Pilsners and such

No, its not the worst style, its just a style you don't happen to like. There are lots of really nice Pils beers brewed in PA that are not much like the AALs that happen use the word Pilsner in their name or descriptions but which really are far from what many consider to be the "real thing."

 

Pilsner does have a flavor and it is not fruit. It's a lovely style that will show you crisp breaddiness, the joy of what you would call a clean palate, and a hop character that is herbal and very forward. Some might say it's brash as compared to the helles .

 

You'll have to either travel or trade to get 'em, but check out what Pennsylvania has to offer. Penn, Sly Fox, Stoudt's, Victory, etc.

 

Urban Chestnut Zwickel, when fresh, is one of my favorites

 

I'm glad I can get my hands on Nooner Pils and Pivo Pils anytime. Wish I could add Prima Pils to the list. Enjoy all three.

 

These days, we lager in our Conicals for 4 weeks at 31 degrees F. We use Augustiner's lager yeast. We typically hit terminal gravity in 10 days, let it warm condition for 5 days (which also gives the yeast cells some time to swell) and then cold crash all the way down.

 

Is that a vertical tank or a horizontal tank?

Cheers!

 

Pilsners are probably my favorite style these days. I like a good Helles or Kolsch style also, but Pilsners are better. As far as easy to get Pilsner, I usually look for SN Nooner or Atwater Purple Gang Pilsner here in MI. I had a Mamas Little Yella Pils from Oskar Blues a while back on draft that was very good. New Belgium Blue Paddle Pilsner is another good choice. There really aren't too many to choose from in my area, I wish they were more commonly available.

 

I've been drinking quite a few sixpoint crisps lately and it's pretty good. I'll pick it up when it's on sale not worth $10 a six pack but definitely worth 7-8. I do agree though lagers are way under appreciated.

 

Vertical. We bought horizontals a couple years ago and then our production needs exploded for our lagers. We would need to buy 8 horizontals to keep up now and we don't have the glycol system to keep up with that many tanks. We'll get back to them one of these days I'm sure.

 

There are few things as satisfying to me as a well-crafted Helles or Vienna lager. There is something about that clean lager character that I just love.

 

My favorite Pilsners:

Sly Fox: Tettnang Keller Pils, Standard Pils, Charles Bridge Pilsner, 2nd Street Pils, Pikeland Pils

Victory: Hip Czech, Braumeister Pils – Sladek, Braumeister Pils – Hallertauer Mittelfruh, Braumeister Pils – Saaz, Braumeister Pils – Tettnang, Braumeister Pils – Spalt, Prima Pils

Triumph: German Pilsner, Czech Pilsner

Neshaminy Creek Trauger Pils

Troegs Sunshine Pils

Sixpoint Crisp

Trumer Pils

Sierra Nevada Nooner Pils

Hardywood Pils

Firestone Walker Pivo Pils

Real Ale Hans Pils

Live Oak Pilz

Stoudts Pils

Straub Pilsner

Hill Farmstead Mary

Stone (Liberty Station) Pilsner

Southampton Keller Pils

Olde Mecklenburg Capt. Jack Pilsner

 

@JackHorzempa I think you missed one.... Jever!

 

Well kudos to you and others at Blue Pants. You are achieving great clarity which is particularly impressive given you are lagering in a vertical conical.

I wish your beers were available in my area. That Pils looks and sounds great!!

Cheers!

 

I was responding to the statement in the OP of: “I truly haven't been impressed by a lager from a local craft brewery in sometime.”

If we expand the discussion to European Pilsners I would list:

Jever Pils

Rothaus Tannenzäpfle

Pivovar Zlaty Bazant Golden Pheasant

With the STRONG caveat if they are fresh. I have not been able to find fresh Golden Pheasant in many years.

Cheers!

 

Luckily it's a fairly short jaunt to Ohio and it seems a fair amount of Pennsylvania's beer makes it at least that far west.

I'm a big fan of their Zwickle, I'd love to be able to try it at the brewery.

 

Your list looks like it's growing.

 

I've learned a few tricks with the Augustiner yeast over the last couple of years. The biggest thing is giving the cells some time to swell before cold crashing. The other thing is after a week, every three days I drop a bit of yeast out of the bottom of the fermenter. Doing that, I get the beer pretty clear without even fining.

 

But you are also getting great 'performance' of proteins & polyphenols coagulating and precipitating. Are you doing something 'special' here? Any use of finings in the lagering conical?

Cheers!

 

Why not!?!

Cheers!

P.S. Who knows, maybe I will someday be able to add Blue Pants Pils to the list!?!