While there’s no wrong time of year to enjoy a well-made, crisp pilsner, there’s no denying this beer’s appeal in the sweltering summer months. Even though summer is almost over, there are still a few weeks to pair this light, crisp, refreshing lager with sunny, warm weather.
For those who don’t know what differentiates a pilsner from a lager, let’s make it easy: in the simplest terms, all pilsners are lagers, but not all lagers are pilsners. Specifically, a pilsner is a pale lager made with bottom-fermenting yeast, pale malt, and hops, often spicy Saaz hops. Pilsners are known for their light, balanced, highly drinkable flavor and low alcohol content. While many pilsners have similar flavor profiles, there are slight differences depending on the style and where it’s from. The different styles include German pilsners, which are said to be hoppier and more bitter than others, Czech pilsners, which are sweeter, American pilsners, which are watery and subdued, and others.
To help you find the best, most flavorful pilsners to finish off the summer strong, we did the work for you. We found eight of the best pilsners available almost everywhere. Our list has a nice mix of European and American craft pilsners. All are crisp, all are refreshing, and all deserve a place in your fridge.
8) Bitburger Pilsner
ABV: 4.8%
Average Price: $6.75 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
A classic German pilsner, Bitburger has been brewed for almost 200 years. Adhering to German purity laws, this crisp, light, refreshing beer is made in the traditional way using classic ingredients. There’s a reason it’s the most popular draft beer in Germany.
Tasting Notes:
This beer’s nose is pretty mild with some bread-like malts, light grains, and floral hops. Really, that’s about all I can place. For a pilsner, there’s a surprising malt presence as well as more herbal hops. The finish is crisp, dry, and slightly bitter. Overall, this beer is as close to fizzy water as beer gets.
Bottom Line:
Bitburger is crisp and refreshing, but that’s about it. It doesn’t have much flavor and tastes like someone made hop-flavored seltzer water.
7) Radeberger Pilsner
ABV: 4.8%
Average Price: $8.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Touted as the “inventor of German Pilsner culture”, Radeberger is one of the most recognizable classic pilsners in the world. Brewed the same way since 1872, it’s known for its simple, crisp, clean, balanced flavor.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is surprisingly light with aromas of cracker-like malts, and some herbal, floral hops. But that’s about it. The palate has more cracker malts, sweet grains, and Noble, floral hops. And, while it’s crisp and refreshing, it doesn’t have much going on in the flavor department. Decent, but fairly boring.
Bottom Line:
This beer tastes exactly like it’s supposed to. And while that’s fine in terms of a classic, crisp, crushable pilsner, it’s fairly unexciting in terms of overall palate.
6) Troegs Sunshine Pils
ABV: 4.5%
Average Price: $11.50 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Brewed with Saaz hops, lager yeast, and 2-row barley, this crisp, thirst-quenching pilsner gets much of its flavor from a secondary fermentation. The result is a clean, bright, flavorful American craft interpretation of the iconic beer style.
Tasting Notes:
Biscuity malts, herbal, earthy hops, lemon zest, and light fruit esters. And while this nose was fairly potent, the actual palate with a little lighter than expected. There are more biscuit-like malts, lemongrass, and light hops, but that’s it. The finish is a little drier and more bitter than I’d prefer.
Bottom Line:
Troegs Sunshine Pilsner isn’t a bad beer. It’s just a little light in the flavor department and more bitter than I’d like in an easy-drinking pilsner.
5) Victory Prima Pils
ABV: 5.3%
Average Price: $9.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Brewed with Pilsner malts and Tettnang, Hallertau, Spalt, and Saaz hops, this is as close to traditional German-style beer America has to offer. It’s known for its malty flavor profile littered with floral, bright Noble hops.
Tasting Notes:
Bread, fresh-cut grass, herbal hops, and light citrus rind ring in this beer’s nose. The palate follows suit with more bready, crackery malts, sweet grains, more grass, and slightly resinous, floral hops. The finish is dry and gently bitter.
Bottom Line:
If you’re a fan of Noble hops and you enjoy German pilsners, but you want to try an Americanized version, Victory Prima Pils is for you. It’s not perfect but it does the trick.
4) Firestone Walker Pivo Pils
ABV: 5.3%
Average Price: $10 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This popular take on the pilsner style is brewed with Carafoam and Pilsners malts. It gets its herbal, earthy, floral flavor from the addition of Spalter Select, Tradition and Saphir hops in the kettle. It gets added flavor from dry-hopping with even more Saphir hops.
Tasting Notes:
Right away, you can tell this beer is different than the others on this list. Immediately, there’s a ton of floral, resinous hops aroma. This is followed by caramel malts, citrus zest, and some light, peppery spices. It definitely draws you in and asks you to take a sip. Drinking it reveals even more piney, earthy, herbal hops presence that pairs well with bready malts, lemongrass, and a dry, lightly spicy finish.
Bottom Line:
Firestone Walker Pivo Pils is a really exceptional beer. The only reason it didn’t land higher on this list is because its dank, piney backbone is a little much for traditional pilsner drinkers.
3) Pilsner Urquell
ABV: 4.4%
Average Price: $9.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
If you didn’t know it already, Pilsner Urquell was the world’s first pale lager. It’s the beer that spawned every other pilsner throughout the world. This Czech-made, Saazy hops-based pilsner is still as crisp and refreshing as it was when it was created back in 1842.
Tasting Notes:
Classic pilsner aromas of bready malts, citrus zest, sweet grains, and floral, earthy, herbal hops meet your nose before your first sip. The palate is loaded with Pilsner malt, sweet grains, Noble hops, fruit ester, and citrus peels. The finish is sublimely crisp, lightly hoppy, and dry.
Bottom Line:
Pilsner Urquell is the kind of beer that proves that you don’t need to change a good thing. It’s simple, clean, crisp, and perfect. And it’s been that way since the 1800s.
2) Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella
ABV: 4.7%
Average Price: $9.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This year-round, Bohemian-style pilsner was crafted to taste like the traditional beers made for centuries in the Czech Republic. Brewed with Pilsner and Honey malts as well as Saaz and Aramis hops, it’s known for its refreshing, balanced flavor.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of earthy, herbal, floral hops move into bready, cracker-like malts, fruit esters, citrus zest, and gentle spice on the nose. Drinking it only adds to the experience with more light pepper, caramel malts, freshly-baked bread, floral hops, and a nice, sweet, dry finish that leaves you craving more.
Bottom Line:
This Bohemian-style pilsner ticks all the boxes when it comes to clean, crisp, sweet, refreshing summery pilsners. It’s really difficult to beat.
1) North Coast Scrimshaw
ABV: 4.5%
Average Price: $10.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
For those unaware, a “scrimshaw” is an intricate carving, usually on a whale bone or walrus tusk, done by sailors in the 1800s. This beer’s name pays tribute to this form of art and is brewed with Munich malt and Hallertauer and Tettnang hops, to make a crisp, clean, full-flavored pilsner.
Tasting Notes:
Notes of sweet honey, bready malts, floral hops, fruit esters, and light citrus zest greet your nose before your first sip. The flavor is classic pilsner with hints of cracker-like malts, herbal, floral hops, light banana, and lemongrass. The finish is a mix of sweet and bitter with a nice dry ending.
Bottom Line:
North Coast Scrimshaw is a complex take on the pilsner style. Well-balanced and full-flavored, it’s the kind of beer where you find new, exciting flavors every time you drink it.