German Pils

Tier A · BJCP 5D · Lager, fermented cold

ABV

4.4-5.2%

IBU

22-40

SRM

2-4

Serve

38-45F

Glass

0.3L tulip

Identify

Straw to deep yellow, and brilliantly clear. A dense white head that lasts and leaves rings down the glass as you drink. You can smell it before you sip: flowers, herbs, sometimes a peppery note. No fruit and no caramel. Light and lean. Malt appears for a moment, then hop flavour takes over and the bitterness arrives. The finish is dry, crisp and sometimes faintly mineral, like a flinty white wine.

Place

Germany, from the 1870s, adapted from Czech pilsner

Cause

The brewer adds a large charge of German hops in the last part of the boil. Late hops keep their aromatic oils, so the beer smells of flowers, herbs and pepper. Early hops would have given the same bitterness with none of the smell. What the brewer does not do is add hops after fermentation.

Confused with

Munich Helles, which is malt led and barely bitter. Czech Premium Pale Lager, which is deeper gold, fuller and softer. Italian Pilsner, which is dry hopped and smells stronger. International Pale Lager, which has no real hop character at all.

Numbers

These beers all arrive pale, clear and cold, so colour will not help you. Each neighbour below has one feature you can catch in a single mouthful. Munich Helles. Malt leads and the bitterness stops almost as soon as you swallow. Practically no hop smell. Czech Premium Pale Lager.

Will you like it and Try

Tonic water, on its own or in a drink. That clean bitterness that arrives and leaves is very close to what this beer does. A dry white wine, especially one people describe as flinty or mineral. The finish of a good Pils lands in the same place. Salt and vinegar crisps, olives, or a squeeze of lemon on almost anything.

Order and Pair

In Germany a Pils usually arrives in a 0.3 litre glass, which is about ten ounces. That looks mean if you are used to a pint, and it is deliberate. The beer is at its best cold and fresh, and a small glass gets finished before either fades. Ordering two small ones is normal and nobody thinks anything of it. You may also be asked to wait.

Judge, Myth and Remember

Brilliantly clear and pale. A dense white head that lasts and leaves rings on the glass. A clear floral or herbal smell before you sip. Then a lean body, a firm bitterness, and a dry finish that stops rather than trails away. If it smells of nothing, it is old. First, age.