WHILE going out for dinner recently, I thought I’d pop into a bottlo and pick up a six pack.
naturally with this job, it is my duty to try a beer which I don’t drink on a regular basis.
The challenge was to try and match a beer to the restaurant which I was heading to, in this case Greek.
It’s always a tough decision when confronted with dozens of six packs all calling out "pick me, pick me!"
But the decision was made for Oettinger Pilsener.
It’s not a new beer by any means, the brewery has been churning out the amber stuff since 1731 but for this ‘colonial’ I hadn’t tried it and I’m sure several readers haven’t either.
Being brewed in a traditional German style, this pilsener comes across as a bit of ‘compromise’ beer – flavoursome but not overbearing.
Many European beers have a distinctive hop/malt flavour to them which can turn people off but this is a bit ‘lighter’ in the flavour department yet retains good body.
It has a clean golden appearance, a malt aroma at first which doesn’t linger for too long and is clean and crisp across the palate which you might expect from a pilsener.
There’s a hint of bitterness which adds to its appeal and as far as ‘sessionability’ goes, I could quite easy tuck into a few without feeling bloated.
It does satisfy the thirst though for those wanting a beer which delivers in big flavours and plenty of body, you may find it a little wanting.
Still for the choice of food I selected it for, it certainly did the job and would recommend it.
It would suit Mediterranean dishes, some spicy foods such as Indian or Asian.
Oettinger is a beer which is a year-round drop and at the moment there are some good specials on it which makes it worth trying.
MY TIP
To fully appreciate this drop, make sure it is nice a cold and to fully appreciate its aroma and colour, serve it in a tall ‘pilsener’ glass.
It’s a good thirst quencher after a hot day in the yard or it is equally at home with a raneg of foods from savoury snakcs to Asian curries, not just your typical European fare. It might be hard to pronounce but it is easy to drink. Oettinger Pilsener is available from a wide variety of outlets and ranges around $10-$12 for a six pack of 330ml stubbies.