When is a new beer not a new beer? In the case of Holgate's Premium Pilsner – debuting in cans as winter 2023 draws to a close – it's in a couple of ways. For starters, a version of the beer has been around since not long after the turn of the Millennium: available in bottles as a core range offering for a while, reappearing occasionally as a limited release in pack, and ever-popular at their Woodend pub. And given it's a traditionally-minded German pilsner, it's the sort of beer that's been slaking thirsts the world over for generations.
However, this time around it can be counted as new not just as it's in cans for the first time, complete with a new look featuring the original Holgate family coats of arms, but it also comes with a tweaked recipe that takes advantage of the schmick German brewhouse they installed a couple of years earlier. Sticking with tradition, it's dominated on the hop front by Saaz, leading the way with classic noble stylings: floral and herbal upfront, with an earthy bitterness that works in tandem with the pilsner malts to ensure this lean, dry, pale golden lager finishes crisp as you'd like.
It all makes for a fine return for a beer that's never really been away.
James Smith
Published August 3, 2023 2023-08-03 00:00:00
