During the summer, I’d like to imbibe in some lighter tasting brews, and for me, Pilsners and Ales are best for summer. Now, not just any pilsner or ale is going to satisfy me, since I gave up the macro kind years ago. This past weekend, I bought New Belgium Blue Paddle. It is a pilsner made by New Belgium Brewing, and I wanted to try something much less hoppy than an ale but yet something that didn’t remind me of chugging brew. And being it was in the high 80’s to mid 90’s, nothing less than a cold pilsner would be perfect for quite a day.

Here is my review.

Appearance

Blue Paddle filled the glass with a bright yellowish gold and a generous white head. Lots of bubbles were nucleating up from the bottom. The beer was quite clear – no haze or sediment was present – as a pilsner should be. The foam created a sticky lacing that clung fast to the glass and stayed throughout the entire session.

Aroma

This beer reminded me of a grassy field with a hint of citrus, almost wheat-like and perhaps with a hint of pepper. There were no heavy malts here, far from it. It smelled light and faintly hopped. Certainly was inviting on a hot day.

Mouthfeel

The bubbles and texture of this beer lent a rather creamy feel. Light yet not watery. The brew slid down easy and left a slight lingering bitterness on the back of the tongue.

Taste

Blue Paddle hit me up front with a notable yet modest bitterness that lasted from start to finish. Absent was the caramelized malt taste of darker brews. Rather only the true raw malt taste was present. The beer slid down easy and quickly quenched my thirst for something cool. Pilsners have a way of going down easy, and this one matched that expectation. At 4.8% ABV, it was easy enough to go through a couple of these rather quickly. The taste was inviting, light and highly drinkable.

Overall, I was quite pleased with Blue Paddle. New Belgium made a full-flavored lager that was the right choice for easing the heat during the Dog Days of Summer. Two of these were just right and left me with just enough of a light buzz to be enjoyable.

New Belgium made a fine brew worthy of summer, and I give it a Thumbs Up.