It’s the last Thursday in June, and hence the final pint glass night for the Devil’s Backbone brewery at Taco Mac. Devil’s Backbone is the feature brewery for June, so tonight I ordered up a glass of their Gold Leaf Lager, a Pilsner style beer. Pilsner is a wonderful style of beer that gets overlooked these days with the IPA craze, the sour craze, the barrel-aged craze, etc. all going on. Still, it is a beautiful beer that can accent both malt and hop in a perfect mélange.

There are two main substyles of pilsner (one could make an argument there are three). German pilsners feature biscuity malt and a sharp, very bitter grassy hop finish. Czech pilsners may be less hoppy (though that is a relative term) and feature a softer maltiness and fuller body with a hint of buttery diacetyl. American Light Lager, loosely based on pilsner, diminishes the hop profile almost to the point of non-existence and lightens the malt with adjuncts like corn or rice.

So, which of these is Devil’s Backbone Gold Leaf Lager? Hard to say. It’s (loosely) closer to a Bohemian Czech Pilsner in my book, but has won numerous awards at the Great American Beer Festival in the American-Style or International-Style Pilsner. In 2014 and 2015, the most recent years Devil’s Backbone won awards for Gold Leaf Lager, it was entered as a Helles. The low bitterness is more akin to an American Light Lager, but without the adjuncts. Which is reminiscent of a Helles, though the malt did not sing here as it does in a Helles.

From the brewery website:

Gold Leaf Lager harkens back to the days when refreshing beers were made 100% from malted barley. Gold Leaf Lager is pale gold, light to medium bodied with subtle fresh bready notes, and a clean crisp finish.  Crisp, Clean, Bready.

Basecamp Favorites represent our core brewing principles: balance, approachability and trueness to style.

Ingredients, also from the website:

Hops: Northern Brewer, Saaz, Tettnang

Malts: Two types of Pilsner, Vienna, Acidulated

Devil’s Backbone Gold Leaf Lager has an alcohol content of 4.5% with 17 IBUs. I paid $5.50 for a 23-ounce mug and got a free logo glass with that purchase. It runs $9.99 a six-pack in cans and bottles here in Georgia.

Devils Backbone Gold Leaf Lager pours to a bright golden color with a moderate fluffy head and biscuit malt and herbal hops in the nose. Taking a sip, the beer has a smooth malty palate, is bready even, and it’s all balanced by a light grassy hop finish.

A solid beer, if not the best I’ve had from Devil’s Backbone. I’d buy it again, if only to take another stab at what the Helles it is.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft