Sunday Night Suds - New Belgium Blue Paddle Pilsner

This week's Sunday Night Suds looks at New Belgium's Blue Paddle Pilsner.

Since its been quite a while since I reviewed a Pilsner and even longer since I defined the term, I thought it best to begin with the a quote from the gurus at BA who explain that:

The birth of Pilsner beer can be traced back to its namesake, the ancient city of Plzen (or Pilsen) which is situated in the western half of the Czech Republic in what was once Czechoslovakia and previously part of the of Bohemian Kingdom. Pilsner beer was first brewed back in the 1840's when the citizens, brewers and maltsters of Plzen formed a brewer's guild and called it the People's Brewery of Pilsen. 

The Czech Pilsner, or sometimes known as the Bohemian Pilsner, is light straw to golden color and crystal clear. Hops are very prevalent usually with a spicy bitterness and or a spicy floral flavor and aroma, notably one of the defining characteristics of the Saaz hop. Smooth and crisp with a clean malty palate, many are grassy. Some of the originals will show some archaic yeast characteristics similar to very mild buttery or fusel (rose like alcohol) flavors and aromas.

The Blue Paddle poured an expected pale yellow with a good deal of lacing which was still present well after the pour. The beer had a little extra carbonation which was somewhat surprising in a New Belgium product.

The spicy bitterness was prevalent but not overpowering and the beer although a bit watery and overcarbonated was crisp and clean. This is one of those beers that you can pair with almost anything - not because the flavors will necessarily meld with the dish, but because the flavor profile is soft enough that it wont clash with your dinner.

New Belgium Blue Paddle Pilsner is under the Kosher Supervision of the Scroll-K of Colorado. Although the beer does not bear the kosher symbol on the label, the Scroll-K kosher symbol can usually be found on the bottom of the six pack holder (as I bought this is as part of a mix your own six pack, I did not see the holder, but I have found that to be the case with all the NB beers under the Scroll-K).

Please note that not every brew produced by New Belgium is under kosher supervision. For a list of the New Belgium brews currently under supervision, please click on the link on the left side of my home page for my latest Kosher Beer List.

To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about New Belgium Blue Paddle Pilsner, please follow this link beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/933. As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.

If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

Finally, if you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!