The great pilsner conundrum

If it doesn't taste like true Pilsner, I'd walk away. I've had Pilsners brewed by Great Lakes that fall far from what I'd expect in a Pilsner.

But Miller High Life is also far from what I'd expect in a good Pilsner.

Snobbish? No, I just know how good a Pilsner can really be -- see Ayinger's new Bavarian Pils.

 

Which Pils did you not like from them?

That's not very fair, is it?

 

I do fully understand the downsides of supporting local breweries and it's a shame their stuff is currently priced too high for your tastes. That part of your experience is replicated many places outside of New York City. Indeed that is one of the reasons I've basically been avoiding Belgian imports for the last few years, I've found folks like Boulevard who brew a Saison I really like so I don't intend to pay for Saison Dupont, given the price differential. Similarly As first said here by @TongoRad, I too stick with beers that work best on the price/quality/freshness scale. I certainly support local when I can, but for me local doesn't outweigh price/quality/freshness.

 

I totally agree with you about wanting to support your locals but that becomes tough to do when $5 per 16oz can seems to have become the new standard for canned offerings from NYC breweries. I understand that businesses here likely face the highest overhead costs in the U.S., but at that price point (for my finances at least) a product has to be special and unique for me to purchase. That's why my local brewery purchases skew heavily towards "NE" IPAs, which tend not to be widely distributed (if at all). Once you get outside this style, there tend to be a number of regional and/or international breweries that offer comparable or superior products at a significantly lower price point. If I'm dropping $20 for a 4-pack of beer, it'd better be special.

 

I would roll with Oskar Blues - Mama's Lil Yella Pils all day. Fantastic beer, always available and fresh, and $8 bucks a 6 pack... Works for me

 

The Wright Pils was far from a true Pilsner, and there was one other a long while ago -- may have been at the brewery proper. There's something about the GL yeast that just doesn't make a good lager.

All's fair in good beer.

 

This is why I laugh at people lining up for can releases here in Pittsburgh. These local breweries are charging just about as much as you are getting charged and people keep buying the stuff like there's some shortage of it. The thing that REALLY makes me laugh is that for the price of two 4-packs, I can make 6 gallons of a very similar beer. Are my hazy IPAs as good as theirs? I don't know, but they're pretty fucking close IMHO.

 

Like Colorado, PA state excise tax is $0.08 per gallon. NY is $0.14 plus another $0.12 in the city of NY...that’s part of the higher cost of doing business.

 

Ahh . . . I see.

How do you feel about Fatheads Pils?

 

Quote from a friend of mine that runs a small brewery: IPA’s are like a guy on the beach wearing a clown suit; there’s so much going on, you don’t what it is. A Pilsner is like a guy on the beach wearing a speedo; no place to hide anything.

 

As a "New World Pils", it works for me too. Especially the Citra hopped version.

 

Fantastic stuff, that!

 

I really enjoy this beer, it reminds me of what a great Pils should taste like, maybe I am just biased but this stuff is fantastic. Also the price is great, they always have fresh stuff out, etc. Cheers....

 

I'm sure . Enjoy the hometown discount - you have the best of all worlds there.

 

I also forgot about Sierra Nevada Summerfest? I believe this fits the bill for style and its priced right.
Cheers.

 

I like German and Czech imports too, but I rarely find them under, say, six months old (and they're often older). Such being the case, fresh local and regional pilsners are more than worth the extra cost to me. I can't say I often buy any that run $4 per unit, though. Jack's Abby, Von Trapp, and Zero Gravity, for example, are all considerably cheaper than that.

I used to drink ales almost exclusively, for years and years, and then Jack's Abby opened and presented me with a solid lager option. I'm pleased that JA has done so well and that other brewers around here have followed suit with lagers of their own. Now lagers make up at least half of my beer intake. Excelsior.

 

By the by, since we're talking about good regional lagers, any West Coast folks out there really ought to try (in addition to the excellent usuals like Pivo, Summerfest, etc.) the lagers from Figueroa Mountain. Really tremendous malt character, both their pilsner and, unexpectedly, in their Danish red lager. Excellent stuff.

 

There was a time not so long ago when I wouldn't have believed I'd pay $5 a can for an IPA with so many great IPAs available on the shelf for $10 a six pack. I think the same about pilsners now. Why get Trendler for however much that costs when I can get Stoudts or Troegs or even Weyerbacher?

But then just yesterday I had a can of Offshoot Today, a dry hopped pilsner that a friendly BA sent me. It was way different from other pils I've had before and I wanted another one. I can foresee other breweries innovating within the style and people shelling out more than they would have in years past to get the hot new thing.