The ‘West Coast Pilsner’ style continues to wander through the craft beer labyrinth somewhat without a bearing, and drift further from its (admittedly flawed from the beginning) descriptor in the process.
It’s as much as I can do to classify them as ‘good ones’ vs ‘bad ones’ — so here’s a good one. From Upper Hutt’s Boneface Brewing Company, Knuckle Duster (5.5%) is principally hopped with Australian (see what I mean?) Eclipse, with a touch of American Cryo Pop blend to round things out.
Bright lemon and lime citrus with green grape and subtle pine shine in the aroma, with just a hint of the ultra-light malt base hiding within.
The can makes specific mention of carbonation, and there does seem to be a bit extra here, giving the palate and sharp scouring texture that masks both any malt sweetness, and the reasonably firm bitterness until the very end. An interesting, almost aggressively refreshing take on the West Coast Pilsner conundrum.
