Abita’s SOS Charity Pilsner pours a gorgeous golden straw color and finishes with a smooth, silky head. This style comes out particularly sweet with hints of lemon, white grape and honey, with a thicker mouth feel than traditional crisper, hoppier Pilsners but lighter than the average Weizen.

This beer is clearly more aligned to a Pilsner but the addition of wheat malts gives it extra flavor to make it a unique light beer great for warmer and sunnier days.

The medium body indicates the strong presence of unfiltered wheat and pilsner malts as well as a higher alcohol content (7%) compared to a typical Pilsner (4% – 5.5%). Regardless, the grassy flavor, and bready scent, of the Sterling and Perle hops are not drowned out. The bitterness can mostly be detected initially and in the aftertaste and prevents it from coming off too malty. This beer would be especially tasty alongside fish tacos or a mild cheese such as Gouda or Monterey Jack. If you really enjoy Weizens, try drinking this with a banana to bring out the wheat malts.

Though I’m a big fan of traditional Pilsners, I appreciate the subtle complexity of this beer and look forward to drinking more in the near future. Better yet, Abita donates $0.75 for every bottle they sell to Save Our Shores, a charity established to benefit the Gulf Coast oil spill recovery effort. All the better to try it at least once! I give this one a 3.5/5.

Photo credit: http://gearpatrol.com/blog/2010/08/25/abita-brewery-sos-charity-pilsner/

• Tag: Abita, beer, light beer, pilsner