Review: Libra Pilsner (Upstreet Brewing)

A couple days ago I received a very nice care package from Upstreet Brewing out of PEI, makers of Libra Non Alcoholic Craft Beer. I've been writing or blogging about beer on and off since 2004 and in that time I never thought I'd ever be doing this regularly for several years. Also, I never thought that my specialty would end up being non-alcoholic beer out of all the kinds of beer in the world but I think it's all thanks to a former professor of mine who once told me that she appreciated that I gave non-alcoholic beer some attention in the local newspaper as her husband was cutting out beer from his diet. 

Fast forward five years later, my Google analytics don't lie - most people who come here are looking for non-alcoholic beers, whether for health reasons, to lose a few pounds or just because they want to enjoy a drink with friends but still want to be sober. For those who read my NA reviews, seriously thank you, I wish I had more time to review more but hopefully I will in the future. Also thanks to Libra for sending this awesome care package my way, I'll be posting reviews in coming days and in the end I'll be letting you know which is my favourite, NA beer has come a long way!

Today's sampling is Libra's Pilsner, brewed to a max ABV of 0.4%. It's brewed with water (obviously), malted barley, flaked barley, hops, and yeast. 30 calories per 355mL can, a lot less calories than your typical light lager!

Appearance: Very hazy for a Pilsner, it's got a very cloudy orange body to it, good amount of carbonation in the body but the head is very faint with a couple pools of bubbles in random spots.

Aroma: Pretty much what I expected for a NA Pilsner - it's got a very liberal hop profile to give it some punch - lots of pine, bit of a woodiness, hint of tropical presence. It's got a heavy doughy presence and a good amount of graininess to it.

Taste: Hoppy-forward like the aroma. It's got a bitter pine presence to it, notes of alfalfa, dill, a very doughy presence from the malt and a hint of raw barley. Decently sweet, definitely hoppy.

Overall Thoughts: I was expecting this to be lighter and less hop-forward. Reminiscent more of an American Pale Ale with how much bitter-forward hoppiness there is. Not bad but it may be a bit too aggressive for a typical lager/pilsner drinker as the hops are definitely aggressive for someone like my mom.

This isn't currently available in my neck of the woods but it's likely available at grocery stores and liquor stores in various parts of Canada. Otherwise, you can buy Libra's NA beers over at DrinkLibra.ca. In coming weeks I'll be checking out ore of their beers and can't wait to see what I like most. Stay tuned!