Tags
Ardent Craft Ales, Beer, Beer Review, Craft Beer, Idle Hands Craft Ales, Malden, Massachusetts, New England, Richmond, Virginia
This past weekend I set out on an adventure that just so happened to take me past the Idles Hands taproom. It also just so happened to be way too nice a day not to investigate their new outdoor patio seating.
Beer Name: Commonwealth Man
Brewery: Idle Hands Craft Ales (Malden, MA) and Ardent Craft Ales (Richmond, VA)
Style: Pilsner
ABV: 4.9%
Description: Unknown to me at the time, this pilsner was brewed in collaboration with Ardent Craft Ales. Some more details and specs can be found here on the Idle Hands website. A hefty Stein came at a price of $7.50.
Appearance: Clear pale/light yellow body underneath about a finger and a half of light, fluffy white foam.
Smell: Faint sweetness and light malts.
Taste: Slightly sweet upfront with a subtle citrus and tropical fruit medley. Around mid sip a light, crackery malt base started to poke through and was joined on the finish by a mild grassy bitterness. Very light overall and super drinkable, the opening sweetness and crisp, clean ending blended together quite nicely.
Mouthfeel: On the lighter side of medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation.
Hype: Not so much. This brewery doesn’t really seem to buy into the hype machine and pilsners aren’t exactly a style people go crazy lining up for.
Overall: In all honesty, I didn’t order this brew expecting to be blown away. I was really just looking for something low in ABV that sounded refreshing and picked this off the list. Couldn’t have been happier that I did! This beer impressed right from the start. Not only did it deliver exactly what I was looking for, but it also pleasantly surprised me with the mild sweetness and bitterness. Perhaps not your traditional pilsner (indeed they list it as American Post-Modern Pilsner), it was nonetheless an enjoyable take on the style. Do yourself a favor a grab a pint of this while you can.