Lagunitas Pils

April 11th, 2012 by Scott in Disneyland Resort Beer Reviews

I was starting to think I just wasn’t a big fan of lagers.

How can this be? I like Abita Amber and Saint Arnold Lawnmower, among others.

Looking back at the recent lagers I’ve had compared to the recent ales, I started to figure it out. The lagers include Bud Light (ick), Michelob Light, Coors Light, Sapporo, and Sol. Meanwhile, the ales include Saint Arnold Endeavour and Unibroue Éphémère Blackcurrant. I was suffering from a classic case of recency bias, and Lagunitas Pils snapped me out of it.

For the longest time Pils wasn’t available in Texas because of the strange labeling laws that were recently overturned. Until recently, a beer with 4% alcohol by volume or less was to be labeled “beer”. Anything with greater than 4% alcohol was to be labeled “ale”. Because Pils contains 6.2% ABV, according to the old Texas laws it was an “ale” even though a pilsner is a lager.

Every so often Katie would text me bragging about how she was drinking Pils, but thanks to the aforementioned beer laws I couldn’t get my hands on any. Since those laws were overturned, Pils is now available in Texas and it’s a wonderful thing.

Pils pours a clear golden color with a nice white head; it’s a very normal looking beer to be honest. Grain and wheat in the nose, pretty normal as well. It’s the taste of Pils that sets it apart from the other lagers I’ve been drinking. Very clean but also some complex with some spices, citrus, and a little bitterness to go with the big wheat and grain flavors. This is a very drinkable, refreshing beer.

Lagunitas beers can’t be found everywhere yet, but in the near future they’ll be moving into nearly every state. If you can’t get ahold of their beers now, hopefully you’ll be able to so soon! And if you can, grab some Pils. I don’t think you’ll regret it.

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