Oi oi oi

The recent surprise realisation that I'd never posted a review of Augustiner Dunkel on here had me checking the status of the rest of the range. Sure enough, Augustiner Pils was absent too. It would not do to have such gaps in my personal assessment of one of the planet's great breweries, so I picked up a bottle.

It wasn't the freshest, mind, caught just inside its best-before. The big 5.6% ABV suggests a baroque Bavarian luxuriousness, as against the skinny and severe north-German pilsners. That said, there's plenty of hop, and it's the dominant feature of the flavour, just as it should be. I get a grassy Czech effect with a sharper citrus-rind edge. A decently full and fluffy malt body balances this, contributing richness without sweetness, then it's back to pilsner-as-usual with a dry finish scraping the back of the throat pleasantly.

As expected, it's very good, let down only by the most unBavarian 33cl bottle: I could happily drink this in quantity. I also don't see how much better it would be if fresh; mine showed no staleness nor signs of faded hopping.

Augustiner Pils is a pure class act and fully worthy of carrying the brewery's name. If you haven't had it in a while, treat yourself.