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Tasting Summit Keller Pils Like a Craft Brewer

As craft beer fans, we know you appreciate flavor. You pride yourselves in blindly being able to decipher a wheat ale from a Saison, pick out specific hop varietals in your IPAs and guess a secret ingredient like tea, maple syrup or coffee with just your nose.

As Summit fans, we know you appreciate detail. Which is why we thought we’d not only share what flavors to look for in our award-winning Keller Pils, but also where and how to find them.

Keller Pils was first released in 2016. While the beer was meant to be limited-edition in celebration of our 30th anniversary, we brought it back the following year. And we didn’t change a damn thing.

So, we’ve asked our head brewer Mr. Damian McConn to share some thoughts on the 2020 Keller Pils, as well as give a bit more of the inside scoop on how you can best taste all the flavors this complex, award-winning beer has to offer.

 

Summit Keller Pils 6pk Can Wraps
(credit: Summit Brewing Company)

Has anything in the Keller Pils recipe changed since 2016?
No changes, we still use the same yeast strain, malt and hop varieties.

When it comes to drinking any Keller Pils, are there flavors specific to the style someone should look for?
Traditionally Keller Pilsners are an unfiltered German-style Pils, so expect toasted malt characteristics to be balanced by solid noble hop flavor and a touch of grassiness in the finish.

What differences in flavor should one look for between filtered and unfiltered pilsners?
Unfiltered pilsners will often have a fuller mouthfeel, bigger body and more pronounced flavors in general.

The hops in our Summit Keller Pils are often described as “spicy.” What does spicy mean in this context?
Think white pepper with a hint of coriander

 Summit Keller Pils has also been described as “herbal.” What does that mean in this context?
Lemongrass, Thai basil and perhaps Lemon Balm come to mind. Herbal qualities with a citrus note are quite prominent.

Where should someone look for the honey flavor in our Summit Keller Pils? On the nose? Or beginning or end of the sip?
This is truly a malt characteristic provided by using Barke Pils malt as our base. It’s most prominent mid palate.

How does citrus bitterness differ from other bitterness?
Bitterness provided by a citrus fruit may be more acidic in nature. Bitterness provided by an herb can be astringent and metallic. It really depends on the source of the bittering qualities in a beverage.

What do brewers mean when they say a “clean” finish?
Typically, there should be an absence of metallic/astringent/resiny/woody characteristics. This usually can be achieved by good brewing technique, high quality water and hops low in co-humulone levels.

Summit Keller Pils 12pk Can Carton
(credit: Summit Brewing Company)

Summit Keller Pils can be found in 6-and-12pks of 12oz cans as well as inside our House Party Variety Pack. Look for it in stores near you!

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