Harpoon Bohemian Pilsner
June 27, 2011
Harpoon Bohemian Pilsner was one of the beers found in Harpoon’s ‘Summer Vacation’ variety pack. (I love craft beer variety packs!) Part of the reason I chose to get this variety pack was that is had a few beer styles in it that I didn’t have much exposure to.
This ‘Bohemian Pilsner’ was one of them, and its only available in the Summer variety pack, and the other was their ‘Summer Beer‘ which is a German-style Kolsch.
Both of these beer styles seem very appropriate for the warm Summer months, and I thought it was a good choice to include them in the variety pack.
From the Harpoon website, we learn that the “Harpoon Bohemian Pilsner follows the age-old tradition of extended lagering to help produce a smooth yet complex beer. The blend of European malts is balanced with Tettnang and Saaz hops to create a slightly malty beer with a crisp finish.”
OK, that sounds nice, but I know you’re wondering “What does Scott think?” Well, let me tell you!
First off, the beer looks great. As you might be able to tell from my crappy picture, its a nice, dark, straw-colored beer that appears to be very clear and is topped with a dense, bubbly head. Looks like a good start!
As I mentioned, I’m not well-versed in Pilsners, probably because this is the beer style that gets a bad name from the likes of the huge beer conglomerates. ‘Fizzy yellow water’ is what often describes this beer style, and I recognize that’s still a part of my psyche. But I know there are good craft pilsners out there (and good European Pilsners too!) and I will not let that particular beer aversion stop me from sampling them!
Anyway, the aroma to me was sweetish, with wheat, citrus, and mild hop (Saaz and Tettnana) and a mild feral, I mean, floral quality. 
The taste was really quite nice, and I’ll admit that I’ve been neglecting some 
good beers if this is what a Pilsner can be! I thought that the beer’s taste was very nicely balanced, but I think the hops come to the front a bit more in the flavor than I interpreted in the smell. Still, it was subtle, and not at all out of check.
For the Summer, I thought it was great! In addition to the nice hop flavors, there seemed to be just a touch of peppery spiciness, paired with some nice citrus flavors and some malty sweetness for good measure.
The beer was light feeling, nicely carbonated, and a real pleasure to drink. Personally, I think it was the best beer in the variety pack, and its too bad that it isn’t part of their regular beer rotation. I’d get it again, and I never buy pilsners!
Rating: 
What do you think? What are some good domestic Czech-style pilsners that I should look to try? Looking back, I also seemed to like the Sam Adams Noble Pils (3.5 stars)
Scott- TheBrewClub
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Posted in 4 Star Reviews, American Beers, Seasonal Beers
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June 27th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
I find pilsners perfect for summer and I like that this one has a little extra flavor. I like them because they are light and don’t fill me up TOO much. I haven’t seen this at my local liquor store but I’ll probably ask them to ship it in for me (they are so nice to do so) so I can try it before summer is over!
Alyssa- Coolproducts.com