Name: Qualify Pils
Brewer: Suarez Family Brewery (United States)
Style: German Pilsner
ABV: 5%
Review Year: 2021
Qualify Pils is the “hop-accented” German-style Pils brewed by the Suarez Family Brewery from Hudson, New York.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as a German Pils (5D) in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.
TASTING NOTES
Clear pale straw; foamy white head with good retention. Moderately low grainy, cracker-like malt aroma with subtle spice and floral hop accents. As the beer settled down, the malt aroma became more noticeable as well as a low herbal (coriander-like) note. Medium-light body; medium carbonation. The flavor balance favors both hops and malts: spice and floral attributes with subtle citrus and berries for the hops, honey-like and grainy-sweet for the malts. Moderate and rounded bitterness; medium-dry finish. The aftertaste lingered with soft, grainy-sweet flavor, bitterness, and faint fruitiness (macopa, lychees). Others noted a very faint sulfur-like note in the aftertaste, which is neither uncommon nor inappropriate for the style.
THE VERDICT
Qualify Pils is a contemporary take on the classic German Pils. The classic hallmarks of German hops, namely herbal, spice, and floral, were showcased distinctly, while bitterness felt appropriate. We also noted subtle fruity qualities such as citrus, berries, and lychees that are not typical in a traditional German Pils. Again, subtle. These could have been contributed by American or New World hop varieties and/or esters from fermentation, but we can only speculate. The malt was the silent hero in this beer as it provided a solid backbone to balance with the hops used. At the same time, it brought to the table the distinguishing malt descriptors like crackers, honey, and grain. In our opinion, the finish could still be drier, while others might prefer their German Pils to have less of the fruity attributes. Overall, Qualify Pils is an elegant display of simplicity, an excellent and drinkable beer for any occasion.
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