringent, good balance.

M- Kinda thin even for the style.

D- Goes dwon easy, quite refreshing.

Not too shaby, but I did expect a little more out of this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2007 19:50:19 | More by Pauly2X

jeffjfindley

California

4/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A nice offering from Schwelmer, light bodied and very smooth. Smell has a touch of honey and tea, along with the usual suspects one would find in a pilsner. Taste is nice, round, perfect blast of Saaz at the finish. Speaking of finish, tight, crisp. Mouthfeel is creamier than expected, and very nice. Another nice one from Der Schwelmer.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2007 04:16:52 | More by jeffjfindley

Bookseeb

Washington

4.1/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance is a light golden with a thin head that dissapates quickly. Smell and taste of honey, sweet malt and a hint of dough. mouthfeel is light - medium with good body that is crisp and easy to drink. The more that I try the better I like. A very good solid pils from Germany.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2007 23:22:14 | More by Bookseeb

brendan13

Australia

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

A - Medium gold colour with an inch or so of white head that falls away to a thin whisp quite quickly.
S - Sweet biscuit malts with some slight spice/earthy hoppiness.
T - Very much along the same lines as the smell but with a bit of a bitter finish to balance the sweet maltiness.
M - Smooth mouthfeel with medium carbonation.
D - Good beer that would make a nice sessioner. This is actually available at my local fish 'n' chip shop and it goes great with some grilled fish.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2007 11:26:25 | More by brendan13

MrHurmateeowish

New Hampshire

4.43/5  rDev +22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

.5 litre swing-top brown bottle from Florian's. Crystal-clear straw-yellow body with a quarter inch of white head. Smells awesome - European hops and biscuit malt, very sweet. Biscuit and caramel malt are balanced by European hops. Definitely sweet with slight toastiness. Light crisp body with slightly less carbonation than expected. Very drinkable though, one sip definitely invites another and before I realized, the bottle was gone. The best pils I've had to date.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2007 23:59:05 | More by MrHurmateeowish

Weizenmensch

Japan

4.1/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Comes in an awesome stumpy flip-top 330mL bottle a lot shorter than the one pictured. I really dig this type of bottle, it improves my expectations for the beer inside. I hope the rubber washer seal has kept things airtight inside...

A: Gold body with practically no head save for a few bubbles around the glass. Fairly large bubbles in the body of the beer but low-moderate carbonation. Looks promising - deserves a good mark for the bottle design, I'm anticipating a pleasing Westphalian brew.

S: Nice bitterness, hops are not too skunky, perhaps the flip-top bottle actually seals the beer better than a crown seal? Thick dark brown glass helps too I suppose. Fresh grassy and bitter German hops, with a faint aroma of grape. Makes me feel like I'm enjoying it in Schwelm itself!

T: I'm so happy this beer wasn't spoiled by the trip over. It's nice and bitter and very authentic-tasting. You don't get too many Pilseners like this in Australia, ours tend to be milder and more thirst-quenching, but Schwelmer Pils is quite tart and is very satisfying for a beer of its kind. I'm a fan, I'll be drinking it again - and keeping the bottle!

M: No complaints - the carbonation is stronger than I realised, and you can feel the bubbles on the tongue.

D: A very drinkable beer, and not excessively expensive considering it's a German import. I don't know if I'd be buying a case in Australia (depends on the price), but I'd definitely do so in Germany. There is nothing cloying about the beer, and it's got a flavour that every beer drinker would enjoy. I don't know anyone that wouldn't like this beer - and if I offered it to someone and they turned up their nose at it, that person is not a beer aficionado.

Overall: This is one of the best German Pilseners I've had. It's rich in flavour straight out of the bottle - it tastes like it's just been poured for me vom Faß in a quiet cafe in Wuppertal. I'll remember the name.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2007 11:47:40 | More by Weizenmensch

jvdineen

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a thin pilsener glass with no head. It pours in a light straw yellow without a ton of carbonation. Very plain cracker taste with obvious hop taste. Looking at it you would think PBR, MGD or some other macro. Very refresing, very summery, without being fruity as the fashion for summer appropriate is now. I wish they sold four packs.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2007 00:04:14 | More by jvdineen

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

German malt and saaz hop aroma. A soapy head with lace on light to medium yellow. Taste is smooth but it is the enigma of saaz hops that is hard on my mouthfeel. A bit light mouthfeel though not watery. Passable pils but still not the one to chase after.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2007 00:28:38 | More by northyorksammy

Gmann

New York

3.48/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a crystal clear golden color, average white head with no lacing. This Pils is a bit darker than most. The smell is typical pils, slightly zesty . The taste is a bit peppery, a touch of malt sweetness. The feel is light and is rather dry, finishes a little bitter. As a pils its rather easy to drink, though a little dry for my liking. Worth a try. #100

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2007 03:17:12 | More by Gmann

Frozensoul327

Michigan

3.95/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Crisp, clear, rich gold color with a nice fluffy head of white foam. No lacing, and a medium level of carbonation.

S: Fresh malty aroma mixed with cut and dried grains. Some bubblegum notes and a light floral note. Nice.

T: Medium bodied, flavors of buttery malts, sweet grain and wheat, with a bitter herbal character. Nice. Not overly complex, but wonderfully fulfilling.

M: Light and crisp, with a slightly dry finish. Mild carbonation tickles the tongue and keeps this one from being to bland or flat.

D: Good. I look forward to having this one again. One of the better German Pilsners i've had.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2007 01:54:09 | More by Frozensoul327

scooter231

New York

2.5/5  rDev -30.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Looks like a pilsener, golden and clear. Nose is a bit... off. A bit of an old sneaker thing going on underneath a hoppy scent. Taste is pungent... almost a rubbing alcohol flavor. Sour. Mouthfeel is thin, watery, and not very pleasant. I guess I can see others liking this, but I don't dig it. Everything about it, save appearance, is off.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2006 03:16:10 | More by scooter231

ommegangpbr

New York

3.83/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is what I think Scrimshaw tries to be but this brewer hits it dead on.
There's a malty sweetness in here but manages to dry up and not cloy what-so-ever. This doesn't have the hops bite of pilsners that I prefer but there is an adequate supply of hops in here. Easy drinking and quite smooth, this is what a true German style pilsner is. So while I prefer Czech pilsners, if one wants something truly German, and can get a fresh sample, this is the fellow to go for.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2006 03:13:46 | More by ommegangpbr

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Great looking and easy drinking, but this beer is just too simple. It basically tastes and smells of pilsner malts with no hint of hops. The IBUs on this sucker have to be around 2 or something. Still, it could possibly be a gateway beer and its still pleasant and entirely unoffensive. Oh yeah, and the bottle is way sweet.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2006 22:57:53 | More by tempest

MrVisegrips

Wisconsin

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

The pour is a nice golden straw color with a light head that recedes quickly. Aroma is flowers and light was just a hint of hops. Flavors are nicely balanced offering a nice lightly roasted grain with a finish of citrus hops. Mouthfeel is light and very drinkable. Overall, a nice enjoyable Pilsner brew which is compounded coming from a less enthusiastic pils drinker.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2006 05:05:09 | More by MrVisegrips

gueuzeonhigh

Maine

3.83/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured a nice golden straw color. Produced a nice although short lived head. The flavor has the basic Pilsner taste qualities but could use more flavor "muscle", or rather more definition. As is I say it's a "soft" flavor. By "soft" I mean that the hops character could be more prominent, the yeast flavor while mild comes through producing a slight earthy "tone" but it too could use more prominence and the same with the malt profile.

Nevertheless the beer has a fine mouthfeel and drinkability. It seemed as if I emptied by glass too soon and that my larder had been emptied of the Schwelmer Pils.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2006 01:46:06 | More by gueuzeonhigh

micro108

California

3.53/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Brilliant golden color. Wet grain, clay, and bread dough aromas. A round entry leads to a frothy medium-to-full-bodied, toasted pale malt palate with strong grain and mild, candied citrus peel flavors. Finishes with a light touch of citrusy hops. An interesting pilsner profile. This beer is excellent with pot pie, excellent with food.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2006 04:59:23 | More by micro108

vancurly

Australia

3.25/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Best before 23 06 07.

Pours a light amber/honey colour. Nice rocky white head, leaving good lace.

Nice aromas of malts & grains.... a subtle, spicy note, not unlike a meat pie. Sounds strange, but that's what I pick, and it works OK.

Very malt-driven beer, more like a Northern German lager than a Pils. Nutty, dough-like. Herbal aftertaste, and a medium bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2006 05:57:13 | More by vancurly

RenoZymurgist

Nevada

3.15/5  rDev -13%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a bit darker than i have ever seen for a pils. It is a light amber gold with a frothy white head that dissipates leaving some lace.
The aroma is very faint but has a touch of spicy hops.
The flavor is good for a pils as it begins with a spicy almost piney hop bitterness that segues into a bready malt flavor. The balance is broken by a further hop flavor that lingers in the finish slightly. The mouthfeel is a bit thin though it is not unpleasent.
This is a nicely drinkable beer and I enjoyed it as a different example of a pils.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2006 06:28:15 | More by RenoZymurgist

Tupperwolf

Washington

3.73/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A bit less of a loud crack than the last time I popped open a Schwelmer beer, but the wire-stop cork has done its job. The beer pours out a clear orange-honey color, and is very nicely carbonated, lazy but very large bubbles clinging to the botom of the glass for a couple of moments before rising, visibly disturbing the surface of the beer after the pillowy white 3-finger head disspates.

The scent is very light, offering up just a few whiffs of yeasty dough and honey, with a very slight lemon zest from the hops.

The taste is great, a very smooth and light biscuity with orange zest honey, and a very light hop intrusion that is noticed mostly by the lack of too much maltiness; The hops play the balancing role perfectly. The finish is crusty and peppy, sweet but definitely not cloying.

Mouthfeel is very smooth, with a relatively crisp finish, soft velvety carbonation keeping things lively. It fills the palate enough to be very satisfying for a pils.

Drinkability - If I could buy this locally, I think I'd stock up. Schwelmer is a really great value, and this is a very solid offering from the German brewery.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2006 02:12:41 | More by Tupperwolf

IntriqKen

California

4/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Love the pop wire cap bottle.
Pours a clear straw color with a half finger white head that melted quickly to thin lacing.
Aroma is malty but with a pleasant biscuit drying.
Taste is sweet malt, lager yeast, grainy crisp finish.
Not quite as dry as I expected but a little peppery finish and a nicely carbonated mouthfeel.
A very nice german Pils.
Perfect for this summer day.
Did I mention I love the bottle?

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2006 20:09:59 | More by IntriqKen

plaid75

New York

4.1/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured a medium straw hue with a two finger foamy white head. There was good retention and very good sticky lacing. Nicely shaped short 11.2 ounce bottle.

The smell was very aromatic with a flowery and slightly citris hop aroma. A nice graininess in the background.

The taste was very well balanced. A nice hoppy sharpness countered with a good doughy backbone. Nice biscuity aftertaste.

The mouthfeel was light with good carbonation.

Overall a nice authenic German Pils. In my opinion, it ranks up there as one of the most flavorful.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2006 01:20:39 | More by plaid75