Fat Bottom "Teddy Loves Pilsner" Pilsner

Maybe I'm just getting old. When I saw that this was a Fat Bottom beer, I vaguely recalled having one of their beers before, but I got it confused with Fat Head's. It wasn't until I went back to see what other beers I had had from them that I distinctly remembered the well-branded can art that they had previously had. This one is quite the departure from those cans. Hopefully, the beer isn't, as I recall them being pretty darn good.

This is a fantastic looking pilsner. The very pale yellow beer is crystal clear and has many points of nucleation at the bottom of the beer to prove that this is a carbonated beverage. Further proving that is the slightly off-white head of small bubbles that leaves a persistent layer across the top of the beer and appears to actually be leaving a bit of lacing. The aroma is light fruits and bread dough malt, and this could not be more pilsner if it was a Pilsner Urquell (which I just realized I still haven't reviewed). This is going to be a darn good beer.

First sip is not the win that I expected it to be. Bitterness seems to overcome the sweet malt that I was expecting and the unbalanced beer almost seems like it may have something added to it that is significantly reducing my overall enjoyment of the beverage. I really don't know what it is that's throwing this beer off but it's no longer reminding me of the perfect pilsner.

Tip-in is light carbonation sizzle with yeasty bread malt an light citrus spritz. The middle is slightly watery, but it's not bad with a relatively thin dough malt maintaining the spritz of fruit as the yeast disappears almost completely and a dry funk seems to slowly be encroaching. The finish is where the funk seems to turn almost a  cross between skunked and tart while simultaneously becoming dry and allowing a bitterness to seep in.

Bottom Line: Teddy may love pilsners, but I find it hard to believe he loves this one.

1.75/5