Samuel Adams Golden Pilsner
Sam Adams Golden Pilsner ABV: 4.63% (3.61% ABW) OG: 1.047, 11.8 P FG: 1.013, 3.26 P Apparent Attenuation: 72.33 Real Extract: 4.8 P Calories/12 oz: 145 Malt: 2-row; Caramel 60 Hops: German Saaz; Spalt Spalter; Hallertauer; Northern Brewer Dry hopped with Spalt and Saaz The Boston Brewing Company even managed to get creative with their Pilsner... From the same company that adds honey to their Porter, ferments their Barley Wine with a champagne yeast (partially), and adds a peat-smoked malt to their Scotch Ale, Sam Adams Golden Pilsner features Spalt hops instead of the more traditional Pilsner hop, Saaz (though Saaz are used). Pretty crazy! OK, not that crazy really In my opinion, Golden Pilsner is a relatively classic interpretation of a Bohemian Pilsner. Golden colored, with a medium-sized, clingy white head, this beer also has a great Pilsner aroma: sweet, crackerlike maltiness balanced by a spicy, lightly floral, very crisp, almost lemony hop bouquet. The flavors follow the lead set by the aroma: sweet and malty, then crisp, and citric in the hoppy finish. The carbonation is relatively intense, masking the maltiness and increasing the citric flavor that is at least somewhat unexpected in this style... A dryish, yet somehow lingering sourish flavor rounds out the experience. Interestingly to me, the very first Sam Adams product was the ubiquitous Boston Lager, which I have seen billed as a Bohemian Pilsner (though I would disagree). Golden Pilsner is much closer to the Pilsners from the Czech Republic and Germany than Boston Lager, which is the much more widely-known product. For the record: I've never seen the Boston Brewing Company themselves make any claims about a Pilsen lineage for Boston Lager. Good quenching Pilsner: the citric quality and lower alcohol content makes it an ideal candidate for a summer-time session beer. 3.5