Started in 1991, John Harrington, of Harrington’s Breweries
(Christchurch NZ), set out to brew affordable and tasty beers as an alternative
to the overpriced brown ales dominant in New Zealand. At least that’s the story
on their website. At the very least, Harrington’s tends to be a slightly more
affordable craft beer and is available at most supermarkets. Today I thought
I’d tackle their pilsner.
What is a pilsner? As
mentioned in our previous discussion of IPAs and
APAs, beer was traditionally brewed dark. With clean burning coal allowing for
lightly roasted malts and a paler ale, all sorts of brewing possibilities
opened up. In the early 1800’s England started producing pale ales and then
especially the “Indian Pale Ale” which was exported to India with extra hops
preserving the beer for the duration of the voyage. At the same time pale ales
were also being brewed throughout Europe. Pilsner is a style of pale ale that
takes its name from the Bohemian city of Pilsen, which at the time was a part
of the Austrian Empire. While Indian Pale Ale took off in England and India,
Pilsners were increasingly the rage in Europe. The clear golden beer was a
welcome alternative to darker European Ales.
How is it different to something like an IPA? What should one expect from a pilsner?
IPA’s tend to try and balance malt and hops. Strong hops are
added to strong malts and the result is a reasonably big beer full of flavor
and complexity. Pilsners on the other hand tend to be lighter beers. The
lighter malts used in a pilsner aren’t as strong as in an IPA and thus the
bitterness of hops comes through without the brewer needing to be so heavy
handed with the hops. A pilsner is still a hoppy beer but it is more easy
going. One should therefore expect the bitterness of hops, but also more
pleasant (but subtle) flavor profiles are given a chance to come through. This
Harrington’s pilsner is promising gooseberry aromas and peachy/apricot flavors.
We’ll see. Pilsners also tend to have a dry finish, which basically means a
crisp finish rather than a sweet lingering finish. Let’s see if this is the
case.
Price: $4.99 500mils
Alcohol content: 5%
Colour: A lovely bright golden colour. A lot more pale than an IPA which tends
towards a browny/orangy gold. This is very pale. Slightly cloudy. Not much
bubbles.
Aroma: Sweet to smell. Honey and peaches.
Palate: It’s fizzy. Feels light and refreshing in the mouth. You pick up the
bitterness and grassy flavour of the hops straight away and then lovely hints
of tropical fruit.
Finish: The contrast when it comes to the finish between this pilsner and the
Epic Pale Ale from last week is quite remarkable. While the flavors of the Epic
Pale Ale linger, with the pilsner the bitterness drops off straight away, closely
followed by the sweetness of fruit. And then it’s gone. It is a clean and dry
finish and a part of what makes a pilsner such a refreshing beer.
On the Chart: On the chart we’re in the hoppy and simple
quadrant. Here the continuum between hops and malt on the chart doesn’t quite
work. The Epic Pale Ale from last week was more hoppy than this pilsner but
also had unmistakable caramel malt flavors in the mix. And so, while the
pilsner is placed on the chart as being less hoppy than the Epic Pale Ale, it
is not more malty. You don’t pick up any malt flavors in this pilsner. This of
course make it less complex but also potentially more of a refreshing beer.
Conclusion: I’ve not drunk a lot of Harrington’s but I have most of their premium
range at one stage or another. They genuinely are a more affordable craft beer
but, at least in regards to this Rogue Hop NZ Pilsner, that doesn’t mean you
are getting a second rate beer. This pilsner is on point; delicious and
refreshing with the sweetness coming from the fruitiness of the hops rather
than the caramel sugars of malt. I’d happily recommend this to anyone looking
to sample a pilsner, especially after a great days fishing and with a plate of
fresh Snapper.
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