Small Gods Brewing Neverending German Pilsner (5%)

Small Gods is a brewery and taproom in the town of Sidney on British Columbia’s Vancouver Island, located conveniently close to both the airport and the highway between the Swartz Bay ferry terminal and downtown Victoria. This makes it a highly recommended stop for visitors either coming or going, for the beer and impressive deli fare, for certain, but especially for the opportunity to sup Neverending Pilsner the way it is meant to be enjoyed, served fresh and poured slowly from the tap. 

The ‘slow pour’ technique is more than just an affectation borrowed from Bavarian tradition. By building up the foam in the glass, letting it dissipate, then repeating the process once or twice, the carbonation level drops, the malt balance grows, and the experience is simply enhanced.

From the can, I attempted to replicate the technique, but with only partial success, yielding a bright, light gold lager with a fresh straw and wild flower nose, accented by just a hint of floral honey sweetness. On the palate, the start is faintly sweet, grassy, then grows drier, with firm maltiness accented by floral hop, some grassy notes, a lingering touch of wildflower honey, and a growing, grassy, bitterness. The finish is bone dry with a light touch of peppery spice and lingering grassy bitterness.

This is a textbook northern German style pilsner with a high quaffability rate and a lingering bitterness that has just enough of a perfumey quality that it doesn’t feel like it is attacking the palate. While lovely from the can, it is on draught where the beer truly shines, which places it in the very good company of the best of Germany’s pilsners.

88 (can) 92 (slow pour draught) ($5/473 ml can; $8/400 ml slow pour at the brewery)