Frühschoppen

 Frühschoppen is both a German-style pilsner from Toronto’s Great Lakes Brewery and, apparently (according to the copy on the 473mL cans), the “German tradition of meeting for brunch with friends, often on Sunday, to share beer and food ... .”

The 5% pale lager is clear, straw-gold, and amply carbonated. It pours with a loose white head and has an aroma that combines sweet, slightly toasted malt elements with some graininess and a bit of floral hops. The flavour is primarily sweet, with grain and toast notes, initially. Where I’d expect crisp bitterness to close things out, the beer delivers only modest noble hops, while the sweetness persists.

Frühschoppen is a decent beer from an excellent brewery—in a way, it suffers from the expectations created by GLB’s high quality offerings. Too sweet and insufficiently crisp, but otherwise enjoyable beer.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.