Beck's

First Brewed: 1873
Brewery Location: Bremen, Bremen, Germany
ABV: 5%

History & Availability: Beck's hopped on the pilsner train a little later than many, opening its doors in 1873, but quickly became Germany's largest export beer, due in part to its convenient location in northwestern Germany. Today Beck's is still Germany's most popular export beer and can be found in over 100 countries, so you should have no trouble finding a pack if you were so inclined.

Appearance: A very clear and light beer, Beck's stimulates a lot of carbonation while pouring and has a decent amount even while standing, enough to keep a slight trace head, although the initial ~1.5 fingerwidth head is too much to keep standing. A little darker than your average American macrobrew, but only slightly.

Smell: Coincidentally evocative of the key used as its logo, Beck's has a strong scent of copper that is strikingly more pleasant than the average metallic-smelling beer. That's really about it, not much subtlety here.

Taste: There's a little bit of a metallic aftertaste here, but fortunately the overwhelming top smell doesn't carry over to be the overwhelming top taste. The primary flavor here is grainy, almost like a beer made of Corn Flakes. While it's certainly not a sweet beer, I wouldn't call it especially bitter either. You can taste the hops if you know what you're looking for but they definitely aren't standing out among the flavors. Finishes fairly clean and dry.

Mouthfeel: Maybe a little bit too much carbonation for my personal taste, but this is probably just about the right amount for such a pale lager. As light as one would expect from being a clear pilsner.

Drinkability: The carbonation has a tendency to get to you, but as long as you're fine with letting out a belch every now and then, Beck's is perfectly ok to have a few of. Nice and light to allow the flexibility to drink one or several.

Overall verdict: B-, one of my favored pilsners, but the style has yet to match up with the delicious complexity of other beers.