When it comes to no-frills, refreshing, crisp beers, it’s difficult to beat the overall appeal of a well-made pilsner (thankfully, finding a good pilsner is often as easy as taking a trip to your local grocery store). There’s a reason why brewers love lagers. And, while you might not know the history of your favorite craft pilsner you pick up at your local grocery or beer store, you should probably know where the beer originally came from.
The first pilsner didn’t come from Germany as you might assume. While the two most common types of pilsners (there is also the American style but that’s mostly a mix of the two as well as the Italian style) are the German and Czech-style pilsners, the latter was the first. Brewed in the Bohemian city of Plzeň (or Pilsen), the first pale lager was crafted by Pilsner Urquell in 1842. Yes, the same Pilsner Urquell you can find in beer coolers from coast to coast.
The German style is known for its clean, refreshing, floral flavor profile while the Czech style is known for its sweeter, maltier, spicy hop flavor. Both are crisp, dry and crushable on a hot day. But since the Czech style came first, this is the beer that gets its day in the proverbial sun today.
Kane Speciál 13°
If you get a chance to try Kane Speciál 13°, don’t pass it up. This 5.4 percent ABV Czech-style pilsner is as authentic as they come. Brewed with floor-malted Moravian pilsner malts and Czech-grown Saaz hops, it’s lagered in stainless steel for a full six weeks. The result is a clean, floral, bready, gently spicy, very crisp pilsner for all seasons. It’s thirst-quenching, flavorful, and has just a hint of hop bitterness at the very end.
Buy: $14
Schilling Alexandr
If you’ve never tried a beer from New Hampshire’s Schilling Beer, you’re missing out on some classic European-style beers. If you like pilsners, it’s a good idea to drink its German-style Jakobus alongside its Czech-style Alexandr and compare the two. The latter is a traditional Bohemian-style pilsner that’s sessionable, light, and clean with a nice malt backbone, floral, spicy hops, and a lightly bitter finish. It’s the kind of beer you’ll crave all summer long.
Buy: $11
Threes Yore
To say that this Czech-style pilsner is crushable is a severe understatement. At 3.9 percent ABV, it’s as sessionable as beers get. What it lacks in alcohol content, it makes up for in flavor. Brewed with floor-malted Moravian pilsner malt as well as Czech-sourced Saaz hops, it has a palate of pilsner malts, dried hay, wet grass, and spicy, floral hops. It’s crisp, clean, and very refreshing.
Buy: $17
Heater Allen Pils
Oregon’s Heater Allen Brewing is well-known for its traditional German and Czech-style lagers. You can’t go wrong with its traditional Bohemian-style lager, Heater Allen Pils. It has a complex, balanced flavor profile featuring bready malts, lemon peels, fresh-cut grass, and spicy, gently floral hops. The finish is crisp, thirst-quenching, and very memorable.
Buy: $20
Lawson’s Finest Scrag Mountain Pilsner
Vermont’s Lawson’s Finest Liquids might be best known for its fresh, flavorful IPAs. But you shouldn’t sleep on Scrag Mountain, its traditional Czech-style pilsner. Named for the water source in Scrag Mountain that gives the town of Waitsfield, Vermont, its water, this pilsner is known for its palate of freshly baked bread, orchard fruits, lemon peels, and spicy, floral, lightly bitter hops. It’s crushable, very crisp, and a nice break from the usual IPAs.
Buy: $25
Fox Farm Quiet Life
Fox Farm might not have the name recognition of some of the other breweries on this list, but its Czech-style pilsner is one of the best. Brewed with a mix of Czech-sourced malts and spicy Saaz hops, it’s a love letter to Pilsen. The result is a classic pilsner that begins with a nose of yeasty bread, wet grass, and floral hops before moving on to a palate of bready malts, citrus peels, fresh-cut grass, hay, and lightly floral, herbal hops. The finish is crisp and pleasantly bitter.
Buy: $15
Notch The Standard
With a name like “The Standard,” you should have a pretty good idea that this beer is a classic take on the style. This 4.4 percent ABV pilsner was brewed with floor-malted pilsner malts and hopped with Sterling hops. It was made using the double-decoction method, was open-fermented, and spent extended time lagering. This creates a balanced, refreshing beer filled with flavors like fresh bread, lemon candy, and gently spicy hops.
Buy: $13
