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They're often thinner of mouthfeel and drier. Qualitatively, this means German lagers are more refined and polished. Germany's tradition followed technology, while the Czech tradition, for long decades imprisoned behind an iron wall, languished. Two world wars and a cold war interceded, and the two countries spent the 20th century brewing separately. It is true that in 1842 and for decades thereafter Bavarians were the ones leading the lager renaissance in Bohemia (Josef Groll, who brewed the first pilsner, was Bavarian). When it works, it looks like magic.Ī quick word on why German and Czech pilsners are not really the same style. They test a brewer because she must find a way to take three delicate elements and bring them together so that they wow a drinker. They're the hardest beers to make because each of these elements is subtle, and when you're trying to make them sing in harmony, the slightest off note is immediately evident. It is often said that pilsners are the hardest beers to make because they don't hide anything. There are a lot of ways to make great beers, but the thing that makes pilsners work is when all of these elements are expressed simultaneously. This tripartite balance point is essential to the style. Sladmistr David Mares at the Ferdinand brewery/malthouse. What they do add is a smoothness of palate and, particularly, a crisp snap at the finish that makes these among the most moreish of all beers. Lager yeasts don't contribute fermentation characteristics like phenols and esters-they let those malts and hops shine through transparently. Ideally, they'll harmonize with malt flavors, too, so that the honey or bread play nice with the black pepper or tarragon coming from the hops. European hops aren't so strongly flavored, so even when used to produce high levels of bitterness, they don't overshadow those malts. Those malts need to shine through, so the hops have to add a dose of flavor and aroma without overwhelming them. Continental hops are not uniform, but they do share a kind of delicacy that's critical to a pilsner. Because no specialty malts are used for flavor, the base malts have to be distinctive. (Many breweries favor either Moravian or Bohemian-grown malts, too.) Again, the Czechs are looking for unique aromas and flavors that come just from these malts. In the Czech Republic, the malts may even still be made in traditional floor maltings, and in any case, the strain of barley-as in England-plays a big role. Some tend toward honey, others grain, others rustic breadiness. Dozens of malthouses are scattered across Bavaria, and they prepare the pilsner malts differently, accentuating different characteristics. This comes from the base malts, which are prepared in such a way at the malthouse that they produce distinctive aromas and rich flavors. Pilsners are made with basically one malt, and yet they haveincredible malt character.
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Pilsners, by contrast, sing in harmony, with three actors playing equal roles: In ales particularly, hops are the diva at the center of the performance, and the other elements are supporting characters. In both ales and lagers, yeast plays a diminished role. In the United States, we commonly build beer from a foundation of generic two-row pale malt-a "base malt"-so generic its variety isn't even mentioned, and layer on specialty malts for flavor. (German helles is far closer to German pils than the later is to Czech světlý ležák-what we now call Czech pilsner.) Nevertheless, the entire category, as European lagers, do share some similarities that are very distinct from the American tradition, and they're important. German pilsners have evolved on a separate track from the Czech line and bear Bavarian hallmarks.
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In the United States, we say there are two variants, Bohemian and German, and this is dead wrong. Pilsners are pale lagers that originally came from-spoiler alert-Pilsen (or Plzeň in the Czech), Bohemia. Which leads us to an obvious question: okay, smarty pants, then what is a good pilsner? In anticipation of yet another pilsner-related post for later this week, I'm really glad I asked. It's like selecting a schnauzer as the best tabby because you don't like cats. (Verbatim tasting notes from the "winner": "is this infected?," "good, clean fun," "tart, gose-y," "not very pilsner-y.") This demonstrates that, while style sometimes blinds us to a beer's true nature, ignoring it while comparing beers doesn't make a lot of sense, either. He directed us to a blind tasting the Oregonian did with Oregon pilsners that resulted in the selection of. After I posted a link to my Sherpa recommendation for Block 15's Gloria! pilsner on Facebook yesterday, Jonathan Aichele added his own link-and promptly sparked 397 furious comments.