Boulevard Pilsner - Boulevard Brewing, Kansas City

The Boulevard Pilsner is Boulevard Brewing's newest beer release. Actually, at the time I'm writing this the Pilsner has been on sale to the public for about three days. I first had a taste of the Pilsner back in February after a tour of the Boulevard Brewery in Kansas City. At the time I thought to myself, "Pilsner? Really? If there is one style of beer that I absolutely do NOT associate with the craft beer industry it's the Pilsner." That doesn't mean Boulevard couldn't make a good Pilsner, it just seems like they'd be fighting an uphill battle considering the "competition." Pilsner, to most craft beer drinkers, is synonymous with Budweiser, Miller and Coors' flagship beers. These light colored, light bodied and light in taste beers have left a bad taste (pun definitely intended) in mouths of many beer drinkers. So with a stigma like that, why put a whole lot of effort into a beer that will surely be compared to Budweiser, Miller or Coors by everyone who try it? Well, if you can beat the big three at their own game maybe you can expand your base and get the Pilsner drinkers to try some of your craft beers.

Like I'd mentioned above, I first had a taste of the Pilsner back in February. I didn't think very highly of it at the time.... I remember thinking, "Well, this is a Pilsner alright... I guess they're trying to appeal to Bud drinkers." The only other thing that made sense at the time was that Boulevard was selling out, trying to make a mass market beer to compete (at least locally) with the big three. I more or less forgot about the Pilsner until recently when Boulevard posted an update about the Pilsner bottling having started. There were a few pictures of the bottles and packaging that were posted and they were, different... Boulevard beers usually come in heavy duty cardboard boxes, but not the Pilsner - they are packaged in regular six pack carriers. Not only that, but the Pilsner is bottled in longnecks, not the shorter bottles that Boulevard fans are familiar with. The Pilsner seemed to be quite a departure from Boulevard's other beers, even down to the labeling. Boulevard's other beers all have dark labels but not the Pilsner. This beer has a rather light, white and gold label with Boulevard Pilsner in a retro cursive font. What's even worse is that the lettering is in Budweiser red (not that it's a real color but it might as well be). Probably the most important change in the labeling is that the signature Boulevard diamond logo is nowhere to be found on these new bottles. The Pilsner doesn't even have the Boulevard smokestack icon on it... What's going on here?

Is the Boulevard Pilsner a glimpse into the brewery's future? I hope not. I like Boulevard just the way it is, stubby bottles and all. I think the Pilsner will do well in sales, I don't want it to fail or anything. I hope all of these changes are just a way to differentiate the Pilsner from Boulevard's other beers. Boulevard's beers aren't exactly cheap and Pilsner isn't a style of beer you'd really want to drop $8-$10 for a six pack. Maybe a change in labeling will get people thinking that this isn't one of Boulevard's premium beers, but more of an every day beer. The price certainly reflects that, a six pack of long necks will run you $6. Not bad for a quality Pilsner.

So, I've covered just about everything but what's actually inside the bottle... the beer itself. How does it taste? Well, like a Pilsner. It's crisp, lighter than most beer styles but it still has a bit of flavor. It's a great beer for this time of year, they'll certainly hit the spot next weekend when you're watching fireworks in the evening. Honestly, there isn't a whole lot I can say about the beer. Pilsners aren't complex, they have a little bit of hops and taste faintly like bread - that's about it... Boulevard's Pilsner isn't much different. It really shouldn't be anything more than that though... If you're going to set out to create a traditional Pilsner, and do it well, then this is what you're going to come up with. Boulevard's Pilsner is, as far as I'm concerned, the best Pilsner out there. It's not terribly exciting, but it isn't terrible like some of the other beers on the market that look like this beer, both on the inside and out...