Florida Beer: Sunshine State Pils By Florida Beer Company

It's #FloridaBeerFriday. Every Friday, we take a look at a beer brewed in the Sunshine State, giving analysis to the burgeoning craft beer movement of Florida.

Two months ago I had the pleasure to sample a pre-bottled version of the Sunshine State Pils by the Florida Beer Company during a small get together at the Riverside Market in Fort Lauderdale. At that time the beer was only available on draft and tasted great. I made a mental note to revisit the beer when it came time to hit the market via bottles to see just what effect the change in container would make.

See also: Florida Beer: Funky Buddha Brewery's Past Year In Beer

This is an American version of the classic German Pilsner. In the Beer Judge Certification Program parlance, this beer would fall under 2A, of which notable other beers include Victory Prima Pils, Bitburger, and Warsteiner.

The beer pours a clear straw yellow with a moderate and thick crown of foam. It has great head retention as well, and is very close to being able to float a bottle crown on top.

There is some mild hay and grass on the aroma, but otherwise it is fairly muted. Flavors of plain cracker and white bread are apparent in the malts, but what strikes me as the strongest flavors are the sharp and fairly apparent Euro hop profile (which is actually a new hop varietal called Saphir, an alternative to the traditional Hallertauer Mittlefrüh). Paired with the high level of carbonation, and this is a food pairing superstar.

This is probably the best lighter bodied beer to come out of the Florida Beer Company portfolio in a while.

"Regarding pilsner, most brewers recognize that a pilsner can truly showcase a brewer and brewery's talent," Florida Beer's beer alchemist, Bobby Gordash, told us previously. "They are a very delicate and unforgiving [style]. So we thought it was a great way to showcase our new state-of-the-art brewery and the talents of our new head brewer, Luke Erdody."

Six packs of this sure-to-be summertime hit are available right now in local beer and wine stores.

Follow #FloridaBeerFriday for more reviews of Sunshine State brews.

Get out there and #DrinkLocal.

Doug Fairall is a craft beer blogger who focuses on Florida beers, and has been a homebrewer since 2010. For beer things in your Twitter feed, follow him @DougFairall and find the latest beer pics on Instagram.