Tommyknocker Alpine Glacier Pilsner

The fourth beer I grabbed out of my Tommyknocker sampler was the Alpine Glacier Pilsner:

Vittles:

5.1% abv

31 IBUs

Appearance: 9/10

It pours a straw/pale golden color with a large, off-white head.  The head retains nicely, and when it falls, it leaves significant lacing.  The beer itself is crystal clear, and you can see a decent amount of effervescence.

Aroma: 19/25

A faint malt background is noticeable, as is an earthy straw/hay/grass kind of aroma.  I also picked up on mild spiciness and a slight floral character.  It smells fairly delicate.  After the head fell, I could also smell that cooked vegetable/creamed corn odor of DMS.  DMS does rear its ugly head more readily in pale lagers, but a good brewer will use methods like the roiling boil, an uncovered brew kettle, and/or a strong fermentation to help reduce the DMS.  I'm not saying Tommyknocker didn't use those methods (or that they're not good brewers).  I'm just saying there's still some DMS left over, which is allowable for this style.

Taste: 30/40

Not what I was expecting after the aroma.  The malt taste was fairly mild and consisted of straw/hay notes, a very subdued breadiness, and a barely there biscuit flavor.  The more noticeable flavors were piney/resiny, floral, and a nice spiciness that makes your tongue feel alive.  The aftertaste is heavy, thick, and lingering, and it also tastes of pine and resin, with fainter floral and spicy notes.

Mouthfeel: 7/10

This beer has a light to medium body with moderate carbonation.  It finishes fairly dry, which is accentuated by the thick aftertaste.

Style: 5/5

There are three kinds of pilsners: German, Bohemian, and Classic American.  This beer fits the German Pils category very nicely.  The only unexpected for me was the pine/resin taste.

Drinkability: 7/10

I wouldn't go out of my way to have another of these beers.  One was enough.  It's not a bad beer, but it really isn't better than average in any sense of the word.  It was a little unexpected where taste and flavor are concerned, but again, not necessarily in a bad way.

Overall: 77/100

It was a bit heavier of a taste than I was expecting out of a pilsner, and I attribute that mainly to the pine, resin, and spice flavors.  This probably would have been better to have with a meal instead of sipping after yard work.  Honestly, if someone handed me a glass of this beer and didn't tell me what it was, I probably would have taken it for an APA or even a mild AIPA.  It just didn't have the balance of maltiness and hoppiness that I thought it should have had.

Two left to try, and both are IPAs.  Cheers!