Ipswich Riverbend Pils

There are a number of beer styles that work well with hot summer weather and one is clearly pilsner, especially the flavorful versions being produced by many talented American brewers. A crisp, drinkable and flavorful pilsner is perfect for grilling, hanging out at the beach or quenching your thirst after some time outside. My new house now has a sweet new grill, and also a large lawn that needs to be mowed, so I need to keep a stable of refreshing beers on hand all times. One pilsner I enjoyed recently is Riverbend Pils, a limited release from Ipswich Brewing Company. Riverbend Pils is a celebration of the brewery’s 25th anniversary, and a portion of the sales benefit the Ipswich River Watershed Association, a non-profit that helps protect this waterway which provides drinking (and brewing) water for many in the area. The beer is brewed with German malts along with a mixture of traditional Saaz hops and not-at-all traditional Lemondrop hops. Ipswich Riverbend Pils is available this summer on draft and in 22 oz. bottles.

Ipswich Riverbend PilsIpswich Riverbend Pils pours crystal clear golden yellow with a small white head. The scent is mild, some light malt and noble hops. The beer is crisp, clean and very refreshing, perfect for the hot weather of mid-summer. This isn’t a hoppy beer by current standards, but there is noticeable hop flavor, notes of grass, herbs, earth and lemon along with a little bitter bite. This is complemented by the malts, touches of crackers and white bread. Riverbend Pils is very light and easy to drink, at 4.6% ABV it is sessionable by many standards. The finish is classic lager, just a hint of hoppy aftertaste that keeps you coming back for more. This is a great version of a pilsner, right now it is listed as a limited release but I hope Ipswich makes it their regular summer beer because it is delicious. Hoppy Boston score: 4.75/5

Previous Ipswich Reviews:

Ipswich Original AleIpswich Hop HarvestIpswich Harvest Ale

2 Comments

  1. The beer is awesome. I’ve had it several times and will have to grab a bomber or two.

    I hope it doesn’t completely replace Summer Ale. Ipswich has retired their Harvest and Winter Ale, the Summer Ale is the only classic Ipswich seasonal left. They tweaked the Summer Ale recipe and added Mosaic hops to the mix.

  2. I don’t necessarily need to replace Summer Ale, they could just do the bombers and draft in addition to the regular summer beer and I would be pretty happy with that.

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