Nice Pils and Lagers

Yes. OMB pils is better.

 

Well, I am assuming the Jack's Abby beers are hop bombs compared to OMB, too, correct? Very interested to hear your comparison.

And, yes, there is a distinct SO2 note from the house yeast OMB uses. It's a result, I suspect, of their use of spunding devices on their fermentation tanks; this is a very traditional German practice, and I haven't seen it used by many U.S. brewers at all. Olde Meck does it strictly by the Reinheitsgebot and -- despite what people might contend -- it definitely makes a difference.

You get any Copper (OMB's Alt)? It is the single most authentic interpretation of any German style by any U.S. brewer I have tasted.

 

Wish there were more classic Czech pils here in the U.S. Also wish there were more (and better) doppelbocks.

 

If you are looking for a great malt character in a Pils you should check out Weihenstephaner as well.

 

Fantasic, few things are as satisfying as a good pilsener. It's good to see more and more attention given to them by craft brewers. There are some good ones coming from Italian craft as well.
Birrificio Italiano makes Tipo Pils which is to me fairly untraditional and along the lines of Prima Pils.
Birrificio del Ducato makes a decent straightforward pils, which may be available in the states, if not quite fresh.
And a local brewery here makes a fantastic keller pils that's got a nice bite but isn't overdone with the hops.
There are many others as well, as I'm sure there are many other good pils' to be found at your end of the world.

 

I have very much enjoyed New Glarus' Edel Pils, a summer release this year, and Two Women Lager, available year round. You might find them worth trading for if you can't get to Wisconsin to buy.

 

Not sure Sprecher or Capital find distribution in Antarctica, but Capital's Autumnal Fire and their Spring Blonde Doppelbock are terrific examples -- and I just found Sprecher's Summer Pils (hopefully they'll keep it as a seasonal next year) that nails the Bohemian Pilsner style beautifully.

Also, Gordon Biersch has a seasonal Winterbock (also available at Trader Joe's as their Joseph's Brau Winterfest) that's an outstanding Bavarian-style Doppelbock.

 

Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning is a great (double) Pils.

 

Get your hands on Urban Chestnut Zwickel. Great stuff!

 

May I suggest pikeland pils by sly fox. I found this to be an excellent lager and a bit of a surprise as you never hear of sly fox much. They also make a helles lager.

 

Welcome to the Pils fan club.

I'm thinking you've started to find that there's actually a good bit of complexity in the style and that there are some really interesting within style variations here in the US, just as there are in Germany.

 

How would you say it compares to OMB?

 

I wouldn't classify a nice pils as "malty" though. It's a style that strikes a beautiful balance between malt and hops, with the scale leaning SLIGHTLY towards the hops. Unlike something like a Helles, which is more subtle with it's hop character and bit more malt forward.

But when I think "malty" in terms of German styles I think of doppelbocks, maibocks, marzens...etc.

 

Yeah- Sly Fox, Sunshine Pils and Prima are all similar, and in the Northern German substyle- drier and hoppier. Of the three I like Sunshine the best because I can have a few of them without getting palate fatigue, which definitely sets in for me with Prima.

You should also try some Helles, if you enjoy the maltier, richer brews- and Sly Fox is a great place to start, delicious and true to style.