A traditional Czech-style beer made with imported Czech yeast and it’s brewed in Cairns, North Queensland.
Blue Sky Pilsner is hand crafted by the Blue Sky Brewery which currently operates a 10 hectolitre system, comprising of sixteen tanks and sources its brewing ingredients from all over the world – in this case the Czech Republic. They also have many eco-initiatives in place one of them being that they harvest and re-use brewing yeast up to 10 times – being a home brewer I’m not exactly sure how this is done but I would love to find out. The brewery offers regular tours to the public during the day at $12 per adult, more details can be found here.
Like most Pilsners this one is crisp and truly refreshing. It’s not real hoppy or bitter just smooth and there seems to be slight banana tones to it. It pours a clear yellow colour with great carbonation and leaves rings of lacing down your glass. Mine had a two finger bubbly white head. Unfortunately though there was no discernable smell from this brew, which to some (ladies perhaps) may be appealing. It checks in at 4.5% alcohol and 1.2 standard drinks per 330ml bottle. A six-pack will cost you an easy $14.99 and it’s stocked at most alcohol stores.
Blue Sky Pilsner definitely makes for a refreshing brew and one that would be well appreciated on a hot day or after a hard day’s work. It would also make for an excellent session beer as it’s highly drinkable and when you couple this with the fact it has no preservatives and the price per six-pack, it’s a win-win scenario.
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts: 4.5% alcohol – 330ml brown bottle – Pop top
Wasp is a funny name for a brew that is full of honey, so full that I can still smell it on the empty bottle.
Wasp is a Honey Pilsner that is brewed by the Invercargill Brewery in New Zealand. It is comprised of two types of hops; Pacific Gem and Motueka and flavoured with (I would have to think) a rather substantial amount of Kamahi honey, which is light amber in colour and full of rich complex flavours. The Invercargill Brewery has been in operation since 1999 and is the proud achievement of father and son team Gerry & Steve Nally. Since then they have created many unique hand crafted brews and cider, most of which are available year round with some being limited speciality brews. Wasp was created in December of 2008 as a new take on an old favourite of the brewery.
Honey honey honey! They were the first words I uttered after having a mouthful of this brew. It starts off hitting you with a big sweet, floral honey aroma that is accompanied by a crisp and refreshing taste. The mouth feel of this brew is almost creamy and viscous like honey is when eaten from a spoon. Again the honey is very much present in the taste along with some mild citrus tones from the hops and in general is quite sweet on the tongue. It pours a cloudy golden hue with low carbonation and a quick dissipating white head that left no real lacing on my glass. Short of travelling to New Zealand, you will most likely have to buy this beer from an independent bottle shop or directly from the Brewery’s website.
While Wasp packed a big honey flavour and aroma I didn’t think it had much else on board. It would make for a refreshing summer time brew and a must try for any honey lover.
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts: 5.2% alcohol – 330ml brown bottle – Pop top
‘The Original Pilsner’ or so the bottle says. Pilsner Urquell is brewed and bottled in the Czech Republic in a city called Pilsen also known as Plzeň. One is likely to think that a ‘Pilsner’ brewed in a city call ‘Pilsen’ would make for a great beer? Well guess what, it does.
First of all let’s discuss something important to everyone these days, the cost. For a fully imported brew Pilsner Urquell won’t break the bank, the six-pack I bought for this review cost $16.99 from Dan Murphy’s and you can currently pick up a carton of them from BWS for $44.80, but be quick as this price ends on Sunday. Pilsner Urquell means ‘The Pilsner from the original source.’ It was given that name in 1898 as the people of Pilsen did not want it to fall under the generic definition of a Pilsner which is a beer brewed using bottom fermenting yeast. This beer is certainly anything but generic. It pours a medium golden colour leaving a quick disappearing small head. Aroma from this brew is sweet and floral like. The taste is very smooth & pleasant even if it does start off bitter. Pilsner Urquell is very easy to drink. It leaves you refreshed and wanting more.
Overall, this is a very enjoyable Pilsner and can be great value if bought at the right time. It makes for a perfect session beer and I know what I will be drinking this coming Australia Day even if it’s not Australian….but then most likely neither are the clothes or shoes you’ll be wearing come Tuesday!
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts : 4.4% alcohol – 330ml green bottle – Pop top
The German pilsners are certainly flooding the Australian bottle shops but there is nothing wrong with that.König Pilsner is another beer that is brewed and bottled by our beer loving friends in Germany at the König Brauerei and wholly imported into Australia by the Australian Beer Connoisseurs company.
The König Brauerei was founded in 1858 by Theodore König in the lower rural community of Beeck and since then it has flourished with ever increasing product demand and supply.In July of 2004 the König Brauerei became a full subsidiary of the Bitburger Braugruppe and not surprisingly the labeling on the König Pilsner looks very similar to that of the Bitburger Premium Beer which can be seen in the picture below.
This German pilsner has a sweet malt aroma and clear golden appearance typical to pilsner beers.Its taste is light and refreshing with a finish of hops bitterness and overall this is a smooth beer to drink.König Pilsner is a relatively cheap brew and you can currently pick up a carton for $39.90 at 1stChoice.I suggest you give this pilsner a go as you won’t regret it, I didn’t.
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts : 4.9% alcohol – 330ml brown bottle – Twist top
Here is another classic German pilsner but with a twist, the price!Fully imported from the Oettinger group of breweries in Germany, a carton of this beer will currently set you back $29.90 from Dan Murphy’s.Similar to other German beers it is brewed in accordance with the German purity law of 1516 and as you would know this means no nasty hangovers the next morning.
At first glance all signs point to the fact this is a budget beer, the bottle labels are bland, the bottle cap has no markings, and the ‘carton’ isn’t really a carton but four 6-packs shrink wrapped together, but for $29.90 a carton who really cares. It also comes in a 6-pack of silver 500ml cans. Fist appearances aside this beer has a dry bitter taste.The hops bitterness is not overpowering in any way but makes itself noticed.Much like other pilsners it has a sweet aroma and a pale yellow appearance.
Oettinger Pils is an above average cheap beer.If you’re after an inexpensive night of drinking and one that won’t leave you with a throbbing head the morning after you should give this understated beer a go.
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts : 4.7% alcohol – 330ml amber bottle & 500ml can – Pop top
As most people are aware the German’s know how to make a good beer and this is one of them.
First brewed in 1873 in the small German city of Bremen and then officially launched in 1874.Becks beer was winning prizes and medals from a very early age.From its beginnings to this current day Becks has been brewed to the German Purity Law of 1516 – one of the oldest food regulations in the world.Unfortunately, the beer itself no longer comes from Germany and is now brewed and bottled here in Australia, but rest assured the same ingredients used in the German counterpart are used here.Becks beer tastes exceptionally crisp and dry making it an ideal drink for beer drinkers and non beer drinkers alike.There’s not much of a scent to Becks and the colour of the beer is light yellow.The beer comes in a green pop cap bottle with the traditional silver foil top label.
In continuing fashion from my last review I will show you one of my favourite Becks television advertisements:
To give you an idea of just how popular this beer is, the makers claim that over 50 Becks are consumed every minute, plus Becks are now sold in over 120 different countries worldwide.So next time you’re in the market for a German alternative might I suggest you try Becks, you won’t regret it – I didn’t!
Rating (out of five):
Quick Facts : 5.0% alcohol – 330ml green bottle – Pop top
