Über Pils: Small Craft Warning

Tasted Friday evening following a day walking the streets of Galena and enjoying a fantastic pizza from Cannova's. Picked this bottle up from the Wine and Cheese place at the South end of the down town for a $1.65.

Appearance: Golden copper colored, unexpectedly dark for a pilsner. Clarity is exceptional while there is a brief head that falls back into the beer, leaving only behind a trace of film and wet lacing on the side of the glass. Pour yielded a nice initial froth and an enticing looking texture. Minimal carbonation is present as the glass sits still.

Aroma: Very purfumy, but in a malt forward way. Huge notes of biscuit and un-mashed grain waft from the glass, even hitting the nose several inches away. Floral hops round out the nose while preserving the biscuit 2-row rich malt scent. Warmed, the beer gets an estery smell about it.
Taste: Just as the scent perceived but with an even richer presence. The foretaste is completely dominated by the un-mashed 2-row grain base (bready) and biscuit malted barley. Floral and earthy hops make up a large percentage of the second half but do nothing to inhibit the malt bill, but infact complement it perfectly! Somewhat of a vininess develops as the beer warms, definitely attributed from the yeastThe finishing taste and thus, aftertaste is a mild grain and husk flavor in the back of the throat. A known presence of alcohol warms the chest.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a slight oiliness on the lips. Carbonation is light and finely bubbled, just enough to let you know it's presence along the sides of the tongue. Finish is dry.
Overall Impression: A beer with a very interesting character. I find it maintains a lot of flavors from a young beer, while still providing a palatable refreshing taste. The Richness of the biscuit malt and the floral hops are well balanced. As the beer warmed, more esters emerged and a strange funk at initial whiff. Overall it is a rich brew with a high drinkability.


88/100