Lightning Elemental Pilsner

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 5

A fairly vigorous pour yields a three-finger thick, pale tan colored head in my 25cl tulip glass. As I pour this beer an interesting aroma of peaches wafts my way. The beer is a brilliantly clear, full gold color that is on the dark side for a Pilsner (think a fuller Bohemian Pils color). The head leaves some nice lacing patterns on the sides of my glass as it slowly subsides under the persistent level of carbonation. A deeper inspection of the aroma yields sweet, aromatic grain notes (touch of grape and some soft honey notes) as well as some dry, saltine-cracker like aromas, grassy grain and some light hop aromatics. The hop notes contribute aromas of herbal hay and some light lemon zest. The hop character is very soft here, though I suppose it matches fairly well with the soft malt character, it just is even more soft than the malt aromatics.

Wow, this is actually quite sweet, definitely not a typical German interpretation, but it is even sweet for a Bohemian interpretation. Though I think it really seems sweet because the hop character is so soft. This definitely needs more hops, nothing over the top, but enough to balance the sweet grain character that defines this brew right now. Flavors of chewy, fresh crushed pale malt, cracker like grain, and a touch of dusty biscuit flavors are joined by sweet malt notes that are a mix of honey-like grain, a touch of peach, . No surprisingly, with the sweetness, this beer has a fair amount of body to it; I wouldn't really describe this as being crisp or even refreshing as most examples of the style are; it is not heavy either, just not quite as light as one might expect. The muted hop character contributes soft notes of grassy herbs, a touch of bitterness and some sweet lemon-drop notes.

A very different interpretation of a Pilsner. I would recommend adding quite a bit more noble hops (nothing over the top, just enough to let one know this is a Pils) and allowing the yeast to attenuate this quite a bit further. What do I know though, this might be exactly what Lightning was trying to brew, it seems so far off from the standards of the style though; it could almost be a Helles with this hop character, but it is too sweet for that style as well. Fairly tasty, but really a bit too sweet to be fully enjoyable for me. If you are one to complain that Pilsners are too dry & too hoppy, then this beer might be for you, I am instead hoping that the brewers are still dialing this recipe in, because I think that it shows some great potential.

Purchased: South Bay Drugs Pharmacy, Imperial Beach CA