Old-School Beer Tasting

Last Wednesday, the HyVee in Council Bluffs hosted a tasting of "old-school American pilsners", hosted by Beer Specialist KJ Harnack. Along with a tasty meal of meatloaf, corn on the cob, and a baked potato, we attendees were presented with a list of fourteen beers and fourteen samples of beer, one at a time. KJ asked us to guess which beer was which, with prizes going to the best guessers.

The lineup

And here's how I did:

Notes	I Thought It Was...	But It Was Really...
Pale golden. Thick head. DMS, grainy aroma. Light body, creamy. Sweetly grainy. Very clean.	Old Style	Grain Belt
Pale, moderate head. Clean aroma, fruity, with a hint of sulfur. Light body, moderate carbonation. Really sweet, with a mild malt flavor. Some sulfur. Sweet finish.	Miller High Life	Coors
Pale golden. Thick head. Very clean aroma, just a hint of sulfur. Light body, smooth. Mild grainy malt character and just a hint of bitterness up front.	Grain Belt	Old Style
Pale hazy yellow. Low head. Some DMS, clean aroma otherwise. Light body, smooth. Sweet, malty, earthy.	Schlitz	Schell Pils
Bright pale yellow. Low head. Some DMS aroma, with some grainy malt. Light body, smooth. Really sweet and fairly grainy. Flash of noble hop flavor at the end.	Hamm's	Miller Genuine Draft
Pale yellow, some haze. Thick head. Phenolic, formaldehyde odors. Light body. Sweet. Buttery. Fruity.	Dixie	Dixie
Pale golden. Thick head. DMS aroma. Light body, moderate carbonation. Sweet, grainy, and sweet, but it finishes clean.	Rolling Rock	Point Special
Pale golden. Thick-ish head. DMS, SO2, grainy aroma. Light body, moderate carbonation. Sweet and sulfury. Some resiny bitterness late.	Schell Pils	Pabst Blue Ribbon
Pale yellow. Thick head. Grainy, DMS aroma. Light body, moderate carbonation. Sweet and grainy. Sweet finish with a mild grassy floral hop flavor.	Point Special	Budweiser
Golden. Moderate head. DMS aroma, sweet and grainy. Light body, moderate carbonation. A bit grainy, mildly sulfury. Clean sweet grainy finish.	Old Milwaukee	Schlitz
Pale golden. Big thick head. Very mild DMS aroma. Light body. Really sweet malt flavor.	Pabst Blue Ribbon	Miller High Life
Pale yellow. Thick head. Sulfur and green apple aromas. Light, fizzy. Fairly sweet malt, clean all the way through.	Budweiser	Rolling Rock
Very pale. Thick head. Clean, mildly sulfury aroma. Light, fizzy. Fairly sweet all the way through.	Coors	Old Milwaukee
Very pale. Thick head. Some DMS aroma, mildly sulfury. Light, smooth. Really sweet and fairly sulfury.	Miller Genuine Draft	Hamm's

That's right...one correct out of fourteen. I thought at least I'd get Old Milwaukee right.

I found it interesting that all of my descriptions used the same words in various arrangements. Except for Dixie, these beers all pretty much tasted the same, which isn't really much of a surprise.