Lift Bridge Getaway Pilsner Review

Name: Lift Bridge Getaway Pilsner

Style: Pilsner

ABV: 5.25%

Lift Bridge Brewing just released a brand new summer seasonal beer called Getaway Pilsner. Unlike same beers I've had from them (and have not reviewed yet,) this comes in a 16 oz. Tallboy can as opposed to the 12 oz. bottle which I'm used to seeing from this brewery; Although I have seen their Farm Girl Saison in 16 oz. cans as well.

Since it is Memorial Day weekend and only a few more weeks until the official start of summer, what better time to look at this beer than now. Hey, in the event you are out for a summer picnic or a day at the beach, you want to make sure you bring good beer!

Getaway Pilsner pours a pale yellow color with a foamy white head. The visible carbonation is quite mild and the lacing is pretty soapy in appearance. 

The nose starts off with a Pilsner & Pale Maltiness upfront with some floral hops, yeasts and a light grassy/earthy scent. A little maltier smelling and definitely more of a hop kick than most Pilsners I'm used to having.

Likewise the flavor is also pretty Pilsner/Pale malt forward but the floral hoppiness is a lot more prevalent here. In addition to that, there is a nice yeast profile in here and the earthy qualities are quite tame as well. As for the aftertaste, it's quite dry with just a hint of floral hops and Pilsner malts.

The palate as a whole is light; Both in terms of carbonation and overall weight. In other words, it's the way a summer seasonal should feel: light and crisp.

I found Getaway Pilsner to be quite good. I think the floral hoppiness in particular will help draw in people who are not normally fan of traditional Pilsner beers. At the same time, I can also see this beer being a great and sessionable beer during the hot summer months. Be sure to check this out if you get the chance!

Lift Bridge Getaway Pilsner - 8.25/10

New Glarus Two Women Lager Review

Name: New Glarus Two Women Lager

Style: Pilsener

ABV: 5%

Two Women is New Glarus' Pilsener offering which, to my understanding, was released in 2010 with a recipe change in 2001. The beer is a collaboration (sort of) between New Glarus Brewing and Sabine Weyermann Malting, the latter of which supplies malts to various brewers and homebrewers alike, at least that's what I found out. The name "Two Women" derives from the fact that both New Glarus Brewing and Weyermann Malting are both owned by women, Deb Carey and Sabine Weyermann respectively. 

Two Women pours a bright orange color with a mild haze and a soapy slight off-white head which has fairly good retention. The carbonation visible in the glass retains a reasonably high level throughout.

The nose consists with an aroma of yeasts, barley, grassiness and pale malts. Fairly typical Pilsener smell and about what I would expect from the style.

The flavor is mainly yeasts, lemon zest, barley, floral hops and pale malts. While the parts may not seem impressive, the flavors themselves are surprisingly robust and well rounded.

The body is fairly light and the carbonation has a surprisingly mild feel to it and the end result is a crisp body and palate.

Two Women Lager is a robust yet well rounded and refreshing Pilsener. Even if you aren't a fan of the Pilsener Style, having a bottle of this will probably change your mind.

New Glarus Two Women Lager - 9/10

New Belgium Blue Paddle Review

Name: New Belgium Blue Paddle
Style: Pilsener
ABV: 4.8%


The next New Belgium Beer I have is their Blue Paddle Pilsener. Though the label shows a boat and paddle resting on the shore on a quint lake, the name actually comes from the brewery's warehouse manager. According to New Belgium, it refers to the "blue paddle" which was used to paddle the rear end of the warehouse manager by his grandmother when she caught him taking sips of her beer. I can just feel the love right now!

Blue Paddle pours a pale yellow color with a foamy/soapy head with the carbonation activity at a fairly mild level.

The nose has a prominent pale malt scent followed up by barley, yeasts, dough and grassiness. The flavor is more yeast focused followed by grassiness, pale malts, and barley. Aftertaste is a bit dry but earthy at the same time. The body is light and the carbonation falls in-between mild and moderate, providing it with a nice crisp feel.

This is a decent Pilsener but it's middle of the road when it comes to the style. With that said you aren't going wrong with this either way.

New Belgiam Blue Paddle - 7.5/10

New Glarus Edel-Pils Review

The next beer in my New Glarus mix-a-six sampler is their Edel-Pils, which is a Pilsener with an ABV of 5.3% The label itself is a bit on the minimal side both in terms of design and color, which is quite sepia-esque.

The beer itself pours a slightly hazy golden color with a filmy head. There's a bit of carbonation along the sides of the glass.

The nose has some strong yeast, biscuit, floral hops, pale malt and grassy notes. The grassiness in this case is rather subdued and almost mild.

The flavor has a strong yeastiness upfront, backed up by some pale malts, barley, light floral hops and a very slight grassiness. For a Pilsener, it's surprisingly un-earthy.

The body is fairly lightweight, but the carbonation is rather stingy in how it feels and goes get in the way if you're giving the beer a thorough tasting.

Pilseners have usually been sort of a hit-or-miss for myself and this one is definitely more of a hit. The lack of any earthy notes helps the flavor a great deal and it's flavor is very well balanced and sweet; It almost reminds me of Victory's Prima Pils. Carbonation is a bit strong when you account for the flavor, but it's still a good tasting pilsener.

New Glarus Edel-Pils - 8/10