BRAMS French Pilsner by BRAMS  is being judged under the nominal guidance of BJCP category 2A, International Pale Lager.

The beer is served in a narrow tapered pilsner glass at 43^o F, showing a deep gold color (~5 SRM) some very slight haze, and a modest foamy stand of off-white head that shows good persistence.   

The nose is dominantly floral and lightly dry, with hints of honey nectar, lime-blossom and heather above a rich and lightly sweet honey malt backdrop. Overall it's somewhat reserved, the clear floral nature is quite nice, and it is balanced by a light and bready malt backbone with clear evidence of residual sweetness. Floral and honey nectar richness are showcased in the nose perfectly. 

The flavor profile starts richly malty with a big dose of resinous malt sweetness with both honey, nectar and floral notes; the middle bitterness is quite reserved (<20 IBU est.), but lingering hop flavors, similar to the dry-floral blossom notes found in the nose, do a great job of standing up to the deeply rich malt backdrop of the beer. It finishes dry to off-dry with a clean and balanced finish fading off pretty quickly. The beer does seem a bit under-conditioned and full-bodied for a pilsner by any other name, and it could use some more gas as much of it appears to have been released with the vigorous pour. On the plus side, it is quite creamy in texture and has no appreciable astringency. 

The emergent tradition of finding new categories for beers is welcome, and lagers being the bastion of some of the most strident traditions are there for the taking. This beer presents an interesting position in beer flavor with both strong floral hop notes and complex, lager fermentation and residual sweetness elements. After a full glass the overall flavor strength of the beer wanes, yielding a soft and relatively unassuming aroma and flavor profile that may owe some decay to age. Despite that, it's a nice bright beer of relatively high malt complexity and low bitterness with some lovely hop character. The lack of carbonation does detract from the snappiness I might expect in a golden lager, but the resulting creaminess is a nice counterpoint. I have little doubt that you can find a similarly complex and rich "pilsner" in France proper, and again, that strikes me as very cool. As far as food pairing, I am a taco nut, and a taco truck plate of lengua tacos and a cold French pilsner sounds right down my alley. Vive le France!