“An old-school classic style meets the new world in our twist on a pilsner. Cool fermented with European yeast for a dry, crisp finish but with flavour and aroma imparted through delicate use of New Zealand Motueka hops, this pils has plenty to interest craft beer enthusiasts yet is accessible to all. Just like the famous Jervis Bay climbing mecca it’s named after, this beer is straight up and heaps of fun.”

Glassware: Footed flute.

Appearance: Bright golden-amber with a fizzy off-white head. Steady reduction and patchy lacing on the glass.

Aroma: Hhhmmm. There’s no doubt this is a nu-skool interpretation. The single-hop Motueka clearly gives that away, but also the slightly darker complexion and chewy sweetness to the malt bill. It’s not as crisp and clean as we like pilsners to be but the upside is the Motueka hops and their zesty and green lime, honeydew, guava, Thai basil and menthol notes. Not much else stands out really.

Flavour: Similar issue to the aroma. When we think pilsners we’re imagining crisp, clean and bright. The malt bill here is a little too heavy and sweet in our opinion. That coupled with the Motueka hops almost gives this an IPA vibe. Which is not so much a bad thing…if we wanted an IPA. There’s basically zero bitterness as well so it remains kinda chewy and saturated well into the finish which isn’t ideal for the style.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, a little gelatinous and well rounded. Slightly lower Co2 than we’re used to and a well poised 4.5% ABV.

Overall: It’s not JB’s finest offering to be brutally honest. Maybe it’s just not our kind of nu-skool pilsner. The Motueka hops were a nice touch and provided almost all of the beer’s strong points. It’s a big old meh from us.