Favorite Czech Pilsener?

Available to us in MA that I recommend:
Oskar Blues Mama's Little Yella pils
Berkshire Czech pils (perhaps not perfectly textbook, but delicious)
Sierra Nevada summerfest
Pilsner Urquell in the cold pack cans

Had any of those yet? Thoughts?

 

Zatec is great if you have it in your area.

 

I'm trying to like this style and have been looking for Pilsner Urquell in cans and have not yet found any.

 

Lagunitas and Pilsner Urquell are my go too's.

 

Why not ask your local packie to order it? Without knowing there is a demand, there's no reason for most retailers to add one more package to a beer they already carry in other formats (i.e., 6 pk and 12 pk bottles). It could be, too, that your local MC house doesn't stock it at all. Sadly, many MC wholesalers don't put much effort into Pilsner Urquell - it very annoying to see cases of Pilsner Urquell clearly marked "Express Shipped Cold" sitting on the "warm" floor in many liquor stores.

 

What's the difference between German and Czech pils? The descriptions on BA don't really indicate a significant difference.

I like Pilsner Urquell and Sierra Nevada Summerfest. Wasn't such a big fan of the Berkshire, Lagunitas, and Oscar Blues offerings.

 

Yeah sadly I see the bottles much more often. A shop near me in Framingham carries the cans.

 

Czech Pilsners typically have a bigger malt backbone with more body. They solely feature Saaz hops.

Cheers!

 

My favorite Czech Pilsner is Golden Pheasant. It is actually brewed in the Slovak Republic but it is indeed of the Czech Pilsner style.

It has been a while since I have found fresh Golden Pheasant.

Cheers!

 

Do German styled pilsners generally eschew Saaz hops or are they still often part of the mix? I see that two of my favorites (Nooner and Fresh Cut) don't appear to use any but others I like aren't as specific in listing the hops they use.

I've always wondered why I gravitate so much more to the German style and perhaps that's why.

 

German Pils tends to be drier and crisper with a more bitter aftertaste than Czech Pils. Czech Pils will have a bigger malt profile. Try your Urquell next to your SN Summeriest sometime. While SN calls their Pils Czech in style, you'll see it's more German compared with the Urquell and you'll see how they differ.

 

German Pilsners do not eschew Saaz hops but they will also be brewed with other hops as you have already noted.

German Pilsners will also sometimes be brewed with a combination of hops.

So, basically from a hop perspective Czech Pilsners play the 'note' of Saaz but German Pilsners are not confined to playing just that 'note'.

The difference in the malt backbone is notable as well.

Cheers!

 

I second that!

Czechvar (aka Budvar) is also a good one.

 

For the past couple of weeks I've been watching for this year's release to appear (fingers crossed for canned sixers), and I'm hoping for another opportunity to drink it on cask, which is ridiculously good.

 

It was supposed to come out last week per their post on FB. (I see Armsby has it on tap now). Apparently it’s now called “Busker Czech Style Pilsner.” Annoyed that the picture they posted on FB is a bomber. I too was hoping for cans and I thought they claimed it was in high consideration to be canned. Their website notes it's only available in bombers and draft

Where did you have it on cask?

 

Pilsner Urquell and Lagunitas PILS

 

We have it at the Binnys in Illinois.

 

Do you know the bottling date of those beers?

Cheers!

 

When I worked at Binny's, it wasn't exactly our best seller.