“Everything we love about classic German Pilsner with a hoppy Bohemian twist. Pils is a bright straw colored lager beer with playful carbonation topped with beautiful white foam lace. Delicate lightly toasted malt flavors underscore noble German hop character. Hallertau-grown Magnum hops deliver the lupulin foundation while generous amounts of Spalter Select hops bring floral aromatic and spicy herbal notes. As a twist on the traditional Pils, we dry hop with German Saphir for a touch of bergamot zest and lemongrass. A refreshing, light-bodied and hop-driven Pils.” 5.3% ABV Czech Pilsner
Purchased from Das Bierhaus in Fresno, California.
Poured from a 12 oz bottle into my pilsner glass. The body is straw yellow and crystal clear, aside from some moderate visible carbonation. A mostly-white sudsy head is poured, which leaves mild lacing on the glass throughout.
I kind of expected the hop profile to be more in line with an IPA, but sweet and cracker-y pilsner malts are the first aromas I detect. The hoppiness comes in the form of light lemon, floral, and faint oily grass notes. Again, the scents of this one stay mostly true to its pilsner roots.
Pivo Pils is medium-thin bodied and goes down relatively smooth, offering a decent dose of spastic carbonation and hop bitterness. As in the nose, the flavors are much in line with a well crafted pilsner – mainly slightly sweet, crackery malts. The lemon notes appear again as it finishes, mixed with some funky musty hops, as well as a faint bit of spicy/peppery hop character. The carbonation wipes most of the flavor from the aftertaste, leaving just mild bitterness to linger on the palate.
I’m still a pilsner “noob”, and I certainly haven’t had enough European style pilsners to know how Pivo compares. That being said, I think it may be the best of the style I’ve tried. It has a light malt base free from the adjuncts that plague mainstream American macro lagers, and the actual hop character compliments that base well. It is a great sessionable pilsner that most craft beer drinkers across a broad spectrum could find appealing. Another well done Firestone Walker beer. 7.5/10
Firestone Walker Brewery – Paso Robles, California