Jever Pilsener - Friesisches Brauhaus zu Jever GmbH & Co KG

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

2.93/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

On tap. Good lacing. Neutral aroma and appearance. a little yellow,drying.Below average mouthfeel. Nothing to write home about. Tad of hops, lawnmower.Wasn't horrible but flavour is minimal and not too drinkable. I wasn't getting much here, maybe on a different night.

Serving type: on-tap

08-20-2008 03:08:55 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.85/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bright, lightly dusted yellow-amber. The parchment colored crown is chock full of bubbles, although they're small enough and tightly packed enough to give the foam density, character and persistence. Broad bands of pocked lace are beginning to grace the glass; a capper on an attractive pilsener appearance.

The nose is classic noble hops (Hallertau in this case) that could be a bit brighter and more immediate. With a 'best by' date in late summer, I'd expect it to smell fresher. The Hallertau have a mid-range mustiness to them rather than that pungent noble hop 'flowers and spice' that I love so much.

Ditto on the taste buds. I like the flavor more than the nose, although I'm not sure that it's deserving of a higher score. I am somewhat surprised (and definitely delighted) by the hop bitterness. One of the biggest sins that a pils can commit is not being hoppy enough. Jever has cleared that hurdle with relative ease.

The beer is well malted; at least more so than I appreciated with the first several mouthfuls. There's a definite pils malt sweetness underlying all the alpha acid bitterness goin' on up top. That classic noble triumvirate of floral, grassy and spicy applies in spades.

I'm enjoying the beer more and more as I get deeper into the bottle. The body/mouthfeel is somewhere within the broad range of medium, with a fine-gauged, 'just how I'd draw it up' amount of carbonation. While it isn't a standout in the mouthfeel department, there are no real negatives either.

Jever Pilsener isn't world-class, but neither does it deserve to be overlooked. It's solid across the board and is a worthy purchase for those looking for a clean, crisp, noble hoppy pils from a venerable German brewery.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2006 12:33:41 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

another gem that i dug out of the back of the fridge. needed a nice one to start off the night! poured into a pint glass on 5/6/11

this one pours into the glass a nice golden hay color with a huge head of nearly three inches that never seems to let itself go down coating the sides with some nice lacing and tons of carbonation. Aroma is light grains, bready notes, hints of l;ight clove maybe and a touch of some earthy grass notes. Nothing crazy but it does the job. Very light and clean flavor, crisp, refreshing nothing out the ordinary in any way. Was easy to throw down with a clean and refreshing aftertaste, overall not bad at all could easily but down two or three.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2011 00:26:30 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

4.47/5  rDev +25.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On-tap at Gourmet Haus Staudt

A: The pour is a slightly clouded, but for the most part clear, straw color with a big white head.

S: A really clean and crisp nose with light malts and just a bit of cracker/bread. There's a really good floral and earthy hop character and a touch of citrus zest. A touch of lager yeast is present as well.

T: The flavor is just as great! A solid, but light, malt flavor with floral, earthy, and perhaps a touch of grassy hop flavor. There is a mild bitterness but a really crisp and refreshing flavor.

M: A light to medium body with a lively carbonation and a dry finish.

D: I'm surprised to see the ratings for this beer. Easily one of the best pilsners I've ever had.

Serving type: on-tap

12-26-2010 00:21:54 | More by womencantsail

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.68/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle - $1.79 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours a clear, yellow body with an inch of snow white foam. Fine layering of lace on the way down. Very slight effervescence.

Smell: Pilsner malt nose with a distinct graininess. Noble hop scents of flowers and a spicy herbaceousness. Minor whiff of skunkiness initially.

Taste: Pils malts with a dying grainy taste and a touch of honeyed sweetness. Pleasant Noble hop character that's all at once spicy, floral, and grassy. Medium-high bitterness transitions into an almost mouth-puckering dryness. Final little bumps of clover honey try to peek through, but, for the most part it's quite dry. Finishes, well, dry and rather crisp.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied. Medium-plus carbonation.

Drinkability: It could be a bit fresher and would probably be much better on tap, though this still was fairly solid.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2009 00:52:33 | More by ChainGangGuy

UCLABrewN84

California

3.88/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a crystal clear light yellow with a 2 inch white head that fades to a thin cap. Foamy splotches of lace dot the glass on the drink down. Smell is of grains, grass, and very slight skunk. Taste is of grains, grassy notes, with a bitter hop kick on the finish. There is an astringent bitterness on the palate that lingers after each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a very crisp and clean mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good pilsner with a very refreshing and authentic taste.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2011 05:43:54 | More by UCLABrewN84

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.48/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Described as a true-to-style beer for a German Pilsner by the BJCP guidelines. After a few sips, it's easy to see why. The success of this beer lies in the balance of malt to grain, sweetness to bitterness, earthiness and softness, raw and refined. Opens with a pungent noble hop aroma (green bottle accentuate the pungent smell -- but not quite light-striken). A nice malt / grain blended sweetness comes across with a mild corn flavor, green apples, and pilsner malts. Flavors of the grain and malt flavors come through nicely, while the hops subside to a bitter-balancing role. Nicely round and malty in the texture, offering hints of bread flavors and a mild astringent feel. Finsihes quite clean and refreshing. No problem drinking this one.

10-25-05 On-tap (3.5,2.5,3.0,3.5,3.0)
A decent beer (for a pilsner). It has the light vegetable, light malt, light straw color that you'd expect. Mainly a clean brew with slight noble hop character. Not skunked. Perhapse a bit of graininess, acidity, and sulfer-like aromas. Flavors are pretty mellow and viscous for a pils. A good beer to enjoy with a pizza or a hot dog.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2007 22:41:09 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a light gold with with a pretty large head that settled pretty quickly into a soapy like top,a nice fresh aroma of grass and "green" herbs along with a slight iron note but its very slight.Taste is quite bitter and herbal a big dose of hops in this pilsner just lightly sweet after awhile but the hops are most prevalent in this brew thats for sure.A interesting pilsner quite bitter but a real quaffer would go down real easy on summer day the bitterness is quite refreshing,a nice beer.

Serving type: on-tap

10-16-2004 12:23:00 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Although this review is for draft, I wanted to point out that the word "herb" on the bottled product means "dry" or "bitter" and is indicative of this North German pilsner's very dry style. Crystal clear and bright golden in color with a bright white head that holds fairly well. Very nice appearance. The aroma is quite hoppy as pilsners go - very noble, lightly grassy and highly floral. Some light, grainy malt aroma is present as well. The body is light-medium with a crisp carbonation. The flavor starts dry with a burst of hop bitterness, warming as it crosses the palate to reveal a firm grainy maltiness, and finishes long and bitter. The emphasis is definitely on hop bitterness with around 45 IBU's! Very one sided in many ways, but also with quite alot of finesse! A somewhat unique, refreshing and enjoyable pils. Very drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

09-01-2002 20:05:18 | More by NeroFiddled

WesWes

New York

2.88/5  rDev -19.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The beer pours a very pale yellow color with a 1" white head that quickly fades to lacing. The aroma is decent. It has a slightly grainy pale malt scent with a dry yeast finish and a bit of skunkiness. The taste is awful. It has a watery pale malt flavor with a little bitterness and a dry finish. It goes down cleanly, but has a horrible aftertaste. The mouthfeel is average. It is a low bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is an average pilsner. It lacks flavor and mouthfeel. It's one and done for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2004 23:25:04 | More by WesWes

Mora2000

Texas

3.3/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to bu11zeye for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a very light yellow color with a large white head. The aroma is corn, wheat, skunk and grassy hops. The flavor is wheat, pilsener malt and grass. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. The beer smelled a lot more skunked than it tastes, but it was still very disappointing overall.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2010 05:27:39 | More by Mora2000

metter98

New York

3.58/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is crystal clear golden yellow in color and poured with a thin bright white head that quickly died down but left lacy patterns of bubbles. A light amount of carbonation is visible.
S: There are light to moderate aromas of bready malts in the nose along with notes of malty sweetness and hints of floral hops.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has a good balance between a slight amount of sweetness from the malts and a mild amount of bitterness from the hops.
M: It feels light-bodied and very crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. There is a slight amount of dryness.
D: The beer is quite easy to drink and really opens up your palate.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2011 02:43:09 | More by metter98

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.55/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

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

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

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

T: The taste is bready with strong lager yeast and grain flavors that are quickly followed by a mild light malt sweetness. The hop presence is mild but complementary and provides a little bit of 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, there are others in the style that I would pick first but this is still a decent beer to drink for a while.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2010 03:06:33 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

2.8/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Just can't get into these pilsners, the look of the beer isn't too bad. It looks like a a yellow bodied beer with a foamy white head that has light carbonation bubbles rising from the glass. The smell to me is not pleasent, makes me feel like it's gone bad or something. The taste is grassy, very much like fresh cut grass. Some earth and leafs may be in there too. The mouthfeel was light and easy to drink thankfully. I don't ever need to have this one again.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2011 03:46:23 | More by Knapp85

emerge077

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

BBD: 03.20.12

Into a 0,3l stange, it pours a bright gold with dense soapy foam. Slow trails of ascending carbonation. Great retention, with plenty of patchy lacing to boot.

Boom! Skunk. Lightstruck green bottle skunk you can smell from several feet away. Cooked cereal grains, pretty unappealing at first. Puffed rice and wheat, something vaguely smoky oddly enough. Vaguely floral and grassy as it warms.

Honey and butter crackers from the pale malt, grassy bitterness from a noble hop presence. Body is crisp but a little watery. Loses a bit of carbonation towards the end. Ok, not great. More bitter than many German Pils, but as skunky as Heineken. Go with the draft or minikeg version...

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 01:47:33 | More by emerge077

Halcyondays

California

4.78/5  rDev +33.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

11.2 oz. bottle,

A: Pours a classic pale yellow with a light soapy head, spots of lace, good head retention.

S: Clean, vibrant smells of grass/lawn clippings, very minor malt.

T: Here we go, this what I've been looking for in a true German Pilsner. Incredibly flavourful, brilliantly floral noble hops, grass, matched with an understated but perfectly balanced bready malt makes this one work to perfection.

M: Crisp, clean and smooth, but a little soapy/light at times, minor quibble.

D: This beer is fantastic, glad I finally saw it show up in CA, I should have bought more than the one single. It could give the legendary Reality Czeck a run for its money, and that's saying something. A great surprise. The preeminent example of the German style.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2009 19:56:17 | More by Halcyondays

Gavage

New Jersey

4.13/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Arrived in front of me sporting a clear yellow color with a thin head which produced barely any lacing. The aroma was of malt, grass and hops. The malt and bitterness levels were nicely balnaced to produce a very drinkable pilsner. The bitterness was more pronounced than other german plisners I have sampled.

The mouthfeel was clean and very crisp, and had a super clean finish. No aftertaste at all. This beer is extremely drinkable and was paired perfectly with the potato pancakes I was eating.

Serving type: on-tap

02-16-2004 19:30:28 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a good example of a pilsner, though nothing extraordinary. It poured a straw-yellow with a decent head. It had a moderate to heavy carbonation. It tasted very grainy (grassy) and somewhat hoppy. Overall, it had a refreshing taste. One of the better pilsners from Germany, IMO.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2006 18:25:46 | More by jwc215

tempest

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Tally-Ho in Bethlehem, PA.

I've been looking to try this on-tap (no green bottles allowed) and was quite pleased. It looked a clear gold with a little white lacing and had a mild, sweet grainy aroma that reminded more of a Czech pils like Budvar. But then in the taste there was a relative hops explosion, or at least a bitterness on par with SNPA. It was big, grassy, herbal hops malted with a balancing light caramel malt - very tasty. There was a very pleasant lingering bitterness you can't usually find in mass-produced pilsners, but damn, there it was. Al in all a winner. One of the better pilsners I've tried.

Serving type: on-tap

01-26-2008 04:32:27 | More by tempest

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.48/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bright golden in appearance more lively caronation from German Pilseners tonigth oh yeah. Jever is one of those brews I've been meaning to try for a long time since early on in my beer drinking however I now see green bottled industrial Euro pils versus handcrafted small brewery that I have dreamt of. Head forms thick after a vigorous pour fine even lacing just completely sticks to the sides of pint. Aroma is full of moderate sweet cereal grains pale biscuit and slight honey tones come through with a dry heaping load of hop bitterness in their as well, much more Saaz in this situatino. Flavor is full of bitter skunked hop flavor damn green bottles, I wouldn't fear this bottle as much if it weren't for the damn green bottle. I see on the website they make this in cans, that would be ideal for a round of golf or summer concert. Mouthfeel is full of more dryness and spicy hop character with clean crisp carbonation providing burps in my direction. Drinkability is solid all around not the best version of a German pils but I can see why it's looked up to in many folks journey to find fantastic beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2008 06:19:30 | More by WVbeergeek

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.03/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured a pee yellow with good carbonation and a light wite head. Nose is grains, sknuky. Taste is very much unappealing. Notes grains, thin feel. Mouthfeel is rather thin, rough around the edges, skunky and not so good. Bitter hops leave an aftertaste. Not one I would drink again or recommend.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2010 23:00:03 | More by barleywinefiend

smcolw

Massachusetts

1.25/5  rDev -65%
look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

In the past, I have lamented the presence of green bottles. I have found it interesting that the lightest beers often come this way. It is a shame that a potentially good beer gets completely ruined by becoming skunked.

Thus the score above. After purchasing a $12 six-pack of this beer to compare to other pilseners in a tasting, this was rated the worst beer out of 14; all because it was horribly skunked.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2009 23:06:52 | More by smcolw

jdhilt

New Hampshire

1.78/5  rDev -50.1%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Pours with a three-finger white head that fades slowly and leaves a good lace. Clear pale amber color. Good carbonation and medium bodied. Nose is hoppy/skunky. Starts hoppy and bitter, stays that way at the finish and leaves a lingering bitter aftertaste. $1.95 for a 330ml bottle from Julio's Liquors Westborough, Ma.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2006 23:29:18 | More by jdhilt

Jason

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: 11.2 oz green long neck bottle with a freshness date on the front label. This is one of those durable glass bottles that are reused.

Appearance: Pale yellow and crystal clear with a light webbing of white lace all the way down the glass.

Smell: Grassy hop, honey and herb in the aroma … quite clean.

Taste: Light to medium in body with a bold crispness. Big accent of hops, noble hops without a doubt … very soft but not with out giving a spicy herbal bitterness first. A little thin on the malt but it makes up ground with a pale bready flavour and snappy graininess. Finishes on the dry side with a clean grainy and hoppy palate.

Notes: Definitely a thirst quencher pils, light enough to suck down on a very hot day while sweating at the bbq grilling some turkey sausages to pair with the next Jever.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2002 20:25:48 | More by Jason

Billolick

New York

3.63/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle, with best before dating on the label.. Pours very light golden, crystal clear, white medium bubble head, leaves moderate lacing. Nose is grassy, lemony, almost a hint of mint. Crisp, snappy and clean, as expected from any decent pilsner. Finishes with a nice smooth hoppy crispness. All together a decent, if not amazing lager. Enjoyable with some spicy summery fare.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2004 02:00:43 | More by Billolick