Review: Fort Garry Angry Fish Pilsner

Take me out to the ball game!
Last year we saw a beer partnership between the Winnipeg Jets and Budweiser, which saw specially branded cans of Budweiser with the Jets logo on it, using Winnipeg water. This time, The Winnipeg Goldeyes and Fort Garry Brewing formed a partnership that created a new beer just for the Goldeyes called the Angry Fish Pilsner. Growing up in rural Manitoba, my dad played a lot of recreational softball (and curling) during my youth, and two things are still ingrained in my mind to this very day - snacking on Spitz sunflower seeds and all the players from both teams would meet at the club house after the game and sip on bottles of pilsner or lager. So, to me, the idea of a beer being marketed towards the baseball fans in time for summer seems right to me.

I'll be first to admit that I'm not a pilsner fan, I like a complex beer, I like something that will hit my mouth and make feel like "there's a party in my mouth, and everyone's invited!" (a la Ken Griffey Jr on The Simpsons). However, I do crave a lighter beer once in a while like just about anyone else (unless if your palate can truly only stand the best of the best).

Appearance: Pours a deep golden straw yellow, quite clear. It's quite carbonated as the head goes down near instantly. A few bubbles remain around the edges but that's about it.

Aroma: I took a whiff of the aroma from the can, and honestly - it smelled like plastic... THEN I poured the beer in the glass and it was a different story. The aroma is a sweet yet light malty aroma, a bit of straw, only a slight hoppy bitterness being noted.

Taste: This actually reminds me a bit of Steamwhistle's Pilsner, the first thing that I notice is a bit of a barley straw taste like most golden lagers or pilsners. There's a light amount of hops in this beer but more than you would get from a Labatt Blue or Molson Canadian - which is respectable because I can feel the light hoppiness linger for a brief second or two after I take the sip. Somewhat sweet, somewhat malty, lightly hopped but certainly something that could quench a thirst on a hot summer day.

Overall Thoughts: It's not my cup of tea because I'm just not a pilsner fan but I appreciate the light hoppiness and the easy drinkability of the Angry Fish. This will sell like hotcakes beers on a hot summer day! This will likely sell well at Goldeyes games and at Liquormarts in time for the peak of baseball season. The beer is reasonably affordable too as it is $2.50 for a 473mL can - It's a bit reminiscent of Steamwhistle, if you are a fan of that beer, this beer is more affordable! It's not something I would drink often, but seeing that I'll be camping in a few months, I'll be putting a few of these in the cooler. It has an ABV of 5% so about the same as most pilsners on the market.

From the description: Made with choice Canadian ingredients with an age-old European recipe. Angry Fish Pilsner is world-class. Brewed for the Winnipeg Goldeyes Baseball Club right here in Manitoba by Fort Garry Brewing Company. The taste says it all.. natural, fresh beer.

http://www.goldeyes.com
http://www.fortgarry.com