Can from a Lidl supermarket in the southern Netherlands; apparently this Perlenbacher brand, made for Lidl, is expanding towards other Central-European beer styles than just Pilsener. Very frothy, thick and dense, foamy, audibly crackling, egg-white, quite heavily lacing head remaining closed for most of the time, over a hazy ’old gold’ coloured beer with warm peachy hue. Sweet aroma of banana candy, bubblegum, soggy white bread, old cloves, rubber, stewed pear, canned pineapple slices, bath foam, honey, old apple cake, lots of powder sugar melting on a hot pancake, hints of grass, celery, plastic, dough and industrial marmelade. Lots of ripe banana and chewing gum sweetness in the mouth, candied pineapple and dry industrially made apple cake, sourish undertone but very ’dim’, spritzy carbo, smooth and bit ’fluffy’ but also very, very soapy mouthfeel. Soft bready barley sweetish backbone with soapy wheat mixed into it, but it is still that bubblegum ester (isoamylacetate) that keeps dominating alongside residual white sugary sweetness; thin metallic edge as well (unsurprising - this comes from an old-fashioned, cheap can). Sweet apple and banana impressions keep dominating the finish with a dash of phenolic cloves added, but otherwise the whole remains simple, a tad bready, inappropriately metallic and very soapy, while at the same time suffering from rather exaggerated residual sugar sweetness with a rubbery or plastic-y kind of feel to it. Hops are anything but absent. This may be made in Germany (though outside of the traditional Weissbier region), it feels like some cheap, macro-brewed Dutch caricature, too thin, too metallic, way overstated and simplified in its banana-bubblegum character and lacking any ’background’ noble hops and phenols for balance; indeed a decent Bavarian Weissbier should be basically banana-like in the nose and wheaty (soapy) in the mouth, yet this is a thin, ridiculously tuned down, childish simplification of it, an insult to the Bavarian originals which demonstrate balance, unexpected complexity, class and technical accomplishment (think Weihenstephaner, Maisels, Oberdorfer etc.). This is not even like the much younger northern German, drier and more restrained, grainier interpretation of it, which I was kind of hoping for: this is exactly the same as what e.g. Grolsch and Brand have done in the Netherlands, i.e. making a joke out of an ancient tradition that bears much more refinement and depth than many beer drinkers tend to think - American-obsessed hipster beer geeks included. I do, however, concur with the opinion given in some of the ratings below: I really should not complain as this can cost me close to nothing and in the dreary context of Lidl’s limited budget beer selection, specifically the Perlenbacher brand, this may very well be the best of them all - if you insist on comparing it with the other Perlenbachers for none other than financial reasons, in other words: if you’re an impoverished alcoholic.

Blik thuis gedronken. Goudgeel, ietsje troebel bier met stevig wit schuim. Weinig aroma, in de verte iets van mout en gist. Smaak is vlak, heeft iets weg van jong bier. Nasmaak is iets bitter.

Lata @Supermercado Lidl, Oviedo 22/04/17. BBD:23/02/18. Color amarillo turbio aromas levadura trigo, cuerpo medio.

Can. Lidl. Murky, dark gold. Swirl of dense, white head. Nose has sweet cereal. Banana foam sweets. Metal filings. Yeasty bread. Taste is fairly sweet and a little dry. Soft mouthfeel. Burp inducing fizz. Light dry finish. Not bad for less than a quid.

very hazy yellow colour, one inch dense, white head; aroma and taste of wheat, lemon zest, some very minimal banana and metallic notes; not really good, but acceptable for its price

Can. Hazy orange, thick white head. Yeasty banana aroma, quite yeasty, slightly doughy. Sweet flavour, light banana and a little spice. Low carb. Slightly watery but ok fruity and juicy. Not bad for a cheap macro.

Can sample at a tasting at Max’s place. Thanks zvikar. Hazy yellow with a white head. Aroma of fruity esters, bubblegum, yeast,bread, faint cardboard hint. Sweetish flavor with yeast, bread, fruitiness (apples, citrus,banana), spicy hint. Light-bodied.