Preamble
My #Beersaturday posts have been lacking as of late. I've barely been drinking any alcohol these days and when I do have a beer its often something that I've already posted about. Its getting harder and harder to find new beers for me to review. The only beers that seem to be left untasted at the liquor store are IPAs and unfortunately, I just cant get into them. Nonetheless, I do have a new one for this weeks challenge. Its a Pilsner by the the Nickel Brook Brewery. Lets check it out.
Paddle Battle West Coast Pilsner
Brewery: Nickel Brook Brewing Co
Origin:Burlington ON Canada
Style: West Coast style Pilsner
Abv: 5.0%
IBU: Unknown
SRM: Unknown
Marketing: The can is forest green and tan in color with metalic red and bronze accents. The design image is an angry cartoon beaver holding a sharpened paddle. Why he is angry I cannot say. Perhaps he is defending his beer from a pesky camper or fisherman?
The back of the can describes the beer as "Crispy, fresh and mountain air" and the color as "Coastal sunrise." Its an okay can. I like color choice of green and red on the back but I find the beaver image to be a bit childish for my esthetic taste.
Color: The beer poured a very bright sunshine yellow with a billowy head that extended well above the glass.
The head lasted a decent amount of time as well. The liquid was a bit hazy for a pilsner.
I wonder if the foam was fortified? Its not often that you see a natural beer with such a strong foam that can extend as high as this.
Nose: The aroma is strong with a hoppy bouquet. I got a distinct smell of pineapple, and floral pine. It was more akin to a pale ale than a pilsner in my opinion, but good all around aroma.
Taste: Very little sweetness in the beer but a nice punchy tanginess and a strong bitter finish. It tasted crisp and fresh with more hoppy pineapple notes. The taste was like a pale ale to me or a very mild IPA. It had a lot of hoppy flavor for a pilsner.
Texture: the carbonation was actually subdued a little with a lot of it escaping to the bubbly head. The texture was smooth underneath with light bodied mouthfeel.
Impression: Overall I liked the beer. It was definitely flavorful with a crisp taste just as the can suggests. I was searching for the "mountain air" aroma and flavor but I couldn't pinpoint it... marketing literally is just words. Just say something and throw it on there for people to read. Maybe mountain refers to the smell of pine though? That could make sense to me.
I wouldn't have thought that this was a pilsner based on how much hoppy flavor and aroma it had but then again I don't know much about the West Coast style either, so perhaps it fits the category perfectly? Regardless I think that its a good beer and i enjoyed drinking it.
