Pilsners, How fresh do they need to be?

Any pilsner sampled at the brewery that made it is going to taste better than that same pilsner sampled from a bottle later in the beers' life. That seems like an unfair comparison. As for a general rule of thumb with pilsners....like anything else it depends on lots of things (was it stored cold, is it in a green bottle, etc.). Fresher, in my opinion, is always better, however I've had some stuff from Jack's Abby that was six months old and it still tasted good to me. Not the best the beer could have been, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

 

Some hold up, but yeah I will leave them on the shelf if over 2 months old most of the time. Provided there is a discernible dating code to begin with...

 

Based on my own drinking experience I hold the same opinion.

 

So my case of Pilsner Urquell 1999 isn't walezzzz?

 

FYI, Color of the glass doesn't impact the freshness. Green bottles, brown bottles the effects of aging will be the same. Where the color matters is with skunking which can be produced by exposure to light (not by age).

 

As many have posted, the fresher the better. I have also noticed that canned Pilsners seem to hold up better with age (e.g., Sly Fox Pikeland Pils). Cans are 100% impermeable to oxygen.

I was glad to hear that Troegs Sunshine Pils will be available in cans this year. Also, Neshaminy Creek will be canning their Trauger Pils soon (spring 2014). The availability of high quality German Pilsners in SEPA just keeps getting better and better.

Cheers!