Let's talk Pilsners

I was at the NYC International Master Bartender and I got to see a lot of guys (including the guy who won) try out their pours, so I got to see a few milk pours go un-drunk and settle, and it's actually quite surprising to see how much beer it turns out to be. Obviously it's not a full pint but it's close.

Traditionally it's meant to be a last drink of the night beer. "Dessert" in the form of a creamy beer.

 

That explains a few things. I'm not surprised at how much may settle out; just watch a bar tender tap a new keg of anything, pour the first foamy run into a pitcher and let it settle down.

I just don't understand why anyone would want to drink only foam -- let alone pay for it!

 

Well, if foam carries flavor and aroma, wouldn't more foam mean more flavor and aroma?

 

Probably, but only in the same method as cotton candy: "Wow! This is good… oh wait, what was I just eating?"

 

Foam has its own measurement metric, International Billowing Units. The Urquell "milk" pour officially has around 100.

 

IBUs? Uh oh, this could get confusing to some…

 

I have had the opportunity to travel to Germany as well as Austria and the Czech Republic in search of best brewed styles of lagers and pilsners of Europe and the world. One trip was organized by Bill and Ron, the co-owners of Victory Brewing Company, who attended Kloster Weihenstephan Institute and earned their brewmaster certification. I learned to appreciate well-made lagers and pilsners at Victory, especially the German style way of enjoying a pilsner. Using a 0.4 liter pilsner glass, the beer is poured vertically straight into the glass creating an immense head of foam. After letting it settle for 30 to 60 sec, another pour would be started. This process was repeated at least three or four times before a fabulous rocky-looking, dense head of foam was formed. Ron and Bill simply called the process a German slow-pour.

After the three to four minutes or more of pouring the beer, it creates a unique and different flavor profile. The first obvious reason why the flavor is different is because the beer has had a chance to warm. At a higher temperature, the hops are more noticeable as well as the malt backbone. But giving the beer a chance to oxidize, the carbonic acid (CO2) bite is not nearly as prevalent. As a result, the beer has this more noticeably cleaner, smoother, slightly creamer taste on the palate. It's the only way I drink my Prima Pils and Braumeister pilsners when I am at Victory's brewpub.

When I went to various establishments in Germany, I always loved to watch the stammtisch table. It's a table where the local regulars come to drink their beers and socialize. But, it's treat to watch them look at their newly poured beer and comment whether it was a proper pour and, some of the gentlemen at the table, have digital thermometers to measure the temperature of the beers. If it wasn't at the proper temperature or proper pour for that individual, it would normally be sent back to achieve either the proper pour and/or temperature. Some of the individuals at the stammtisch table, as you can imagine, can be quite entertaining.

BTW, one of my favorite pilsners when I was in Germany was brewed by an American brewer from Wyoming, Eric Toft at the Private Landbrauerei Schonram in Petting/Schönram. Eric attended Kloster Weihenstephan
Institute with Ron Barchet. He brews some fabulous, authentic German beers and he is also experimenting with American style brews as well. I have attached a link to a website that I think properly critiqued his pilsner.

http://draftmag.com/review/448/

 

Been to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland about 6 times myself mostly to take in the culture, but also to drink beer.

Right, but there was still a full glass of beer, no? It's why they have the little marks on the glasses -- to let you know you've received what you're paying for. Therein was my only question concerning the "milk pour," which (with further answers by others) seems to be the way it's served -- a glassful of foam.

I received many a Pils in Germany via this pour, but the vast majority of my German friends cry bunk on the process calling it a gimmick (at best), all apologies to Ron and Bill.

 

Never seen the digital thermometers. Have seen the copper-coil beer warmers, "for those with stomach problems."

 

Nice article from Esquire about the foam pour, worth a read for those still skeptical.

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/mastering-the-pilsner

 

'Cause Esquire is my go-to magazine for good beer info.

Yah. Really starting to reveal as a big gimmick. Give me a beer -- add a nice head to it, but don't serve me a glass of foam and tell me that all the cool kids drink it that way.

 

Can't I simply pour it with enough vigor to create a normal head, and enjoy my beer slowly as I normally would so it warms up, to accomplish the same thing?

 

Looks like about 10-15 International Billowing Units. Pretty solid! I still manage to enjoy cask ale ranging from 0-10 units, but a few more is always nice.

Is it possible to ask for your foam to be topped up?

 

At this place (the brewery tap) they fill your glass as full as they can then invite you to take a couple of good swigs.They then top it up.Sometimes they will grab a half full glass and put another pull into it without being asked.
If I went to the bar with an empty glass and asked for a half, the picture is what I would get.

 

Pivo Pils by Firestone Walker.

 

I have. Great beer indeed. One of my favorites next to the Polotmavy.

 

For those in the L.A. area, Smog City has an incredible pilsner, Hop Rocket Citra Pils. It's really fantastic, but I've only ever seen it at their brewery. I hope they keep it as a standard and bottle or can it some day soon.

Also, not to be pedantic, but there is no such beer as Rothaus Tannenzäpfle. Rothaus is an excellent brewery from a small town in the Black Forest, and they make the best pilsner I have ever tasted. They also make a great Hefeweizen. They bottle all of their beers in two formats - a 500ml bottle and a 33 cl bottle with foil around the cap. The latter kind of bottle they label as 'Tannenzäpfle' or simply 'Zäpfle', which basically means pine cone. [See their website: http://rothaus.de/de/pils_tannenzaepfle_zaepfle_bier_rothaus]. This is mislabeled on Beer Advocate, as there is an entry for both the Pils and the Tannenzäpfle, but the latter is not a style of beer, just a kind of bottle.

All that aside, I would reiterate that it is a stupendous pils. If you are ever in southwest Germany, be sure to try it.