Figo

Figo is another Italian pilsner out of Toronto, this one is a 5.5% number from Henderson Brewing Co. The beer pours a honey-gold with a slim covering of off-white head. 

Sold in 473mL cans, the beer has a sweet, grainy aromatic profile with a decidedly floral, dry-hopped bent. The flavour kicks off with big grain sweetness, and transitions into a flowery, slightly soapy place. The back end has some noble hop vibes, but it ain’t overly bitter.

I suspect that purists would decry Figo is too sweet and too strong for style, but I actually liked it more than a lot of the T.O. Italian pilsners I’ve tried so far. The heft is agreeable to me, though I’d have liked a bit more crispness.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Glorioso Italian Pilsner

 According to the 355mL can, the Glorioso Italian Pilsner that showed up by delivery on December 16th was canned just two days earlier, on December 14th—talk about fresh! The 5.5% beer comes from Toronto’s Left Field Brewery. It’s a crystalline gold lager with a thin white head.

Glorioso has a spritely floral hop aroma, accented with some cereal sweetness. The flavour, too, is quite floral, with a bit of soapiness and a metallic clink. The structure of the beer also features some sweet graininess. The mouthfeel is a little soft for a pilsner, but not wildly so.

I’m not totally sold on the Italian pilsner sub-type—I find they tend towards soap or perfume, though I do like the robustness of their flavour. That said, Glorioso was a pretty enjoyable pale lager.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Umarell Dry Hopped Pilsner

 Umarell Dry Hopped Pilsner is born at the Toronto outpost of Goose Island—the Goose Island Brewhouse Toronto. It’s a 5% pale lager sold in 473mL cans. I’d class this little fella as an Italian pilsner. It’s a reasonably clear pale gold brew that pours with a thin layer of white suds.

Umarell has a mellow sweet and grainy aroma, with a slight floral hop lilt. The beer has a crispy texture and a pretty enjoyable flavour—it moves from sweet cereals to floral bitterness, with a whisper of soap.

I quite enjoyed Goose Island’s take on the Italian Pilsner. It was crisp and refreshing, with ample flavour.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Marco Polo Italian Pilsner

Marco Polo Italian Pilsner is produced in Toronto by Indie Alehouse. It’s a 5% brew sold in very slick 355mL cans done up in black and gold. The beer itself is fairly clear and nicely carbonated, with a fluff of white foam.

MP has a floral hop aroma—crisp and a bit sweet. The flavour is extremely flowery, to the point that it actually has a soapy quality that isn’t entirely agreeable (to me at least). I initially suspected dish soap in my pilsner glass, but all four 355mL cans had the same vibe. The beer, though, is undeniably crisp and refreshing, with evident dry-hopping.

I wanted to love Marco Polo. It’s a great style made by a brewery that I really respect, but I found it disappointingly soapy and that was tough to look past. It is definitely thirst-quenching, and the flavour is unique, but it wasn’t to my taste at all.

Rating: 6.0 out of 10.