It’s been a fairly relaxing Saturday. I started cleaning out my car in anticipation of our upcoming family spring break trip to Florida. I got a lot of work done outside, because the weather was so nice. Then, I got to watch my Mizzou Tigers basketball game in our hot tub. So, after dinner, I decided to crack open a beer I got a couple weekends ago when I helped with a fundraiser at Keg Grove Brewing Company. It’s called a Pilsner, it’s actually an ale. It’s calle “Cheat Code” because it’s supposed to taste like a Pilsner, but using an ale yeast makes the brewing process go a little quicker.
Location: Poured into a Pilsner style pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 5% ABV, ~150 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It’s bright golden in color and slightly hazy, with a head that dissipated fairly quickly…. eventually leaving no head – not even a ring around the edge of the glass. It has a pleasant bready-grainy aroma.
Taste & Feel: The body is light, but it’s still a bit more than macro-brewery pilsners. Although there is no head, it had a good amount of carbonation, and the mouthfeel was somewhat crisp from it. The flavor up front was a lightly grainy maltiness with a bit of malty sweetness. The maltiness grew and became slightly sweeter in the middle. It finished clean, with a mix of maltiness and breadlines, and it balanced a bit toward sweetness with only a bit of tinny bitterness coming in at the end. The semi sweet grainy flavor lasted briefly in the aftertaste.
Food Pairing: This beer has some lightly sweet bready-grainy flavors. It was great with the steak I had, but it was mainly a nice palate cleanser between bites, as it couldn’t stand up to the boldness of the steak. It was light and sweet enough that I think it would be a great beer pairing with anything from a spicy Mexican dish to a light fish dish or salad.
Overall Impression: It was a light beer, but had more flavor than macro pilsners. The flavor was light, but it was a bit sweeter than expected, and I would have liked a bit more noble hop balance. Overall, it was a good beer and would be a nice local brew to enjoy on a hot summer day after mowing the lawn.
My Rating: 
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