The Bottom Shelf

Trumer Pils

Ariele and I were running a few errands this weekend, and I decided I was really in the mood to try the Beamish Irish Stout. I only just recently tried the Murphys Irish Stout, and knowing how much I enjoy Murphys and Guinness Draught, I felt it was time to complete the tasting of the canonical trilogy of the dry Irish stouts.

Alas, the two beer stores we went two were both out of Beamish. Based on the information I gathered, it looks like the local Beamish distributor is having some problems. The guy I talked to at BevMo guessed that they might be switching distributors, but he knew that they were out of Beamish and had been for a little while now. They had even taken the signs down on the shelf where they usually keep it.

Anyway, I was bummed. I explained my dilemma to the guy, and he gave me a very impassioned, though very odd, suggestion: a pilsner. Specifically, the Trumer Pils. But I was after a dry Irish stout. Why would I want a pilsner?

Well, the guy explained that his friends were shocked when he gave this recommendation to one of them, thinking that the only thing he drinks that you can see through is vodka. He says this pilsner is worth it. He explained that Trumer itself has been around since 1601 in Salzburg, Austria. In 2004, they purchased a brewery in Berkeley, finding that the water in Berkeley is supposedly very similar to the water in Salzburg.

Upon setting up the brewery, they arranged to have the California hops freighted back to Austria to be compared against the original Austrian hops. Sure enough, they were a close enough match for the brewery to agree to allow production to commence in California. And as a result, less than 400 miles from where I am sitting right now, the Trumer Pils brewery is crafting an Old World pilsner right here in the United States.

I had a glass of the Trumer late tonight, and I have tried to guard against getting overly optimistic about it. I like pilsners, but this one came so highly recommended that I sure had to be disappointed, right?

No. Not at all. I’ve had a few pilsners in my day, and this one is indeed my favorite. It’s not mind-blowing, but it’s definitely better than the others I’ve had. It reminds me of the Pilsner Urquell, but the bitter, crisp bite at the swallow is slightly mellower with the Trumer. I like that. And I find citrus notes here, whereas the bitterness of the Urquell dominate its taste.

That bite is what makes a pilsner stand out in my mind, so without it, a beer wouldn’t really be doing the style justice (in my humble opinion). The Trumer definitely does the style justice without going overboard on the finishing hops. It’s an approachable beer, but not a beer without character. It’s easy to make a beer approachable just by dumbing it down all around. This one doesn’t do that. It has everything a pilsner should, but the bite at the end isn’t jarring, and that’s what I like best about it. That and the fact that the bitterness doesn’t suppress the beer’s more interesting subtle flavors.

I give it a huge thumbs up and would definitely recommend it to anyone in the mood for a clean, refreshing, light beer at the end of a warm summer day. I’m glad I bought a six pack.