# Hahn Premium Australian Pilsener - New Recipe Wins Blind Taste Test?&#



## piraterum (20/12/12)

Anyone tried the new recipe Hahn Premium AKA Hahn Premium Australian Pilsener?

IMO Hahn Premium is a pretty boring beer but in a Crafty Pint blind test it beat several other brews including Weihenstephan Pilsner :blink: 


http://craftypint.com/news/post/taking-the-pils/

According to Chuck Hahn:

"When I discovered that the late additions to the brew kettle of the German Hersbrucker hops were not being made properly and were of 2008 crop a couple months ago, I quickly made corrections to the brewing programs. The resultant brew displays a more pronounced European floral hop aroma and a cleaner hop finish (as it should with the proper addition of fresh hops). We decided to change the name to better reflect the style of beer that it was originally. Drinkers back in 1988 did not really know what a European-style pilsener was so we just called it Hahn Premium Lager. Now we are back to Hahn Premium Pilsener.


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## QldKev (20/12/12)

I used to like the old style of this beer, I think I'll put this one on the list for next time I visit the bottle shop.


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## mikec (20/12/12)

"When I discovered that the late additions to the brew kettle of the German Hersbrucker hops were not being made properly and were of 2008 crop"

FAR OUT. Quality control much?


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## yum beer (20/12/12)

Interesting to know, Hahn was defenitely a better beer when it first hit the market.


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## Blitzer (20/12/12)

They must have bought A LOT! of the 2008 crop..


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## Bribie G (20/12/12)

Before my HB days I would often drink Hahn as an equivalent to any of the imported Euros, it was right up there with them.


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## winkle (20/12/12)

Bribie G said:


> Before my HB days I would often drink Hahn as an equivalent to any of the imported Euros, it was right up there with them.



Agreed, it was good when it first came out - then went steeply downhill. A few years back they made a pretty decent vienna as well.


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## Florian (20/12/12)

Might have to pick up a bottle of it to see if Chuck's comments are true... Would be good if there was a halfway decent commercial aussie pils available in wedding/family gathering type situations.


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## winkle (20/12/12)

Florian said:


> Might have to pick up a bottle of it to see if Chuck's comments are true...



That was the cunning marketing plan all along :icon_cheers:


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## Fents (20/12/12)

bet you the price for a case of hahn just increased by 10%


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## sponge (20/12/12)

Fents said:


> bet you the price for a case of hahn just increased by 10%



It's now sold alongside crown ambassador...


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## Snow (20/12/12)

Florian said:


> Might have to pick up a bottle of it to see if Chuck's comments are true... Would be good if there was a halfway decent commercial aussie pils available in wedding/family gathering type situations.



I can really recommend James Squire Pilsener (won best Pils at the world cup), and I'm quite fond of Blue Tongue Pilsener (NOT the lager).

Pretty keen to try the "refreshed" Hahn to see if it's any better....

Cheers - Snow


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## Bribie G (20/12/12)

Another nice drop is Cascade Premium Lager - I had to attend a graduation do at QPAC and the bar area for the event, apart from the usual suspects such as Dry, Super Dry, Blonde Dry, Ultra Dry, Lite Dry, Mid Dry, VB etc also had the Cascade. I got a really nice hit of something Euro.


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## Spiesy (20/12/12)

Snow said:


> I can really recommend James Squire Pilsener (won best Pils at the world cup), and I'm quite fond of Blue Tongue Pilsener (NOT the lager).


Each to their own, but I cannot stand Blue Tongue Pilsner.... mank fest '85.

Used to really rate Hahn Premium in the late 90's, I just thought it was my palette that improved, when I no longer enjoyed it... I'm actually keen to fly this up the ol' flagpole also.


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## QldKev (20/12/12)

winkle said:


> That was the cunning marketing plan all along :icon_cheers:




Hopefully they have fixed it up to it's former glory, and trying to find a place in the market with all the microbreweries starting to evade. 

Although I find hops if are stored correctly don't loose bucket loads of aroma, just the AA% drops. Also I think them changing the name to lager from Pilsner is a bit of an acceptance that they did on purpose dull-down the beer. 

QldKev


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## pk.sax (20/12/12)

Bribie G said:


> Another nice drop is Cascade Premium Lager - I had to attend a graduation do at QPAC and the bar area for the event, apart from the usual suspects such as Dry, Super Dry, Blonde Dry, Ultra Dry, Lite Dry, Mid Dry, VB etc also had the Cascade. I got a really nice hit of something Euro.



Agreed, cascade premium and cascade blonde are very palatable.

Doubt it's a euro hop. Few years ago went on their brewery tour and they told us it was all PoR except for the blonde, I think.


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## piraterum (26/12/12)

Got a sixer of Hahn Premium, conveniently one of the six was actually the old version so i could do a side by side. Wow there is a hell of a difference between the two. The old one was as I remembered it, thin, quite highly carbonated with a grassy almost metallic taste to it. Like it's been dry hopped with stale hops funnily enough. The new one is smoother, a nicer mouth feel with less fizz. It doesn't have that nasty grassy taste, with a smooth bitter finish


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## piraterum (26/12/12)

Ok the new Hahn Premium vs the big guns Weihenstephaner Pilsner...

Weihenstephaner
Aroma - A nice sweet malty aroma, hops are subtle
Body - medium, smooth mouthfeel with low carbonation
Taste - well rounded bready malt flavours nicely balanced with hops, without being too grassy, with a smooth bitter finish

Hahn Premium
Aroma - dead give away has the aussie lager aroma - smell a VB and you'll know what i'm talking about
Body - thinner / lighter body than Weihenstephaner, smooth with low carbonation
Taste - smooth grassy hop flavour, not much malt flavour, smooth bitter finish

In summary two very different beers Weihenstephaner is a classic Euro tasting Pils over which you can savour the flavour. Hahn Premium is a like a standard aussie lager, smoother with some hop flavour - a lawnmower beer you could down easily.


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## Nick JD (26/12/12)

I can't remember if it was Hahn or Cascade, but one of them used to taste soapy.


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## Black Devil Dog (26/12/12)

Snow said:


> I can really recommend James Squire Pilsener (won best Pils at the world cup), and I'm quite fond of Blue Tongue Pilsener (NOT the lager).
> 
> Pretty keen to try the "refreshed" Hahn to see if it's any better....
> 
> Cheers - Snow




Agree about the Blue Tongue Pilsner, I used to buy it regularly at my local BWS until they stopped selling it, when I asked why, they said no one else was buying it. 

Proof enough for me that it must have been good.


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## Bribie G (26/12/12)

I was at Caboolture RSL last year and the gas system failed so bottles only. Apart from VB and Corona etc they had BT pilsener in the fridge and it was OK as a premium lager. Local bottlo hasn't heard about the new Hahn yet, they stopped selling the old one 6 months ago so they have taken note and the Lion rep will be round after Xmas.


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