Judge’s Review: 85 Rating – Kingston Golden Pils by BERO

International Pale Lager | Year-Round | USA

By Rick Franckhauser

Judges Rating: 85.00
Aroma: 18.00
Appearance: 5.00
Flavor: 36.00
Mouthfeel: 9.00
Overall Impression: 17.00

Kingston Golden Pils by BERO was judged as BJCP Category 2A, International Pale Lager.

Let me start by saying that part of me wants to judge an NA beer as Category 34C, Experimental Beer, since the processes involved in producing it will naturally affect the final result and may call for adjusted expectations. Still, I would think the ultimate goal of a low- or no-alcohol beer is to replicate its full-strength sibling in every way except the alcohol. Ideally, the average drinker would not be able to tell the two apart. That is a lofty goal, but in recent years it has come closer to reality in a few notable examples. When judging NA beers, I am on the lookout for the often-associated off-notes of being worty, often vegetal, overly sweet, and thin-bodied. In my book, when an NA beer avoids those pitfalls, it is a success, even if it does not present as a classic example of the designated style.

Moving on to Kingston Golden Pilsner. The aroma opens with low levels of sweet malt and a hint of corn. There is a lightly toasted bread character, along with a low floral note that is overtaken by a somewhat pithy lemon-citrus quality, perhaps on the high end for the style. Overall, it is clean and pleasant, though a grassy hop note comes across as slightly vegetal, with a touch of wortiness emerging as the beer warms. That said, an IPL should never sit around long enough to warm up. The beer is golden in color with a surprisingly large, creamy white head and equally surprising retention. It is somewhat cloudy when it should be bright, and I would expect to see more bubbles rising in what should be a highly carbonated beer.

The flavor brings forward the toasted breadiness found in the aroma, while the hop character starts somewhat earthy before moving into those pithy lemon qualities. There is also a touch of what I associate with kettle hops, a more raw, grassy kind of flavor. Anyone old enough to have tasted pre-hopped liquid malt extract, or chewed on a fresh hop, may know what I mean. The beer leans slightly toward the malt but is nearly even in balance. A perception of tartness helps the bitterness keep things in check, and some floral hop character appears toward the end. The finish is somewhat crisp and dry. There is a touch of wortiness in the aftertaste as well as a slightly lingering raw, grassy hop note. As in the aroma, the worty and faint vegetal notes become more apparent as the beer warms. The body is somewhat thin but not watery. Carbonation is moderate, which feels a little low for the style. There is a touch of carbonic bite, but it is not astringent.

Overall, this is a really good NA beer. While some of the typical off-flavor notes are present, they are not dominant and only become more noticeable as the beer warms. As noted above, this is a style best served very cold. As an IPL, it may be a bit too characterful. While it is light and somewhat crisp, I wanted it to present a little drier, with higher carbonation to improve drinkability. It shows many of the characteristics of an IPL, but the hop flavors and level of tartness push it slightly in another direction. Still, for a 0.5% beer, they have done a very good job of avoiding the bigger pitfalls and delivering a refreshing beer that is not too sweet, overly worty, or thin. Pour one into that otherwise dreaded frosty mug, because there is a time and place for it, and enjoy several with no worries.