Barrons Gone Wild: Turkey

Claustrophobic selfie in Cappadocia

So here I am in the Underground City of Cappadocia.  When you are the same proportions as an NFL lineman, you tend to avoid places that begin with "underground," but here I am, choking down panic attacks as I squeeze through tunnels made strategically small to make for a tight fit for a normal person, but I am not a normal person.  It fit me like a wet sweater made of mind numbing claustrophobia.

We emerge to a pretty spacious room and I sit down on the lip of this trough/cistern thing to give my head some space to breathe and to calm down from the birthing I just had from the dusty tunnels.  From the periphery of my personal pep talk, I see our tour guide glide her outstretched hand towards where I was sitting and with snappy English and awkward vowels explains to the group that this was a winery.  I smile, feigning interest and pretend to be not completely losing my shit. 

Being in an, albeit secular, Islamic country that is a cradle of civilization with thousands of years of wine tradition, I should have known my beer choices would have been... limited.

The real Efes.

In Turkey, the beer lover has few choices: Pilsner or Dark Lager.  Being Turkey's largest multinational brewery, Anadolu Efes Brewery has a large chunk of the beer industry.  Even with recent competition from Miller and Beck's, Efes advertisements are everywhere and on every menu.  According to their investor fact sheet, Efes totes themselves as the 5th largest European brewery on a combined production basis and 12th in the world market.  As those numbers may imply to the beer savvy, it is no surprise that they use rice and high fructose corn syrup.



Efes Pilsner: When you have had one Euro-Lager... you get the idea.  Pours a clear crystal honey with an appropriate amount of head.  Crisp and refreshing, Hallertau hops lightly dance upon your tongue and slightly linger with this pilsner's iron/mineral finish.  If someone were to ask me what it tastes like I would just say, "Beer."  It's taste is like generic clip art you put in to add humor to your bland Power Point presentation.

I polished off three of these without batting an eye.  It wasn't until the hotel barman brought us stale Doritos and Raki (an anisette liquor) that Efes Pilsner started getting interesting, but that was probably the Raki.




Efes Dark:  Not much more to say, other than "Euro-Dark Lager."  Malty goodness that was maybe a little too sweet and its mineral finish a little too tinny.  Of all the beers I had in Turkey, this was probably the best, but considering its competition, I was more interested in the Toblerone McFlurry from McDonald's than the beers Turkey had to offer.

Tuborg Gold: I realize it's a Danish company, but Tuborg Gold was the only other option I had besides Efes.  A Euro-Lager that I found surprisingly dense, but annoyingly grassy.  Not much to say about it other than it paired well the sleep meds to help me survive a fourteen hour flight.

Sterling Premium Pils

Sterling is a beer originally made by Evansville Brewing Co. that was picked up by G. Heileman and is now it's own unique brewing company. It wasn't a super exciting brew, but luckily our boys at Upland Brewing in Bloomington are contracted to brew it for Sterling Beer Company in Louisville, KY. Upland does a great job with the reinvention of these old style beers like Champagne Velvet.

Since skunking (exposure to light that leaves a distinct skunk-like aroma and flavor) has often been a problem with Pilsners coming from Europe to America, it's great to see this one in a can. On top of the benefits to the beer, the can itself is actually the pretty cool.

This is a new type of canning that allows the drinker to peel off the top and drink straight out of the can like a glass. It is supposed to allow as much aroma to come out as a standard pint glass. I cracked it open and thought to myself, when in Rome, so I drank straight from the can.

The lip has a beveled edge that beer falls back into. Also, the opening is small, and my face is big. This made for a less than perfect drinking experience. I was worried about what would happen to the flavor, and it turns out that concern was justified. I wasn't sure if I was tasting can or just smelling can and that was making me think that I tasted it, but there was an obvious metallic note. Although the concept of drinking craft beer directly out of the can is cool, I don't know that this is the way of the future. I think that whatever metallic ju-ju I was getting was ok with a pils but would have really messed up an IPA or something else with big floral notes. If brewers keep doing this, I hope they continue to refine the process so that it works a little bit better.

 

Since the can was a miss for me, I poured it out into a tulip glass to get a better feel for the actual flavor of the beer. It came out a light straw yellow with about a quarter inch of head (head may have been lower because I had been drinking out of the can for a few sips). It smelled of crisp pilsner malt and grassy notes with a bit of a mineral finish. Flavor was on point for what I expect from a pils. It had a light sweetness with some grainy malt flavor. The hops were crisp and bitter with a grassy vibe that was more than pleasant, and mirrored the aroma. It had a slight minerally quality on the finish which is totally acceptable for the style. This is a nice easy drinking brew coming in at 5.3% abv, it would be an easy beer to sit down with in the summer.

I don't think this one is going to set the world on fire, but it's totally worth the drink. Sadly this bad ass can is a total miss for me. It poured out a little bit easier since it had such a large opening, but that would be its only saving grace.

I give this one a 2 out of the can but it was an easy drinking 3 once I poured it into my glass.

Professor Beer:  I really liked the unique can.  The lip didn't bother me, and it felt a lot like drinking out of an actual glass.  Also, I wasn't able to determine any difference in flavor between the can and a glass (though, admittedly, I have a very poor sense of smell which is definitely a factor).  However, I was not terribly impressed with the beer inside the can.  It is an okay pilsner, but didn't really 'wow' me. I only gave it a 2.

El Duque: The beer in the can, and the beer in the glass were completely different.  Because the can wrapped around my face like a glass, I got way too much of the metal smell, which made the nice mineral finish into an off metalic taste.  In the glass, the beer is a nice, surprisingly flavorful pilsner, but with my nose stuck in the can smelling of a chemistry lab, it came across way too hard and tasted like a Natty Ice.

The beer is easy drinking and I think its only fault is its balance.  There area lots of great flavors that have a hard time finding a real harmony in the palate.  I like that the can is so easy to pour out of, but so are aluminum bottles, so it comes across as a gimmick, not really a necessary innovation.  Give this beer to me when there is sun and warmth, and I would be completely happy. I gave it a 3.

Pilsner Urquell Tankovna

I know what some of you are thinking, you've had Pilsner Urquell before and while it wasn't bad it wasn't your favorite. That was definitely my take, but I was always interested in trying it closer to the source. I had the opportunity to do just that while the Big Guy and I were in London. I was definitely not disappointed.

We took an afternoon and went out to the White Horse pub in Parson's Green. (If you're ever in London, it's a straight shot from the Underground station to the Pub.) The Big Guy had heard from some of his Instagram connections that it has one of the best craft beer selections in London. Between the castles and the museums we knew we'd find some time to make a visit.

True to what we expected, there was a good selection. I tried a few ciders which had quickly become my go-to for the vacation, and was looking for a recommendation for something else to try. This pub is the only location I've ever been to that has Pilsner Urquell on tanks, Pilsner Urquell Tankovna. The tanks are a completely different sort of flavor, one that far surpasses any other variety of Pilsner Urquell that I've ever had.

The tanks are delivered to the White Horse direct from the brewery in Pilsen and dispensed from specially installed, authentic Czech tanks. The beer is unpasteurized which also lends a unique quality to the experience, and the tanks make it more authentic to the way the beer would be enjoyed in the Czech Republic.

There was a strong fresh baked bread flavor, with a full and smooth mouth feel. There was a minimal amount of bitterness and a finish that was more like a sour than what I've come to expect from a bottled pilsner in the US. The color was rich and golden and there was a small amount of head that left a nice lacing across the glass.

It was totally different, and absolutely worth the try. I would recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity to try a pilsner this way. I gave the regular Pilsner Urquell a 3 (which was a bit generous), but I gave the Tankovna a 4. 

Preservation Pilsner

I finally got down to 20 Tap in Broadripple this weekend, and started hitting some beers that I hadn't had or hadn't had in a while. The Preservation Pilsner by Upland Brewing Co.is a beer that I haven't had since before I really got into craft beers. I remembered liking it, but that was when I was more into pilsners and lagers, mostly made by the big boys.

The Preservation Pilsner is a Bohemian Style Pilsner. It has 36 IBUs and 5.2% abv.

The beer had a fruity and grainy aroma that reminded me of Bloomington, IN. It smelled light and sweet. It poured a light yellowish color with a thing white head. The flavor was crisp and fruity with hints of pear and some citrus. It reminded me of a dry white wine because it finished so cleanly. This was a totally chug-able beer.

All that being said it was lighter than I wanted it to be. A little more maltiness would give it an overall stronger flavor and would pair nicely with the sweetness that was already there.

It is funny how our tastes change. Five years ago I had only had a few craft beers and was normally looking for something light and mild. The Preservation fit the bill. After trying so many other beers and styles the pilsner just seemed boring.

I give it a 2.5, not because there is anything wrong with it, but because there isn't much to it.