Sweetwater Brewing Take Two Pils
I believe that Take Two Pils is Sweetwater Brewing’s first foray into the land of lagers. At least, the first effort that has been bottled/canned and shipped out for your enjoyment. And, as this Atlanta brewery is want to do, it’s packed with plenty of hoppy goodness.
I’m a big fan of a solid pilsner and given the U.S. propensity for over hopping traditional styles, I expected as much from this 5.5% ABV beer. What we’ve got, however, isn’t a beer with too much citrus or bitterness. Sure, it’s got a more pronounced hop character, but those spicy and floral traits only make the beer that much more enjoyable.
Appearance
Take Two Pils pours straw in color with a large, rocky crown of white foam.
Aroma
The aforementioned spicy hops lead the way with a touch of lemony citrus, grassy notes, soft bready malts and grain. It certainly smells good.
Taste
The beer certainly is tasty, as well. The hop character is clean and light, as herbal notes mix with distant grass and moderate citrus. It’s balanced out with a good amount of grain, honey and malt notes to keep the 35 IBUs in check. The beer is easy drinking with a tingle of hop bitterness that lingers long after the swallow.
Overall
It’s not fully traditional, but Take Two Pils is also not a bastardized version of a personal favorite style of beer. It’s refreshing and pretty well balanced. I do particularly like the hop character and the smooth malty grain base. I can see many six packs of this one filling and subsequently exiting my fridge this Summer.
Rating: 3.75/5
This is a review of a promotional sample.
