RavenBeer Pendulum Pilsner (7/10)

At Christmas, my sister gave me a selection of craft beers from Maryland.  Part of this selection included a three bottles each of four beers from Peabody Heights Brewery in Baltimore made for RavenBeer.  The beers are all said to be inspired by Edgar Allen Poe, and bear names indicative of that.  This beer, Pendulum Pilsner, takes its inspiration from Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum.

According to the BJCP Guidelines, a Pilsner should have a malty, spicy, noble hop aroma.  Pendulum Pilsner fulfills this requirement well.  The aroma is decidedly malty with a backdrop of noble Saaz hops.

The guidelines also describe the flavor as having a rich, complex maltiness with soft bitterness and spiciness from the noble hops.  Again, Pendulum delivers on this.  The flavor is a mix of sweet malt, roasted malt, and a well-balanced hops bitterness. I don't love Pilsners, but this is a great example of one.  It's a rich, but smooth and pleasant beer to drink.  I'll have no trouble polishing off the other two in my set.

Beer Advocate gives this beer an 82/100, which is probably a fair rating of its representation of the classic Pilsner style.  Rate Beer is a bit tougher on it, giving it only a 42.  I'm somewhere in the middle on it, giving it a 7/10.  If I was more of a Pilsner fan, I might give it an 8.

Normally, this is the part where I tell you where you can buy this in Columbus.  Unfortunately, right now this beer isn't available in Ohio.  If you want it, you'll need to take a trip to Maryland.