Efes Pilsener - Anadolu Efes Brewery

FrothyBeverage

Pennsylvania

4.83/5  rDev +57.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Honey hued apperance and cloudy. No lace or head and an abesence of bubbles. The smell is yeasty and pungent alchol aroma. The taste is delicious. Very mellow taste of vanilla and syrupy nectars. Suprisingly tingly even though there was the absence of carbonation in the apperance. Tingled the entire mouth especialy the tip of the tounge. Mouth feel was a strongpoint. Upon the first sip my mouth was so overjoyed that i wanted more and more.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2009 15:23:13 | More by FrothyBeverage

kenito799

New York

4.22/5  rDev +37.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

330 ml bottle poured into a pint glass at Wish Ne Turkish restaurant, Bayside, NY.

Crystal clear pale gold with white foamy head, 1/2 inch at first, fades to a ring.

Aroma is crisp malt and hops, with hints of some more citrus or floral notes--unexpected.

On the palate, crisp, carbonated, dry and refreshing. The flavor was quite a surprise--where I expected a typical euro-macrolager there was a real foral and citrus hoppy aroma and flavor married to the refreshing dry malt. it actually is a pilsener, and a pretty good one! Nice!

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2008 01:04:43 | More by kenito799

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4.13/5  rDev +34.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Efes Pilsener has a thin, white head, and a clear, golden appearance with an abundance of carbonation. There is essentially no lacing with this one. Aroma is faint, but sweet, white bread and a tiny hop zing can be picked up. Taste is of the same, with a paper aspect. Some grass is present as well. Mouthfeel is light to medium, and Efes finishes mostly dry, crisp, clean, refreshing, and highly drinkable. Overall, this is a really good beer. I recommend giving it a try.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 15:08:42 | More by RonaldTheriot

DaPeculierDane

Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev +33.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is a very pleasing beer and I am not a fan of pilsners in general.

An Afghani man turned me onto this one some time ago and it has since become one of my favorite beers for paring with Mediterranean or central Asian cuisine.

Appearance: light and effervescent, crisp and clear, plenty of running bubbles and a thin lasting lace. Translucent golden in color.

Smell: Crisp, frsesh citrus rind, mostly lemon. Pepper and mint.

Taste/Mouthfeel: mmm… Very healthy body for a pilsner, sweet malts bring a honey front smoothness and a healthy dose of hops leave a crisp, bitter, herbal lemon finish. Some grassy or grainy residue.

Drinkability: Through the roof, especially with slightly spicy food. Well balanced.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2005 20:18:25 | More by DaPeculierDane

ridedammit

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +33.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A and I were at a new (to us) beverage store in Union Square, and came across this beer. I am more of an ale drinker, but with the insane heat of this summer I was willing to druink something a bit more refreshing. Fortunately we chose well.

The beer is a nice golden color, very clean like one would expect. The smell is acutally what sold me on the beer. It has a very mouth watering malt aroma that
hits you as you take a drink. For a lagered beer, this had a great deal of body and mouthfeel, most lagered beers that I try are a bit thin (thus my preference
to ales).

Not sure why other reviewers did not enojoy the malty aroma, but to each ones own, eh? I really enjoyed the beer, but I agree with Jason, the lack of info on the bottle is kinda strange. Not too many beers in the US that come from Turkey, they should have a little something about the brewery, or the beer. Of course that could just be the bottler or importers fault.

A good pils, much better than some of the "true" pils that come from bohemia.
Especailly refreshing while trying to beat the heat with no AC

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2006 16:56:03 | More by ridedammit

Jason

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +30.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: 12 oz slender green bottle, no freshness date. No info about the beer or the brewery is given on the label, it only gives obvious advice “serve cold”.

Appearance: Richly hued yet pale golden with a bright clarity, a powdery white lace stay well forms from the steady stream of tiny bubbles racing to the top.

Smell: Honey sweet malt aroma similar to a raw unrefined orange blossom honey. Slightly spicy, peppery and almost minty herbal hop aroma with a clean snappish grain in the back.

Taste: Pleasing mouth feel from just as much smoothness as there is crispness produced by a moderate carbonation, surprising creamy medium body show that this beer has some character. Sweet malt brings suggestions of honey and grain to the table, good amount of dextrins in the body. Refreshing twang from the hops with a vagueness of mint and lemon with light peppery undertones, bitterness is mildly sharp and cleansing to the palate. Grain lingers far with grassy flavours, a pinch of residual sweetness is leftover also.

Notes: A decent Euro-style pils, better than some of its better known counterparts without a doubt. Very well balanced and showing both malt and hops in a perfectly blended way.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2001 23:01:44 | More by Jason

WilliamPhilaPa

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +30.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a nice looking pale golden color, shiny and clear in the clarity. Nice firm head is well formed and hangs around…
On the nose there is an ever so slight pepper tone in the aroma. Mouth feel is smooth. On the palate light peppery notes up front, maybe light tones of orange peels also… or perhaps lemon? I must say this is very clean and crisp though... Overall I really enjoyed this brew, very refreshing and cleansing to the palate!

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2002 15:15:33 | More by WilliamPhilaPa

putnam

Michigan

4/5  rDev +30.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Yello white
Aromas are sunny, with brassy, yellow cereals, lemon and cream. It is a rich mouthful of biscuity breads, tangy, over-ripe citrus, and a rather aggressive fizz. Very well balanced flavors -- an acheivement considering the intensity. Underlying sweetness becomes predominant as it warms, but the hyper-gas and a well-paced, bitter hop extraction keep it dry enough. Pepper, flint and leaf elements can be discerned. No green, sulfery notes can I detect. Very nice beer. Hard to compare to existing iterations of the Pilsner genre... vaguely southwestern German, I'd guess.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2005 22:21:30 | More by putnam

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +30.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Efes Pilsner pours a deep golden body that rests gently beneath a two-fingered head of creamy bright white froth. Tiny bubbles rise slowly and sporadically. The head takes its time in descending, and then maintains a creamy, solid surface covering. Some very nice lace is also left behind, as well as some fairly solid rings of lace.

The nose displays a combination of grainy maltiness, a mild grassiness, dusty earth, and even a touch of spicy hops.

The mouthfeel is surprisingly full with a sturdy medium body, and creamy smooth with just a light snap of crispness before it softens.

The flavor is decidedly malty with a grainy, cereal-like, and honeyish character . Spicy and grassy hops step in at mid-palate and help to balance it, and it finishes a touch sweet with lingering malt and swirling spicy hop notes. The bitterness is restrained, and there's just enough of a firm presence there to balance it. It's clean, and really doesn't display any yeast character at all.

Nicely done, Efes Pilsner is a sturdy European lager that would pair well with a variety of foods (pad Thai, grilled shrimp, barbequed ribs, herbed chicken) and events (sporting events, dinner parties, a night out with the lad or lasses). Certainly worth trying! Not your average Euro-pils!

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2007 18:44:15 | More by NeroFiddled

Offa

California

4/5  rDev +30.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer is better on tap than in a bottle or can, and even then it's good. On tap in Turkey, it's fresh, crisp, clean, with good flavour.

It's golden with a medium white head, slowly shirnking to a wispy top and leaving some lace.

The aroma is nice, clean grain with hints of herbal hops and apple.

The taste is like the taste from the bottle or can but cleaner, freshr, more aromatic, with clean, strong grain taste throughout, hints of apple and herbs, a light herbal hop bitterness to balance out the light sweetness and give a crisp, clean finish.

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2009 19:42:23 | More by Offa

dwarbi

New York

3.98/5  rDev +29.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a big, creamy head that pops away pretty quickly. Light, but a darker yellow than most pilsners. Smells spicy and a little minty. Typical crisp, clean taste for a pilsner, but a little thicker than usual. Fine mouthfeel, pretty rish, and very drinkable. Better than your average pils.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2003 04:08:34 | More by dwarbi

mithrascruor

California

3.98/5  rDev +29.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

500 mL bottle poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a clear and rather pale gold color. Small off-white head quickly becomes a film. Light carbonation bubbles visible coming to the surface.

Smell: Aroma of malts, grains and grasses, but with a bit of honey or sugar.

Taste: Honey and floral hints, a bit of fresh grass, then a hint of spices like pepper, and then a bit of hop bitterness at the finish, which carries into the aftertaste with the honey.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied and smooth, with light tingly carbonation. There's a bit of syrupy viscosity to it, though.

Drinkability: Easy to drink, tasty, refreshing, and no skunk taste!

I was really pleased with this and I'm sure I'll get it again. A bit of on the sweet side, but it is great just having a pilsner without any skunk.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2010 03:24:42 | More by mithrascruor

86sportster883

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev +28.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I was pleasantly surprised by the refreshing and thirst quenching qualities of the Efes Pils. It poured crystal clear and pale straw in color, with a moderate white head that rapidly settles to a thin cover. This Turkish version of a German pilsener has a very mild, pleasingly sweet, grainy aroma. It is medium bodied with moderate carbonation and the taste is clean, crisp & refreshing with little aftertaste. The Efes pils is the perfect beer to drink on a hot summer day, just after you finish mowing the lawn.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2007 02:08:28 | More by 86sportster883

UCLABrewN84

California

3.93/5  rDev +28%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a clear light yellow with a 1 inch puffy white head that settles to a thin film. Nice distinct rings of lace form on the glass on the drink down. Smell is of bread/biscuit, honey, tea, and some prune aromas. Taste is very bready/biscuit-like with a distinct tea and tannin flavor. Mild bitterness on the palate after each sip. A pretty good level of carbonation with a crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a surprisingly good pilsener from Turkey. Until I joined BA I didn't even know they had beer from Turkey. Good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2011 22:05:37 | More by UCLABrewN84

schmaldj

Minnesota

3.9/5  rDev +27%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

It has been a while since I had this beer so my memory is going to have to do. I first had it in Marmaris Turkey. It was a great beer. The color was a rich gold. The head formed nicely and dissipated slowly. Very very drinkable. As it warms up the flavor is very full. It's a beer that you can drink in a large quantity and still want more. I would recommend this to anyone.

Serving type: on-tap

05-18-2007 21:33:43 | More by schmaldj

scoobybrew

Iowa

3.88/5  rDev +26.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This was poured into a pilsner flute from the bottle. It has a golden, straw color with a decent head that settles but is retained well enough. There is a slight hop aroma, but the scent is mostly light malt. The flavor is a nice balance between malt and hops, but slightly towards the malt. It has a light body with moderate carbonation.

Overall, this is an excellent pilsner. It's light and refreshing and great with just about any food. It reminds me of a cross between a Czech and German pils because it seems a bit malty for a German pils, but a bit hoppy for a Czech.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2007 13:07:00 | More by scoobybrew

thekanna

Maryland

3.88/5  rDev +26.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

A: Clear gold with about 2 fingers of white head.

S: Malty, slightly cloying sweet smell.

T/M: Nice honey sweet taste with just the slightest hint of hop bitterness. Crisp, largely watery with low carbonation.

D: Great crisp and sweet lager to relax to.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2010 03:09:46 | More by thekanna

Byeast

Florida

3.85/5  rDev +25.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This pilsener poured clear gold , with a soapy white head of half an inch. The pilsner glass was coated with fat bubbles that rose quickly. The aroma is of bready and honeyish malt , some green and grassy/hay and herbal like hop , and fresh grains. The taste is pleasantly malty. Nice focus on fresh grains , slight straw , grassy hop and slightest bit of pepper in the dryer finish. The mouthfeel is fairly crisp with a dry finish. A very pleasant and drinkable pilsener brewed in the german style. Nice grain flavors.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2006 05:22:33 | More by Byeast

gdfan47

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +25.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- pours a really nice golden brown on the lighter side with a good amount of just off white head
S- hops, malt, some pepper, more hops, very crisp
T - very crisp, fresh tasting, great balance of malt and hops, finishes with a nice hop bite
M- good carbonation, beer was ice cold, awesome, finishes smooth
D- very refreshing, would be a great summer day beer , low abv

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2009 20:39:25 | More by gdfan47

theopholis

California

3.83/5  rDev +24.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Aroma- Light malt base with a nice, subdued malty sweetness. Some bittering hops. Seems appropriate for a Pils.

Appearance- Crystal clear yellow with a good, bright white head with some staying power and some lace.

Flavor- Nice blend of malt, malt sweetness, and bittering hops. Overall the taste is mild with no off-tastes of obvious flaws.

Mouthfeel- Medium body, with the right amount of carbonation.

Drinkability- Pretty darn good for a beer made in a Muslim country.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2007 15:15:26 | More by theopholis

flagmantho

Washington

3.83/5  rDev +24.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 11.2 oz brown bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: crystal-clear straw color with a nice effervescence. Thick, foamy head which left a very attractive lacing as it dissipated.

Smell: there was a tiny whiff of skunk when I opened the bottle, but after pouring it is gone completely. This beer has a light but complex aroma of grain, floral hops and some notes of tree fruit; more than I normally expect from a pilsner.

Taste: mild, not very bitter and not much hops flavor. The malt flavors are nice, however, and I quite like it.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied with nice carbonation.

Drinkability: as a tasty pilsner, I could drink this stuff like water.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2009 22:06:10 | More by flagmantho

deapokid

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +24.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed on 7/17/2011. Reviewed from notes.

Beer is a golden yellow (much deeper than usual), with a very light carbonation and thin flecks of white foam. There's no lacing or sediment to be seen, making for a very basic, but inoffensive, look.

Scent is sweet and buttery with a decent underlying maltiness and a slight, caramel aroma. Thankfully, there's no sun-damaged skunkiness or aluminum can flavor, though the clear, label-free bottle would have you assume otherwise.

The first sip brings on a tingly, buttery taste, followed by a mild dryness and just a hint of pepper. Oatey cereal notes are welcome making for a sweet and tasty finish. This is a really prime example of the commercial lager, completely lacking the vegetal and skunky elements that their brethren so often wear like a badge. It's also extremely drinkable; swimming down my throat with a doughy conclusion reminiscent of an English bitter.

Mouth is smooth front to back, never showing even the slightest flaw that would hinder this from being an easy sipper.

I'm pleased to say how surprised I am by this beer. Who would have known Turkey could produce such a solid pilsener?

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2011 20:53:03 | More by deapokid

WesWes

New York

3.8/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a pale gold color with a towering white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a dry, pale malt scent with German hops and a bit of the green bottle aroma. The taste is good. It has an extremely smooth and creamy pale malt flavor that goes down easy and finishes dry and bitter. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a low bodied beer with good carbonation. This is a damn fine German style pilsner. It's smooth and flavorful with a decent aroma; a good drinker.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2005 00:28:27 | More by WesWes

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.78/5  rDev +23.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The good thing about this beer is that there is nothing to critisize. What's wrong with the beer is that there is nothing really outstanding about the brew. It's a simple pilsner malt brew with Euro-hops which contribute an earthy, dirty flavor and character. The malt profile, yet simple, is solid and firm, yeilding a creamy, bready, yeasty character that is uninhibited by much off-flavoring. Yea, it has a grain flavor, but it is mild, subdued, and masked by a pleasant creaminess. Finishes mildly crisp and light--just slight of clean. A good beer for a pizza or bratwurst.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2006 03:33:11 | More by BEERchitect

Dreadnaught33

District of Columbia

3.78/5  rDev +23.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had a bottle of this at a Turkish restaurant in DC tonight. I enjoyed it quite a bit with the food I was served, that may prompt me to give this beer a higher rating than most.

The beer pours a normal clean and clear yellow with a decent head, and a little lacing, not as much as you would normally like to see in a serious pilsner, but ok.

The aroma was weak, but had the right parts to it with a clean lager yeast and honey dipped malt aroma that also translates in to the taste, but the taste has much more body and the flavors are bright and quite easy to place. I really enjoyed the sweeter notes, not as dry as most pilsners and not overly bubbly either. It was overall solid and very drinkable and paired well with the lamb and rice dish I had. A nice beer!

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2011 01:23:22 | More by Dreadnaught33