Bitburger Pilsner

The city of Bitburg, near the border with Luxembourg, is home to about 12,000 Germans, 3,000 Americans and one very clever marketing slogan, “Bitte ein Bit!”  Bitburger Brewery was founded in 1817.  That makes it pretty old, right?  In 1817 Mississippi became the 20th U.S. state, Germany was putting itself together after the Napoleonic wars and most of India had yet to be colonized by the British.  That sounds old, but it’s really rather young.  A beer garden that hosted me several times predates it by over 200 years.

Since 1587.

That doesn’t even come close to Weihenstephan Brewery.  That operation traces its roots all the way back to 1040, over a hundred years before Genghis Khan was born! Anyway, enough with the old talk. Today's apparently young beer represents the style big breweries from the U.S. claim to be making, except it's actually very pleasant to drink. Bitburger Pilsner.

So clear you can see right through it.

Just like a drought-stricken sky, there is absolutely no cloudiness.  If I hold it in front of my face, I can clearly see the other side of the room.  This golden liquid puts off a very familiar smell given the ubiquity of its style in the new world.  Although it is missing a lot of the urine notes with which it usually comes.  The taste is also familiar but good this time.  This is the flavor America’s oft maligned brews first strove to achieve.  A sharp hop presence nicely complements the crispness of the mouthfeel.  It’s not a particularly dry beer, but it is quite effective at drying out your mouth.  I like it but I don’t feel the need to go out and buy a bunch of it.

They come in these a lot.

To be fair, I’m not too well versed in this whole “pilsner is good” thing.  Maybe I just need time to warm up to it.  Oh darn!