Reality Czeck
Moonlight Brewing Company

Reality CzeckReality Czeck
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From:
Moonlight Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
Bohemian / Czech Pilsner
Ranked #1
ABV:
4.9%
Score:
95
Ranked #1,621
Avg:
4.28 | pDev: 9.35%
Reviews:
176
Ratings:
355
Status:
Active
Rated:
Monday at 03:37 AM
Added:
Feb 22, 2005
Wants:
  280
Gots:
  23
The most delicate style of Pilsners are the Bohemian Pilsners of the Czech Republic. Those classic beers inspired this West Coast version of delicious! You're only moments away from tasting it, no airplane ride required...
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by axisjones:
Photo of axisjones
Reviewed by axisjones from California

4.97/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
After having more glasses of this beer than I can count, including two last night, I feel it's time to chime in...

I should start this review by first stating that I generally do not like pilsners. I dig the big beers and like my hops nice and fruity. Before drinking this beer, I had pretty much written off the style as a whole.

Poured at Toronado into a standard pint glass. Golden with a fluffy head, the head dies down. Crystal clarity on this one. Unfiltered eh? Who knew.

The nose is ultra clean floral/grassy spicy hops with a bready malt underneath.

On to the taste. Goes down so smooth and clean with a pronounced hop bite and spicyness with a biscuity malt flavor finishing it off. The hop finish lingers in the best of ways. I finally understand what people are talking about when they say pilsners have a hop bite.

This is arguably, ounce for ounce, the most drinkable beer ever made. The subtley and nuance is staggering. It can be enjoyed by the slow sip or heavy gulp. Refreshing yet refined. Clean yet bold. This beer definitely walks the fine line to achieve the best of all worlds.

I have been a fan of Moonlight since I randomly ordered a Death and Taxes during my first trip to Toronado about two years ago. When I order a moonlight, I expect a beer that is completely unorthodox with no definable style. The devil may care vibe of Moonlight always made it an interesting choice, and never a disappointment. But, unlike I am used to, Reality Czeck is a completely different. This is not a "take" on the pilsner style, it is not an americanized variation or a stylistic homage. It is a straight up Czeck pilsner, just the pinnacle of craft (that I have had so far). There is a refinement to a style I had passed on that makes this beer so damn enjoyable. Extremely versatile, damn delicious, world class.
Aug 13, 2005
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by dbauer from California

Monday at 03:37 AM
Photo of russpowell
Reviewed by russpowell from Arkansas

4.78/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Pours an effervescent gold with a thumb of ivory colored head. Fantastic head retention & lacing

S: Bready, grainy, hints of lemon, some perfumy hops once warmed up

T: Follows the beautiful nose, dry with soapy hop notes, some grassyness as well up front. Breadyness, limes & lemon, grassyness, plus dryness as this beer warms up. Finishes dry, crisp with lemongrass notes, plus some bready /grainy sweetness

MF: Medium body, crisp carbonation, great balance

Superb drinkability, totally nails the style. The only beers I had better in this style were some of the OGs over in Europe
Mar 02, 2024
 
Rated: 4.28 by Bhubbard34 from Pennsylvania

Jan 16, 2024
 
Rated: 4.25 by faraday326 from California

Nov 12, 2023
Photo of Captain69
Rated by Captain69 from Illinois

4.18/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
pours bright yellow with nice head that coats the glass - crisp pilsner taste
Oct 22, 2023
Photo of 4DAloveofSTOUT
Reviewed by 4DAloveofSTOUT from Illinois

4.44/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
canned on 6/26/23.

16oz tallboy can poured into dimpled mug.

Appearance: Pale Golden Yellow bodied beer with a bone white head. The head stacks up big; it's fluffy and has substantial staying power. Lacing is noted all over the side of the beer glass. The head never really disappears from this beer.

Smell: Fresh baked bready & rather doughy aromas.

Taste: The malts are of fresh baked bread just like the nose. Rich with just the right amount of malt sweetness. I really enjoy the way these malts taste in this Pilsner. Stale hops seem to emerge in the finish. Slightly over hopped / I would prefer less bitterness for my tastes as this distracts me from the glorious malt profile that opens up the beer. The hop flavors aren't vibing with my tastes for a reason that I can't seem to put my finger on.

Mouthfeel: Medium light bodied Pilsner. Moderate carbonation levels. The texture is on point. Soft bodied lager with just the right amount of crispness.

Overall: This is #1 Bohemian/Czech Pils on Beeradvocate. I really enjoyed this Pilsner, but for my tastes I would like the hops dialed back just a little bit. The highlights are: the beer looks incredible, the malt profile is rich and delicious, & the texture/body of this beer is very well done. For me... Goldfinger Bohemian Pilsner is the better lager here & it sits at #14 on the Beeradvocate list for this particular style of beer.
Sep 23, 2023
 
Rated: 4.5 by Benish from Utah

Aug 18, 2023
 
Rated: 3.99 by jason_nwx from Oregon

Jul 30, 2023
Photo of Bitterbill
Reviewed by Bitterbill from Wyoming

4.59/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
From City Brew Tours, canned May 23rd.

It pours a pale gold with a couple of fingers of foam, lacing is very good.

The smell is noble hops, bread, grassy, lovely overall aromas.

The taste is nice grassy, noble hops, some bread, a bit spicy...this is what I imagine that a Bohemian Pilsner should smell and taste like.

Medium bodied, lively carbonation.

Superb!
Jun 26, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by cryptichead from Illinois

Jun 16, 2023
 
Rated: 4.35 by sweetbrew82 from California

May 15, 2023
 
Rated: 4.34 by not2quick from Missouri

Apr 23, 2023
Photo of beergoot
Reviewed by beergoot from Colorado

3.98/5  rDev -7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Clear, bright yellow body; sparse carbonation; huge, frothy, white head, good creamy texture, rocky; thick rings of foam encircle the glass. Mild light grain aroma; biscuit and sweetly spicy; a bit floral. Well-balanced flavors comprising light biscuit and cracker taste and a fairly mild hop bitterness; mineral presence; peppery spiciness. Medium body; crisp and lightly prickly on the palate; semi-dry overall.

Overall, a very nice pilsner. It's crisp and clean with a nice depth of character and having a nice, rounded balance of flavors, looks, and mouthfeel.

Pouring temperature: 42 °F; canning info: 10/10/22
Dec 11, 2022
Photo of Victory_Sabre1973
Reviewed by Victory_Sabre1973 from Minnesota

3.79/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Clear golden pour with a 3 finger white head. The head retention is quite good, and it took a long time to pour the beer into the glass.
Slight malt/grain nose. A bit of bread biscuit here.
The flavor is malty as expected. The flavor has a lot of grain in it. Bread and biscuit. Slight earthy flavor. There's a slight bit of bitterness on the back from the hops.
Light, crisp clean body.
Easy drinking and delicious.
Nov 27, 2022
Photo of Beersnake
Reviewed by Beersnake from California

4.35/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured at fridge temp from a can. Pours a wonderful transparent yellow with a good amount of white head. Solid lacing. Bubbles rising at a moderate speed throughout. The nose is great. Wheat, banana, apples, slight citrus, a floral note, and grass.

The taste is fantastic. A nice fruity sweetness hits first, with a transition to a hoppy note on the back end. Grainy, dry, prickly, banana, apricot, grassy earthy, and a slight peppery spice. Super flavorful.

Mouthfeel is really crisp and refreshing. Dry.
Nov 24, 2022
 
Rated: 4.41 by o29 from Texas

Nov 24, 2022
Photo of WunderLlama
Reviewed by WunderLlama from Massachusetts

4.27/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
New brewery for me courtesy of @beersnake1

Brewers Notes: A delicate soft Lager, authentic to the west coast of the Czech Republic.

Huh! A coast is a land mass adjacent to a body of water . I guess Germany and France have been moved into the Atlantic Ocean

Canned 10.10, opened 11.22, poured into a Spiegelau ipa glass, clear golden liquid, active carbonation streams , fluffy two finger white foam cap, , good retention , settles yo a mounded island , spotty lacings

Aroma is clean, grassy

Taste is grassy ,

Mouthfeel is low sudsing sweet , clean, crisp


Good beer
Nov 22, 2022
Photo of TheWaySheGoes
Reviewed by TheWaySheGoes from Illinois

5/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
The best Czech style pilsner I have had, not surprised to see it ranked number one here. Incredibly crisp with clean malt that lingers throughout the palette. The lacing is also just a joy to watch, incredible. Dovetail and Goldfinger are the only other two breweries who I would say are in the same realm when it comes to European lagers, they keep the taste profile traditional while others from America are too overly hopped.
Oct 02, 2022
Photo of Jwale73
Reviewed by Jwale73 from Rhode Island

4.04/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
16oz. Can served in a willibecker. Canned on 04/25/2022. Pours a lovely, golden yellow with a tight, creamy, 1.5 inch bright white head that slowly collapses in on itself. Lovely nose - clean and grassy with a big hit of Noble hops. Taste consistent with nose with the addition of a light, lemony character. Finish is slightly medicinal and bitter. Mouthfeel is light in body with an assertive carbonation that finishes semi-dry. Overall, quite lovely, but not as delicate as I would have liked to have seen.
Sep 20, 2022
Reality Czeck from Moonlight Brewing Company
Beer rating: 95 out of 100 with 355 ratings