Tag Archives: Beer

My Perfect 6-Pack: Pilsner Edition

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A few months ago I listed my perfect 6-pack. Beers I enjoy and love, ranging from IPAs to stouts to pilsners. Pilsners are one of my favorite styles, so I decided to do a pilsner edition perfect 6-pack.

The Olde Mecklenberg Brewery Captain Jack Pilsner Charlotte, NC
We’ll just shorten it to OMB. Smooth, unbelievably flavorful with good bitterness, and very drinkable at only 4.8%, this is IMHO the greatest pilsner on the planet. I love german-style beer, and they definitely do it right. (note: this was included in my overall perfect 6-pack)

Crooked Run Coast Sterling, VA
This beer is just so…so yummy. The blend of New Zealand Motueka and Wakatu hops give it a unique feel and taste. Dare I say creamy? Whatever it is, it’s awesome. One of my favorite pilsners ever. By the way, they also make wonderful IPAs and tasty stouts.

Bierstadt Lagerhaus Slow-Pour Pils Denver, CO
I was introduced to this beer by a good friend, and man, I’m glad he did. These guys do it the right way; the old-style way. It’s call a slow-pour pils because it deserves – no, it begs – to be poured and served that way (if you haven’t heard of this method, check out this article here). This beer is legit heaven in a glass.

Escutcheon Brewing John Riggins 4th & 1 Pilsner Winchester, VA
Escutcheon technically doesn’t brew this beer any longer, so I may have cheated, but I love it. According to them the exact same beer is brewed under the “Fancy Clancy’s Pilsner” name, but I’m not so sure. The Clancy version tastes lighter to me with less bitterness. That very well may be a placebo effect, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Anyhow, I LOVE the 4th & 1. Great flavor, lovely bitterness, a touch of sweetness. It is my favorite pilsner ever.

Sierra Nevada Southern Gothic Chico, CA
Yes, I’m a Sierra Nevada fanboy. No, I won’t apologize for it. This is a wonderful pils. Tasty bitterness, velvety smooth, and a 5.2% ABV. You don’t have to sacrifice flavor for (multiple) drinkability.

Ardent Pilsner Richmond, VA
Last, but certainly not least, is the AWESOME pilsner from Ardent out of Richmond, VA. I believe Ardent is the the most underrated brewery in Virginia, but that’s a conversation for another time over…pilsners. 🙂 This is a great German-style pilsner. Tons of flavor, tons of aroma; a beer you can go back to time after time and never get tired of it. Slow pour it, and even more aromas are released, making it that much better. I’m moving back to Cleveland soon, and this is one of the Virginia beers I’m going to really miss.

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My Perfect 6-Pack

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It’s been five years since my last blog post. Been busy, life happens, and unfortunately adulting needed to be done.

So, for my (non)triumphant return, I figured I’d write about beer. 🙂 More specifically, which beers make up my perfect 6-pack. Not all six are necessarily my favorite beers on the planet, but they still make up my perfect 6-pack. If that makes any sense.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Chico, CA
Now this IS my favorite beer. The O.G. If I had to pick one beer – and only one beer – to drink the rest of my life, it would be Sierra Pale Ale. It’s perfect any time of the year, on any occasion, and you can find it anywhere. Bars, grocery stores, restaurants, craft beer places…doesn’t matter. The greatest balance of taste, bitterness, ABV, and drinkability. Not too light, not too strong. It’s perfect.

Escutcheon Brewing Habermehl’s Oktoberfest Winchester, VA
Marzens are my favorite beer style and Escutcheon’s Oktoberfest is my favorite of that style. Great malt, great drinkability, ton and tons of flavor. It’s only available in the taproom, so you’ll need to buy more than a few growlers to take home. Definitely worth a trip to Winchester.

Goose Island Bourbon County Stout Chicago, IL
I’m going to catch major flack for this one, but it is what it is. THIS. IS. MY. FAVORITE. STOUT. Period. I love barrel-aged heavy stouts and this is the best. I’ve tried others on numerous occasions, and I keep coming back and comparing them to this one. No other stout I’ve tried balances the richness, sweetness, boldness, and flavor into a magic elixir like Goose Island does with this beer. No one. ABInBev has fucked up a lot of their beers, but thankfully not this one.

The Olde Mecklenberg Brewery Captain Jack Pilsner Charlotte, NC
We’ll just shorten it to OMB. This is my favorite pilsner. Smooth, unbelievably flavorful with good bitterness, and very drinkable at only 4.8%, this is IMHO the greatest pilsner on the planet. I love german-style beer, and they definitely do it right.

Great Lakes Brewing Dortmunder Gold Lager Cleveland, OH
A staple in my fridge, this is another one of those beers I can drink anywhere, anytime, any season. A little sweet, a hint of hops, and refreshing. A great example of a dortmunder and unequivocally Cleveland.

Masthead Brewing IPA Cleveland, OH
This is not my favorite IPA, but for some reason when I’m in the mood for an American IPA, I seem to always reach for it. This IPA has great hop flavor with Simcoe and Mosaic hops, but not too much to give you “hop burn” and be too bitter. It’s also not trendy with 10x dry hopping which turns out to just be nasty. I love Masthead and I love this beer.

Honorable Mention: Troegs Nimble Giant, Ardent Pilsner, Crooked Run Coast Pilsner, Crooked Run Vain, Smartmouth Game On IPA, Sierra Nevada Narwhal, Sierra Nevada Southern Gothic, Triple Crossing Jubilee Bier, Guinness Draught