Dissin' Pils

If a bottle has the word Pils upon it, well, it just won't be any good ... at least according to the nouveau beer taster. To him or her, the beer must be the most extreme, bitter, sweet, fruity, or alcoholic potion possible. Or at least not a beer with the words Pils or Pilsner upon it!

Bob Tupper has told me that this reverse snobbery is often directed against his wonderful Tupper Pils.

This past Friday night at an in-store tasting in Washington D.C., a customer tasted Clipper City's Small Craft Warning Uber Pils, flashed me a superior look, and said, "That's dirty Budweiser."

Now, I would like to taste the Budweiser he's referencing! Because I've never tasted a Bud rife with peppery/floral aroma, with a full shortbread-cookie maltiness, a firm drying structure, bottle conditioned with yeast in the bottle, and 7% alcohol by volume.

If you find one, please send it over!

Read this account of a hapless New York Magazine tasting from last year. The beers reflected a wide range of flavors, deliberately and carefully selected by David Pollack. David is a friend of mine and a sublimely competent beer advocate. The assembled tasters, were not. They were simply overwhelmed by the range of good beer flavors.

And - they dissed pilsners.