Beer of the Weekend #871: Keller Pils
The beer of the weekend is something I have been eyeing for a while, wondering if I already reviewed it (I had not): Keller Pils, brewed by the Summit Brewing Company of St. Paul, Minnesota.
The color is lightly hazy, light straw. Two and a half fingers of beige, billowy, bubbly, buttery head settles unevenly, leaving foam stuck to the sides.
The aroma is light, sharp, spicy, and citrusy. It smells like spring or summer. It's floral and zesty. The floral and spice characters dominate. It's hard to be specific, but I can pick out light malt, a little wheat, lemon zest, yeast, and spicy floral malts.
The flavor is light and the mouthfeel is dry, but it is very tasty and a mirror of the aroma. It is not aggressively zesty, floral, or spicy; it is very well balanced. The floral and spice work the tonsils and linger on the taste buds after each sip. Again, it is hard to be specific because it is so well balanced, but the broad strokes include light malt, lemon zest, and floral spice and bitterness.
Fun facts about Keller Pils:
• Style: Summit calls it German-style pilsner.
• Price: $8.99 for a six-pack of 12-ounce bottles at John's Grocery in Iowa City.
• Alcohol content: 5.1 percent ABV.
• Food pairings: Listed on the beer's webpage are Caesar salad, grilled meat with chimichurri sauce, hot glazed doughnuts, and street tacos with tomatillo sauce. Glazed doughnuts, eh? I think this is the first time I have ever seen glazed doughnuts as a food pairing for beer. I guess it's a good excuse to eat glazed doughnuts.
• IBU: 38.
• Keller Pils had been a seasonal, but Summit made it a year-round offering in January 2018.
• Paste Magazine rated Keller Pils the second-best pilsner in the world in 2016.
• I just noticed that Summit recommends serving Keller Pils in a pilsner glass. [Facepalm!] I'm using my Goose Island becker glass. Why? This tweet:
I have never been a fan of my becker glasses, but I'm going to start using them more often just to see if they make a difference.
The Quiet Man's grade: A-.
The color is lightly hazy, light straw. Two and a half fingers of beige, billowy, bubbly, buttery head settles unevenly, leaving foam stuck to the sides.
The aroma is light, sharp, spicy, and citrusy. It smells like spring or summer. It's floral and zesty. The floral and spice characters dominate. It's hard to be specific, but I can pick out light malt, a little wheat, lemon zest, yeast, and spicy floral malts.
The flavor is light and the mouthfeel is dry, but it is very tasty and a mirror of the aroma. It is not aggressively zesty, floral, or spicy; it is very well balanced. The floral and spice work the tonsils and linger on the taste buds after each sip. Again, it is hard to be specific because it is so well balanced, but the broad strokes include light malt, lemon zest, and floral spice and bitterness.
Fun facts about Keller Pils:
• Style: Summit calls it German-style pilsner.
• Price: $8.99 for a six-pack of 12-ounce bottles at John's Grocery in Iowa City.
• Alcohol content: 5.1 percent ABV.
• Food pairings: Listed on the beer's webpage are Caesar salad, grilled meat with chimichurri sauce, hot glazed doughnuts, and street tacos with tomatillo sauce. Glazed doughnuts, eh? I think this is the first time I have ever seen glazed doughnuts as a food pairing for beer. I guess it's a good excuse to eat glazed doughnuts.
• IBU: 38.
• Keller Pils had been a seasonal, but Summit made it a year-round offering in January 2018.
• Paste Magazine rated Keller Pils the second-best pilsner in the world in 2016.
• I just noticed that Summit recommends serving Keller Pils in a pilsner glass. [Facepalm!] I'm using my Goose Island becker glass. Why? This tweet:
@IowaHasGoodBeer fyi pic.twitter.com/SITS4aO7jv
— Tyler 🌎 (@tilo423) March 8, 2018
I have never been a fan of my becker glasses, but I'm going to start using them more often just to see if they make a difference.
The Quiet Man's grade: A-.
