Southern Tier Eurotrash Pilz

Brewed By: Southern Tier Brewing Company in Lakewood, New York
Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Binny's in Illinois; 2013

Style/ABV: Pilsner, 5.2%

Reported IBUs: ?

I've had a bad cold all week, which has prohibited me from enjoying beer. It's a shame really...I guess it's a week of recovery. Seriously though, fuck colds. Oh yeah, we are doing boring Pilsner reviews now. About Southern Tier.

Southern Tier Brewing Company is based out of Lakewood, New York. The brewery was founded in 2002 by Phineas DeMink and Allen "Skip" Yahn. Using equipment purchased from the old Saddleback Brewing Co., the company began production with the vision of reviving traditional small batch brewing to the region. By 2003, the brewery was distributing their small batch ales, and by 2005 their sales covered New York and Pennsylvania. Before the brewery had any seasonal beers, it produced a Pilsner, Mild Ale, and IPA. Due to popularity, in 2009 a 20,000 square foot facility was built to allow for the brewing of large-scale beers. Since then, Southern Tier has continued to expand, and continued to invest in better equipment to keep up with the increasing demand for their beer. You can read more about Southern Tier's history on their history page.

The season is right, and this is a seasonal release. The Eurotrash Pilz is an American-style Pilsner brewed with 2 varieties of hops, and 2 types of malts. This one is billed as a transition beer between Winter and Spring, with a January release. This beer was originally brewed to propagate yeast for Southern Tier's Farmer's Tan. 

Southern Tier Eurotrash Pilz

This is a photogenic beer...I love the pink bottle label. This one pours a nice golden-straw color, with a finger or two of fluffy, white head. Head retention is nice. In bright light, you can see that this beer is pretty clearly transparent, and there's a lot of big carbonation bubbles streaming upwards. Good looking stuff. 

The aroma is nice, with light Pils grain, honey, graham cracker/cereal, light pizza dough, light mineral crispness, and some grassy/floral hops.

This is a tasty beer, with a little mineral/sulfur bite, big biscuit/cracker, light pizza dough, and some nice hop bitterness. The hop profile is floral and grassy. The whole thing is very clean, with lingering bitterness and a hint of mineral bite. There's a touch of honey.

I'd call this stupid drinkable, with a light to medium-light mouthfeel. The beer is supported by high carbonation, and finishes lightly bitter, clean, and dry. Palate depth is good, complexity is good. You get hops/mineral up front, followed by big biscuit/cracker/dough, some grain/pils malt; that rolls into honey, sweet malt, more biscuit; the back end has grassy hops, a hint of lemon, and dries out. Nice stuff.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average on this...it's a little sweet, but overall, it's quite drinkable and has a nice hoppy/dry finish. It's not going to blow you away, but pair this beer with pizza and you will be in heaven. You can also munch on some nuts with it like I was doing during the hockey game last night. I think a sixer of this is like 10 bucks, which isn't bad compared to some of the comparable macro swill you can find. Also, 5.2% is on the higher end for a Pilsner. All-in-all, I would recommend.

Random Thought: So the crosstown classic is this week (Cubs vs. Sox), and I'm surprised to hear people talking about it at work. I know this series and rivalry is usually something to look forward to, but honestly? Both teams suck ass this year. Both teams are a train wreck. There is nothing to care about regarding this series. Drunk Cubs fans vs. bitter Sox fans...who cares. On the other hand, it looks like hockey might hold us over til near football season.