Craft Beer Enthusiast Path to Find Great Beer! : Joe's Premium American Pilsner

Joe's Premium American Pilsner by Avery Brewing Company

Brew I am trying tonight is from Avery Brewing Company. Started out homebrewing like most brewers and then became a brewery in 1993. Avery Brewing Company is located in Boulder, Colorado. One thing that I noticed about Avery was them sharing knowledge about homebrewing and which allows people to try to brew their favorite Avery beer. The beer I am sampling tonight is Joe's Premium American Pilsner. Avery Brewing wanted a brew that was sessionable that still gave you a nice hop note, right after you finished up outside in the heat. Joe's has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 4.7% and an IBU of 50. Just by looking at the bitterness units on this beer I am nervous to try this beer. Thats a high level, but I think the alcohol by volume will help cut down the bitterness and allow me to fully enjoy this brew.

Appearance of Joe's Pilsner

The head or foam of this brew is very noticeable and leaves a nice ring of lacing on the glass. The foam is also very dense and an off-white color. Looking at Joe's appearance I notice that there is a steady a noticeable amount of carbonation helping to add to the foam and aroma of this brew. The color appearance of Joe's is golden clear complexion to this brew. I took a whiff of the aroma of this beer to see what I could pull out as the aroma, but I really had to focus and the notes in the aroma. I was able to notice that there is a hop note to the aroma for this pilsner, which makes sense considering the use of German Noble Hops. I also picked up an herbal or floral note to the aroma that entices me and intrigues my curiosity. Thinking about this beer it is like a blend between a pilsner and a light lager.

I am hesitant on diving into this brew, but at the same time I want to chug it. The hops make me hesitant.

Diving in to taste this beer I notice that the hop aroma is followed by a bitter note in the tasting of Joe's Premium American Pilsner. There is a crisp and light taste to this beer as well, that is what surprises me the most with the bitter note in the beer. With the bitter and the light taste, that is where I notice the combination of the Pilsner and light lager feel to this brew. While drinking this beer I also noticed the that there is a light body to this beer and that the mouthfeel is light. I also think Joe's has a nice dry finish to this brew and moderate amount of carbonation in the beer. I noticed the Nobel Hops more in the bitter notes of tasting Joe's Pilsner. They added a nice bitter dry finish to this pilsner and made Joe's a great sessionable brew.

Overall I think this is a great blend between a pilsner and a light lager. If you are looking for a sessionable pilsner and a light crisp tasting brew this is a beer for you. In addition, if you are not a fan of hops into beers, you can still enjoy this light crisp tasting brew because the bitter notes are not overpowering like some India Pale Ales. I would definitely recommend this beer and Avery brews to anyone that likes a great tasting/enjoyable beer.

Price wise if you are looking to grab a six pack of Joe's Premium American Pilsner you would be looking at around eight to nine bucks for this brew. For the taste and quality I think this is a definite steal and I hope to find more brews like this style out there hopefully.