Pilsner Vs Lager: What's The Difference?

Messed up.

 

This is actually a good thread to have started.

I commonly see many people on here post, "I like Pilsners and Lagers".

I correct them (as nicely as possibly) not to be a jerk, but for their own knowledge. And in the hopes they continue to explore all lager styles.

 

Wow... just, wow...

 

This would (unfortunately) be helpful to more people than us BAs tend to recognize. Most beer drinkers are clueless about styles. I hear it all the time — “I don’t like IPAs, I’m looking for, like, a lager or a Pilsner.” What they’re usually after is a session-able, thirst quenching beer that doesn’t take too much analysis to enjoy.

I don’t totally hate this article. The main takeaway for the average craft-curious beer drinker is mostly accurate: a Pilsner IS a lager with a more “flavorful kick”

 

This is true, just saw this today in a different thread.

 

Well, I was just complaining about the lack of cited sources in many articles but this one lists all the best-known and well-respected brewing industry references -
Eater, Vine Pair, Soruce Eats, Just Beer App...

 

I wasn't aware that "...ale spoils easily." Guess I'll have to throw out all that BCBS and Darkness that's taking up space in the cellar.

 

I am still awaiting the fact checking response from @jesskidden.

Due to the amount, he might need to break it up between multiple posts?

Cheers!

 

If the usage was combined with knowledge of the history behind the terminology I wouldn't mind its use. Back in the day in many places, to varying degrees, Lager and Pilsner became common terms used for the two main lager styles sold (the former being the more or less reformed Bavarian type beer, or the beer which had evolved and descended from it, the latter the newer Bohemian type lager). Just a few examples:



In the picture above of a Swedish brewery's personnel "Pilseneröl", i.e pilsener beer, is written on the left hand cask and "Lageröl", i.e lager beer is written on the right hand cask.

In this process the term Pilsener often became detached from the term lager. But if this separation, or divergence in meaning seems flawed from an historical perspective, then the same could be said for extending the meaning of the word lager to include all bottom fermented (and top fermented) and cold stored beers, since the Bavarian system of brewing distinguished between schenk and lager, and many so called lager beers these days have more in common with the schenkbier of old (low hopping rate and short storage times) than with the lagerbier of old.

 

That is just one of many erroneous statements in that article (which needless to say was an absolute mess ).

Cheers!

 

And even in contemporary times:





The Lager is darker in color in comparison to the Pilsner.

Cheers!

 

This is kind of a nitpick in wording but it brought to mind the funny image of brewers somehow having a little hatch at the bottom of the tank to directly "apply" the yeast to the bottom. Can't have it simply floating down there on its own!

"One yeast is applied to the top, while the other at the bottom"

 

I feel like my head is splitting because it's been flim-flammed back and forth with so much misinformation in different directions. And the question that was asked in the title wasn't clearly answered, if you ask me. (It's a good thing that article was short in order to minimize the damage.)

Here was a chance to do beer drinkers a great service and tell everyone that when referring to 'lager' that word is the name of the family of lager styles, and within that family is a 'generic style' Pale Lager, a name that can be used to describe those light- or medium-colored lagers that aren't quite a Pilsner. Don't just refer to them as "a lager." <I'm stepping down from the soap box now.>

 

Most of what we think of as "pilseners" brewed in Czechia are actually marketed as "pale lager" so there's that.

 

Or maybe they inserted a tube that reached the bottom of the fermenter and the lager yeast was 'shot' into the tank using air pressure!?!

Cheers!

 

You know, just as a I pressed submit I briefly worried that there WAS in fact some kooky way of getting the yeast directly to the bottom of the tank that I had simply never considered.