Revisit: Sookram's Cult Classic Pilsner

So, it turns out I reviewed this beer during the looooong 2.5 year period known as "COVID", I forgot that I did, here's a revisit, three years later!

Today I'm sampling a beer that's literally a Cult Classic. I remember one of the very first beers I ever tried by Sookram's was their Cult Classic Pilsner - a beer that's been one of their core offerings since the very beginning. I still remember being a tad bitter about not being able to get Sookram's for a couple years.. but logistics can do that, especially for a very small brewery that's got a high demand. 

The popularity of Pilsners and Lagers have gotten to the point that many are trying to market or brand them to look like they're retro-style or macro-like light beers. Cult Classic? Their label is straight forward - a mint green label that has a design that reminds me of just about every other Sookram's beer, which isn't a good thing - I like the simplicity a lot. 

From the can: Brilliant. Balanced. Crisp. Cult Classic is a pale, golden lager full of crisp hops and bready malts. The delicate floral notes from the hops balance the malt sweetness before the Pilsner's crisp finish. 5.0% ABV

Appearance: Pours a bright yellowish, golden straw body with great clarity.. there's even a great deal of condensation on the glass as if it's a hot summer evening (which it is). The head of the beer is fairly light, snow white, that tends to leave behind a couple bubbles here and there on the glass. So far, it looks like your father's beer.

Aroma: The first take I got out of it was almost as if I was walking into a rural Manitoba bar circa 2003 - the bar room would smell like cigarettes and a huge aroma of five variations of lagers made by two companies that all taste the exact same. I give it another try and no, the cigarettes vibe was just my imagination. It's got a crisp grain aroma to it that's pretty chill and not in any way aggressive.. In fact, there's a hint of lemon zest that dominates. Slightly sweet, faintest hint of straw.

Taste: Decently hoppy with a presence that gives off a slightly floral, slightly grassy and slightly bitter (tingles the back of the tongue). SO MANY people still HATE hops but dammit, you have to appreciate it in this brew. The malt is light, gives off a slight straw presence, a slight sweetness of honey, a smidgen of grassiness. This is ridiculously smooth, even if the hops tingle the back of my tongue/mouth. Very crisp, easy to drink.

Overall Thoughts: The Manitoba Beercast is doing a search for the Manitoba's best brew to take on the massive brews over in Chicago and Leuven - his criteria is that the label has to be as generic as possible with a beer that can knock out the beer in the Blue or Silver can. For me: it's about the product inside. Is this possibly one of Manitoba's best Lagers/Pilsners? 100%. In fact, it's a Cult Classic, after all. Quite a straight forward beer that I could sample all summer long.