WI distributed larger suggestions: Helles, Czech & German Pilsener

I'm a big German lager fan. Off the top of my head, Pilsner Urquell, Sam Adams Noble Pils and Oskar Blues Mama's Little Yella Pils are some of the better Czech options available year round. Hometown Blonde and to a lesser extent, Edel Pils were both good beers from New Glarus. Maybe they'll do another pilsner this year? Their pilsners are always good. Two Women is classified as a German Pilsner by BA for lack of category I guess. Nice beer as well. If you're in Madison, or I guess Wausau, The Great Dane has two excellent pilsners. Helles is weak here. Maybe Weihenstephaner Original or Hofbrau. I can't think of any American brewed Helles widely available here.

 

You're in Wisconsin, doesn't New Glarus got you covered?

 

New Glarus only occasionally brews pilsners. I can't recall a Helles being made by them.

 

If you can find it, Lazy Monk out of Eau Claire has a good reputation for traditional lagers.

 

isnt cabin fever technically a helles/maibock? isnt edel pils readily available every summer/fall?

 

I had some of their lagers at a beer fest. They were pretty good.

 

The helles/maibock category is blonde bock. A helles lager is a much lighter beer, similar to a pilsner with less emphasis on hops. And Edel Pils was brewed last spring for the first time in quite awhile. New Glarus went several years without brewing a pils until Hometown Blonde and Edel Pils came out.

 

Capital Maibock

 

Not sure where you are in Wisconsin, but if you can get it, I think you may enjoy August Schell Pils, which I'd say is a German Pilsner.

And as suggested above by jerktookmyname, keep an eye out for the Helles beers from the Munich "Big 6," i.e., Paulaner (both their Helles and Pils), Hacker Pschorr, Spaten, etc.

 

To my palate the Edel Pils was more Helles than Pils -- albeit, a darn good Helles! The Hometown Blond is a much better Pils to-style.

To the O.P.: Lakefront's Klisch Pilsner is pretty good when you can find it fresh, as is Capital's Pilsner. But freshness is key in any Lager.

 

I thought that the last incarnation of Edel Pils made quite a nice Helles. I remember Edel Pils as having been more hop forward, but I wasn't complaining one bit. I wish Dan would brew a Helles, but I wonder if they think that it could take away from Spotted Cow sales and it'd more than likely take more tank time/space than he wants. Or maybe it just wouldn't sell that well (which I thought was the reason why they stopped making Yokel).

 

Can't believe I forgot about those two, especially Capital's. But then again, they've been so busy lately pushing their new beers aimed at the thrill-seekers (Jobu, a rum-barrel aged brown ale, the latest one) that it's starting to make me forget that they brew lagers at all.

 

I was trying my damnedest to remember what Edel Pils tasted like back when they first made it -- and I drank a lot of it, but just couldn't drum up my impressions.

Gawd -- I hope it doesn't come to that. I had some Winter Skal this year and picked up that slight dactyl that some have mentioned… I have the feeling the lager expertise was bagged up and taken with Kirby when he left.

 

That would really suck. IMO their Dark Dopplebock is the best US made dopplebock. And the Autumnal Fire was excellent as well.

 

I agree, but when was the last time they actually made that? It's not listed at the web site at all.

 

I think late summer 2012. I remember that because it was such an incredibly wierd time to put out a dopplebock.

I bought up a little stash and drank it into last winter.

 

Dunno, some sort of Fall "Limited" label, I suppose. I remember (IIRC) when they'd come out with the Dark Doppel in early spring, the Blonde Doppel a little later, then the Maibock after that. German-style heaven.

In the meantime, Schell's is making some great to-style German beers, if you can find them. 'Course, you can probably get yer hands on the Lazy Monk stuff -- gotta git me some'a 'dat.

 

@InVinoVeritas I will suggest that you try Leinenkugel Hoppin Hells. Lakefront has a Klisch Pilsner that you could try. I will reserve my judgement and let you form your own opinion.

Another long shot is Dogfish head Piercing Pils now that they are in WI (mostly Madison).