Let’s get one thing straight from the start – Pilsners are NOT my favorite style of beer.
Bottom fermented fizzy piss water with as about as much flavour and texture as a glass of water. I’m being disingenuous of course, because the Pilsner changed the worlds drinking habits; it is the building block upon which the modern lager is built, albeit having removed whatever flavour originally existed. Lager is the most popular beer in the world…. so that makes them the Toyota Corolla of beers then.
For those of you who weren’t aware, prior to the 1840’s most beers were top fermented, dark & cloudy. Then some bright sparks in what is now the Czech Republic, started playing with top fermenting yeasts, paler crystal malts and storing their beer kegs in cool caves in and around the city of Pilsen, and hey presto, the worlds first golden beer was born.
Unlike most modern beers, Pilsner is dominated by one hop variety, the Saaz hop, which originated from Zatec, near Pilsen. The Heineken’s, Becks & Stella’s evolved from this style of beer, but the original style calls for a crisp flavour, ranging in bitterness. Czech styles, also know as Bohemian, tend to be lighter in flavour, while the German styles tend to have more bitterness.
With that in mind I’m off to taste arrange of Pilsners from around the world. I’ve selected a range of new and old world Pilsners covering some of the well known brands, and some more obscure versions. Tasting notes & rating to follow, but the order will be as below :-
1. Pilsner Urquell (Czech Rep. – 4.4%)
2. San Miguel Pale Pilsner (Philippines – 5.0%)
3. Mac’s Hop Rocker Pilsner (New Zealand – 4.8%)
4. Perla Chmielowa Pils (Poland – 6.0%)
5. Weltenburger Pils (Germany -4.9%)
6. Trumer Pils (Austria – 4.9%)
7. Kross Pilsner (Chile – 4.9%)
8. Weishenstephaner Pilsner (Germany – 5.1%)
9. James Squire Pilsner (Australia – 5.0%0
10. Radeberger Pilsner (Germany – 4.8%)
All around 5%, so I’ll be giving it a crack in one sitting….
Bottom fermented fizzy piss water with as about as much flavour and texture as a glass of water. I’m being disingenuous of course, because the Pilsner changed the worlds drinking habits; it is the building block upon which the modern lager is built, albeit having removed whatever flavour originally existed. Lager is the most popular beer in the world…. so that makes them the Toyota Corolla of beers then.
For those of you who weren’t aware, prior to the 1840’s most beers were top fermented, dark & cloudy. Then some bright sparks in what is now the Czech Republic, started playing with top fermenting yeasts, paler crystal malts and storing their beer kegs in cool caves in and around the city of Pilsen, and hey presto, the worlds first golden beer was born.
Unlike most modern beers, Pilsner is dominated by one hop variety, the Saaz hop, which originated from Zatec, near Pilsen. The Heineken’s, Becks & Stella’s evolved from this style of beer, but the original style calls for a crisp flavour, ranging in bitterness. Czech styles, also know as Bohemian, tend to be lighter in flavour, while the German styles tend to have more bitterness.
With that in mind I’m off to taste arrange of Pilsners from around the world. I’ve selected a range of new and old world Pilsners covering some of the well known brands, and some more obscure versions. Tasting notes & rating to follow, but the order will be as below :-
1. Pilsner Urquell (Czech Rep. – 4.4%)
2. San Miguel Pale Pilsner (Philippines – 5.0%)
3. Mac’s Hop Rocker Pilsner (New Zealand – 4.8%)
4. Perla Chmielowa Pils (Poland – 6.0%)
5. Weltenburger Pils (Germany -4.9%)
6. Trumer Pils (Austria – 4.9%)
7. Kross Pilsner (Chile – 4.9%)
8. Weishenstephaner Pilsner (Germany – 5.1%)
9. James Squire Pilsner (Australia – 5.0%0
10. Radeberger Pilsner (Germany – 4.8%)
All around 5%, so I’ll be giving it a crack in one sitting….
