Inland Sea Pilsner (Honey Pils) - South Shore Brewery

jj21

Wisconsin

3.9/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

It looks like I'm alone here, but I really liked this beer. The only thing I will say is that I think it may have been overcarbonated. The second I opened it, foam shot out about 2-3 inches and it was hell to pour.
Yellow body with a great head (maybe due to over-carbonation) that poured worse (or better) than a Duvel. Great retention. Aroma of homey and malts was very prevolent to me. Very crisp on the nose and pallate. Nice honey backbone to smooth out the hops nicely. Very smooth drinker. I could see sitting down with a six pack or more and not getting sick of it. It was a very fresh bottle so maybe they changed something since the other reviewers. Maybe worth a revisit by previous BA's. Solid offering.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2007 16:47:13 | More by jj21

atone315

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +15.3%

04-09-2013 11:23:55 | More by atone315

slavall

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev +0.9%

08-25-2012 04:41:42 | More by slavall

FreshmanPour77

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -13.5%

12-03-2011 19:38:21 | More by FreshmanPour77

wallrock

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +15.3%

11-23-2011 16:44:33 | More by wallrock

Lemke10

Wisconsin

3.83/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had this on tap at the Deep Water Grill/South Shore Brewery while on vacation in Spring 2011.

Pours a clear light amber color with a minimal head. Has a scent of mostly wheat honey and sweet malts. Has a smooth, crisp, clean taste of honey and wheat. Tasted really good with lunch. Essentially taste like a Leinenkugel's Honey Weiss with a bolder taste and thicker texture.

Serving type: on-tap

04-25-2011 19:17:23 | More by Lemke10

brewdub17

Minnesota

4.15/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Appearance: Clear Pilsner-like golden color that has a thin, dense white head, which leaves nice lacing.

Smell: Nice balance of a sweet honey-like notes with a balance of slight dryness from the malts. Not much, if anything, from the hop characteristics.

Tastes: Dryness from the malts comes through after being complimented well by the honey-like notes up front. Crisp and semi-sweet to make an expected but enjoyable tasting brew.

Mouthfeel: Very clean and does not linger much afterwards. The balance of dryness and subtle sweetness make it enjoyably delicate but tasteful.

Drinability: The lack of intense flavors and simplicity make it very easy to go down and too enjoyable to say no after just one.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2011 21:30:34 | More by brewdub17

bishopdc0

Maine

2.63/5  rDev -24.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Yelllow in color with a very white head it dissipates is cloudy in color not what u expect from a pils

The smell is of pale malts a slight banana.

The is matches the aroma starts with a sweetness but end with an off yeasty flavor almost too intential. What u might expect in a belgian white but with out the suger and alco to match .it is lager taste but not what I expect from a pils

Drink is easy and smooth but the aftertaste doesn't keep me drinking

Serving type: on-tap

11-26-2010 01:22:07 | More by bishopdc0

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

3.78/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to BeerFMAndy for snagging one of these for me.

A: lightly cloudy golden yellow, full two fingers white head tiny flecks of lace left behind

S: very sweet lemon and spice abound, it almost reminds me of a hefe, light malt and earthy hops as well

T: malty with a nice sweet finish, just a touch of hop bite and wheat cracker very nice, clean

M: light body creamy with average carnonation

D: overall a nice refreshing pils, I could see killing a few of these on a hot day

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2010 23:10:49 | More by beerwolf77

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.28/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured into an American tumbler pint glass. No date or info.

A - Cloudy golden yellow with a quickly rising eggshell head with good retention and sticky lace left on the pint.

S - Refined honey and pils malts blend nicely into something refreshing in aroma with a tiny hint of German hops to the back end.

T - The honey overshadows the pils malts a bit but it still remains somewhat true to the pilsner style. A yeasty finish carries through.

M - South Shore's Honey Pils is sweet and medium-bodied with a smooth, soft texture and a light, refreshing finish.

D - A good summer beer, the honey comes out nicely in this one to a good sweet level but not cloying.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2010 12:07:03 | More by BeerFMAndy

sweemzander

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz. bottle poured into a pilsner glass. No bottled date. Thanks to BeerFMAndy for this one!

(A)- Pours a huge eruption of white fluffy head. Beneath that is a clear goldenrod color. Crazy retention and lacing.

(S)- A lightly dry yet crisp lemon creaminess. Finishes in a light grassy honey sweetness.

(T)- A blast of sweet honey and lemon crispness. Finishes in a dry husk-like grass profile.

(M)- A rather large carbonation level even for the style. Sweet and creamy with a light grassy kick. Plenty of honey sweetness in this.

(D)- An interesting take on the style. Crisp and refreshing yet sweet at the same time. Creamy malts galore.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2010 23:11:45 | More by sweemzander

zeff80

Missouri

3.48/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured out a clear, golden-yellow color with a small, fizzy, white, short lived head. It left no lace.

S - It smelled of grains, honey and some floral notes. Nice and pleasant.

T - This lager has a sweet blend of honey and caramel with a touch of grain flavor. There is a mild bitter grass hop profile.

M - It was crisp and sharp with a fairly dry finish. A light bodied and easy drinking pale lager.

D - Overall, this is a pretty nice beer. I could see enjoying a sixer of this on a warm day by Lake Superior.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2010 16:42:38 | More by zeff80

pmcadamis

Illinois

2.25/5  rDev -35.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

Tried this at a buddy's house during the superbowl.

A - Clear honey-yellow with a small white head and a decent amount of lace.

S - Honey and cereal. Reminds me of honey brown. Not a lot going on other than honey and grain.

T - Bitter hops and sweet honey make for an odd combo. Honestly, this clashes pretty bad on the palate. Some mineral characteristics are there too.

M - Light bodied, crisp, and thirst quenching.

D - Not so good. The combination of sweet honey and bitter really turned me off.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2010 15:11:23 | More by pmcadamis

lester619

Wisconsin

3.8/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this a buddy's house last weekend. Never heard of them before. Poured into a pint glass there was a hell of a lot of carbonation. Over half the glass was foam and there is not even a pint of liquid in the bottle. Head goes away fairly quickly. Golden yellow that is very cloudy like a wheat beer. Not all that apealing. Smell is kind of fruity, maybe some pear, flowery notes. Not sure. This doesn't look or smell all that great, but it tasted pretty good. Sharp, clean, refreshing, enough hop bitterness to make it worth my while. You can tell there is honey in there someplace. I could put down a few of theese on a hot day. I like it. I would drink it again. I wouldn't drive to Ashland for it, but it's not bad.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2009 16:56:18 | More by lester619

ChopperSmith

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had a growler of this in my fridge that I picked up at the brewery a couple weeks ago and forgot about. Opened today and still fresh and well carbonated.

Appearance: Clear deep golden color with a foamy head that didn't last long but left nice lacing.

Smell: I really liked the aroma of this beer, sweet with honey and malt and just a hint of peaches or apricots.

Taste: Not quite as bold as the aromas. The sweetness and malts are definitely the highlight here. Slight honey taste, but not cloying or overpowering. No real hops presence detected, but I know they are in there somewhere.

Mouth Feel: Light to medium bodied, a little thin and watery but carbonated well.

Drinkablity: I'm not a huge fan of the style, but it's good for what it is.

Serving type: growler

10-12-2009 21:02:26 | More by ChopperSmith

demcorhip

Ontario (Canada)

4.15/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A nice looking pils. Crystal clear straw coloured pils with big, three finger white coloured head (although once the remainder from the bottle was poured in it did get cloudy). Decent amount of carbonation is helping to keep the head around. In fact, it is displaying excellent retention, and is leaving big, sticky, fluffy gobs of lace.

Honeyed cracker accentuated by floral Nobel hops.

Simple malts, a touch of honey from the honey malt, as well as clean malt flavour from the pale malts. A fairly clean hop bitterness shows up at the finish, along with Nobel hops that hint at lemon, citrus, and fresh cut grass.

Light bodied, and fairly clean and crisp. This is quite refreshing after spending some time outside working on the graden. Smooth and almost creamy as well, perhaps from the use of honey malt.

This is a great summer beer, it would be easy to knock more than a few of these back. And its certainly approachable enough to macro drinkers to be a nice fit for summer gathering fare. Im getting more and more impressed with this brewery, and will certainly be drinking more from them. Nothing overly complex here, but even this approachable brew has some nice subtleties to be appreciated by the craft beer drinker and fans of the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2009 20:36:43 | More by demcorhip

scruffwhor

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

Thanks to lukaski for the hookup.

Pours a unique hazey hefeweiss like copper, but without the head and sticky lacing or bubbling. The aroma has dry pilsner malts with a soft, yet sweet with honey. The taste is starts wth sme honeyed pilsnr malts. Very faint toasted rye bread malts. Faint fruity finish with some syrupy honey. Very soft palate with no noticeable
herbal hops that I've come to love in a pilsner. Very drinkable and sessionable beer. A very unique tasting pilsner.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2008 04:06:03 | More by scruffwhor

Chugmonkey

Wisconsin

3.18/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

I've bought several 6packs and really tried to like this beer. But I'm kind of done with this beer (unless you're buying). My brewing friends love this beer and I don't quite get it.

It is hazy, which is weird. It has a thick mouthfeel wich I do not care for. I'll give it the honey. It does have a nice honey flavor. It's an odd beer, really thick and filling to me. I only really care to have one of them at a time. Seems like Vienna Lager, but no idea if they use Vienna in it? Worth trying that's for sure. I think most people will like it.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2008 14:36:19 | More by Chugmonkey

Strix

Wisconsin

3.33/5  rDev -4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I can't decide if this is a pilsner or a macro lager. Clear yellow with little head. Perhaps a hint of honey and grains in the smell. Taste of fresh grains, maybe a gentle honey finish. Mouthfeel somewhat weak. This is drinkable, but wasn't very exciting for me. I'm not really a fan of this style, whatever style this is, I prefer a little more flavor to things. This has more flavor than a Budweiser, but not enough flavor to keep me too interested. South Shore has much better offerings.

Serving type: on-tap

12-27-2007 05:38:22 | More by Strix

pweis909

Wisconsin

4.13/5  rDev +19%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

American macro-lager? Style doesn't seem right. There is more malt in this beer than you get in a macro. Maybe more of a Munich helles? But not really hoppy enough to be a pils, to my way of thinking.

Gold, translucent, with a creamy head. Malt dominates the aroma and taste. I don't think there is actually honey in this beer, but maybe honey malt, aka brumalt, provides some of the sweetness? Hops are present to keep things balanced and drinkable.

This is not a beer that challenges, but just invites you to enjoy it.

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2007 18:11:08 | More by pweis909

orbitalr0x

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hazy yellow orange with a half inch head on top. Looks nice in the glass. Aroma is big sweet floral honey right off the bat. Slight herbal, noble hops underneath with a nice fresh graininess. I dunno if they reformulated this or not but the honey aroma I get here is big and vibrant.

First sip is floral, herbal honey sweetness along with a creamy pale grain malt. Light noble hops on the way down bring some spiciness and a kiss of bitterness. I found this a tasty brew overall.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and creamy. Goes down smooth. I thought this was an interesting brew and the honey really added a nice aspect to it. Quite a twist for a pilsner. I'd probably pick this up again sometime. Good summer brew.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2007 02:19:10 | More by orbitalr0x

terrabyte

Wisconsin

2.73/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours a clear, dark yellow beer with no head.

The aroma is a little sweet, but not particularly like honey. Otherwise it smells like typical beer - a bit musky.

Flavor fails to excite me. There is some sweetness that doesn't lead one to think of honey (unless reading the label) and some bitterness and slight spiciness. Seems similar to 'typical beers'.

Body seems a bit heavy for the profile. It certainly didn't show up in the flavor.

Although there isn't anything negative about this beer, it just wasn't crisp enough or refreshing enough to make up for the lack of flavor. Unfortunately it falls into my apathetic "Why Bother" category.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2006 14:36:37 | More by terrabyte

maundythirsty

Wisconsin

2.88/5  rDev -17%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Dull copper color and next to no head. Smells of grassy hops. There is some honey in there, and light malt.

No more than a flash of honey in the taste. Aspirin sneaking out over very light malt.

Medium mouthfeel, heavy for such a thin taste profile.

No, thanks. But I am glad to see someone's brewing in Ashland.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2006 01:48:33 | More by maundythirsty

CharlesDarwin

Rhode Island

3.1/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Originally reviewed April 30, 2005. 12 Oz Bottle. Effervescent tower of slightly hazy golden delight, topped with a nice think clean white head, that seems to be holding on. Bland yeast aroma. Fruity at first, yet possibly light struck. Flavors are simple. Sweet, with light honey, a dose of hops and some yeast to finish off. A little puckery on the back end. A little too tart for a smooth finish. I have to admit that this beer would be very nice on a hot summer day, and that it’s pretty good for the style.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2006 14:38:12 | More by CharlesDarwin

garymuchow

Minnesota

3.4/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Largely malt aroma with a developing sweetness in time that appears to be the honey. Not without hops, but mild. Light aroma character overall. Honey most notable in aroma.
Cloudy gold with a very short-lived rather white head that eventually just becomes a smear of bubbles and a ring. Appealing enough.
Nice touch of sweetness upfront, but it doesn't last to long as a hoppy presence in flavor and bitterness appears to balance and then eventually dominate, but not in a heavy handed manner. It pretty much lasts to the finish which consists of a short-lived slighty bitter and slightly dry conclusion.
Fairly heavy and thick feel, which gives it a nice feel, although may not be appropriate for style (it's closer to Schell Pils).
Light in flavor oveall, but enjoyable enough and worth a purchase if spending some hot summer time in the great north woods and lakes and looking to avoid the normal macro swill.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2006 23:04:29 | More by garymuchow