I love Helen, Georgia. It’s a little piece of Bavaria tucked away in the north Georgia mountains, tailormade for a Germanophile like me. Quaint shops, a plethora of German restaurants, and of course the Festhalle with live music are all to be found here. Oh, and did I mention the draft German beer? Lots of draft German beer, including beers I often only see here. That was the case with Furstenberg Premium Pilsener, which I enjoyed on tap at the Festhalle.

I have never seen Furstenberg Premium Pilsener here in Georgia bottled let alone in a keg. The brewery traces its history all the way back to 1283, and they make a small variety of beer in different styles. According to my spreadsheet I have tried a Furstenberg beer, though I did listed it only as “Furstenberg”. They make a beer they call “Premium Lager”. It may have been that. Pilsner is lager too of curse, perhaps the lager is a Helles?

From the brewery website:

The long tradition of our Fürstenberg Premium Pilsener goes all the way back to our brew master Josef Munz who brewed one of the first pilsener style beers in Germany back in the late 19th century. He named it "Bohemia" based on its Bohemian origins.

We still brew our Premium Pilsener based on the original recipe of the past.

For this purpose, we use yeast that is specially developed by the brewery. The best brewing malt from the region and the special combination of Hallertau and Tettnang hops flavours give it its characteristic aroma and unique bitter note.

Furstenberg Premium Pilsener has an alcohol content of 4.8% by volume with 31 IBUs. I paid $6.60 for a 20-ounce draft at the Helen Festhalle.

My draft mug of Furstenberg Premium Pilsener was bright golden in color with a thick fluffy white head and crisp biscuit malts in the nose. Taking a sip, I got those delightful biscuity malt notes palate as well, balanced in the finish with bitter herbal hops.

Just beautiful, a wonderful, drinkable malty hoppy German pilsner just the way I love them. Best enjoyed with oom-pah-pah bands and a giant pretzel.

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

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