Review: Kilter Margherita Neapolitan-style Pizza Pilsner (Kilter Pizzabier Co)

It's-a classic pizzabier. Margherita is an aromatic, savoury, and easy-drinking Neapolitan-style Pizza Pilsner (5%) brewed with freshly baked pizza crust, San Marzano tomatoes, and fresh basil leaves.

I remember something like 10 years ago there was a pizza beer that went absolutely viral in the states and everyone who heard about the pizza was either intrigued or disgusted. I was one of the disgusted.. Sure, I love pizza more than some people but the thought of basil, oregano and other ingredients on my beer? No thanks.. even I have a limit. 

For this year's La Pizza Week, Kilter did a Margherita Neapolitan-style Pizza Pilsner. I heard about it on their social media and again, I was a bit weirded out but it didn't flat out disgust me like the Mama Mia! Pizza beer from over a decade ago. I had to go into Winnipeg for an emergency and had a few minutes of downtime so met up with my good buddy David at Kilter. The pizza beer was the first thing mentioned to us when we got there, as well as a Thai Curry beer, the Thai Curry beer definitely didn't get any wow reviews from us but the Margherita was better than expected. So here's the review, which may be slightly different than what we had at the brewery a day or two before this was written.

Appearance: I was expecting a reddish beersar (as I call a beer + caesar), nope! It pours a slightly cloudy with a deep golden straw hue to it. Thick amount of snow white head on top, this looks like a good one!

Aroma: Subtle sweetness, cooked pizza dough that gives off a different vibe than my usual "raw dough" aroma I get in a lot of Pilsners, subtle hint of basil for herbal/spice, a squeeze of lemon, and a slight yet sweet sharpness at the end that I'm expecting to be the tomatoes? I don't get a tomatoey vibe in here at all. Slightly vegetal at the very end as it warms up (reminiscent of celery).

Taste: Interesting herbal Pilsner with the taste of pizza dough right out of the oven, a good deal of lemon, a slight tartness of what I expect to be the tomatoes.. though they aren't saucy at all. Herbal and spiced notes of basil. 

Overall Thoughts: Didn't taste like what I expected it to at all. Then all of a sudden I had to burp and it was full on "I can taste pizza" so it lives up to its name. Surprisingly smooth, crisp and inoffensive but it will likely scare off a few people but definitely not to those who happen to be familiar with Kilter! 

PS: The pizza crust, sharpness and basil pop out more as the beer warms up.