JosephsBrau Hopfest

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 6

still a little lighter and more one dimensional than i'd prefer, but the Hallertaus are evident, and i like that at least a little. i may even return to this one.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Pours into my "designer" Sam Adams glass with a chill hazed (this dissipates as the beer warms up), straw gold color and is topped by a frothy, large bubbled, initially finger and a half thick, Pale, off-white colored head, that breaks apart and dissipates with large islands of broken froth. Nicely malty nose with notes of sweet grain, grassy malt, honey and floral aromatics . Those last are also part of hop character, which also includes a light herbal note, a touch of mint character and some light lemon notes.

Crisp, with a solid bitterness up front, the hop bite continues to play a role through to a sharp finish. Lightly sweet malt character contributes a honey character that tries to temper the dominant hop character. Tries because this is a Pilsner after all, but the malt does play a significant role here; it is in fact a bit more malty than one expects in a Pilsner & in fact contributes a touch too much sweetness for the German variety, but it is in line with the Bohemian one. A hint of buttery yeast character mixes up in & melds into the honey notes. A nice herbal hop flavor runs throughout; sort of menthol like, perhaps some lemon thyme like thing and some sharp grassy notes.

Certainly one of the better Trader Joe's branded brews. I definitely like the flavors in this one, but I think that a bit more hop character would make this very good. There is enough malt character her to support it, especially since it seems to get to be a little too much at times and I like a Pilsner with a solid hop character.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

This pils pours a light golden- orange colour with a decent sized white head. It has plenty of hoppy aroma and taste but ends with a watery hop finish. its an alright beer.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

This Bohemian Pilsner pours a light orange gold color from a 12oz bottle. Medium sized white foamy head. Aroma is grainy and cereal, with a touch of spice and pepper. A medium bodied Bohemian Pils. Malts are cereal, fruity and sweet. Hops are slightly spicy. Good balance. Nice carbonation. Definitely a beer both beer person and bud drinker could stand to drink. Perhaps a touch sweet at the finish, but this is a nice beer for a hot spring night. Mouthfeel is full. Finish si clean and crisp. Aftertaste is slightly bitter with a touch of lingering sweetness.