Seeking replacement for Sudwerk Pilsner

I've never had any pilsner from them other than people's pilsner so I'm not sure exactly what the character you're looking for is. That said, a very good pilsner that is richer in malt character and a bit lighter on the hop aspect than scrimshaw is Alluvium Pilsner from Seismic brewing.

 

@John_M beat me to it, but if you haven't already tried Urban Roots Hell or EZPZ I'd start there. Their helles is easily the best I've found in Norcal for my palate and preferences. Since you live in CA another option would be to get Pivo shipped from Firestone. As @unlikelyspiderperson noted, Alluvium is quite nice too, but I don't find it easily in Sac. Been seeing more Temescal cans in Sac, they have some nice hoppy lagers too.

 

I would definitely check out urban roots too, they've got a relatively big selection of pale lagers to choose from so you're likely to find something that suits your fancy

 

I wanted to try Urban Roots Hell but they didn't have it the one time I visited

So far my favs are Russian River Velvet Glow (kinda pricey, but my #1 pick) and Humble Sea Authentic DDH (now renamed to Helles). I'd love to get the UR one up in that mix to see how it compares.

 

@thuey I like Velvet Glow, but I love UR Hell. Think you'll really like it. The most recent batch was end of July, if memory serves. There were still cans at the brewery before the holiday weekend. Not sure what kind of distribution the cans saw, probably much smaller volume and footprint from their hoppy stuff. Feels like it's in a 3-4 month rotation in their brew cycle.

 

I will give a 3rd or 4th recommendation for Urban Roots HELL. It is fantastic.




If you are anywhere in the Sac Area, UR is a must stop if you are downtown. Right now they have several Lagers and Pilsners on tap and in cans togo. https://www.urbanrootsbrewing.com/menu


ALSO, most better bottle shops and even Nugget Supermarket now has UR cans in the Sac or Roseville area.

@JustSomeGuy .. what part of SAC are you in?

 

Hmmm based on what you guys said, I thought to myself - I wonder if we have it in my local (San Francisco) supermarket. So I dropped by and ...



My first impressions are tainted - I was starving so dug into my food first, so that impacts the beer. With that caveat...

The aroma is nice - you definitely get that grain-forward note that German lagers have. That malty grain follows through on the palate. But I feel like this is drinking a bit more bitter and drier than a true Munich Helles would, which is not a bad thing - and not unlike a lot of American-brewed counterparts. But it's drinking more like a German Pils than a Helles.

I'll have to crack another on a clean palate to form a real impression. But even as is, this would be a hitter on a hot day!