When it comes to sessionable, no-frills lagers, you’re likely to hear a few descriptive words repeatedly. These include “crushable”, “thirst-quenching”, “dry”, and most importantly “crisp.” For us, the latter descriptor is most important. When warm weather hits, we’re looking for the epitome of crisp when we crack open a lager.
That’s why we drink pilsner this time of year.
For those unaware, a pilsner is a type of lager that’s brewed with pilsner malt and lager yeast (and other ingredients). It gets its name from the city of Plzen in the Czech Republic. This is where the beer style was first invented in 1842, with the creation of Pilsner Urquell.
Known for its balance of pilsner malts, floral hops, and lightly bitter, dry, very crisp finish. It’s a great beer in the spring and summer, but one that pairs well with all seasons. Keep scrolling to see our favorite no-frills, crispy pilsners you can buy right now. We even ranked them for you.
8.) Troegs Sunshine Pils
ABV: 4.5%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This year-round offering from the folks at Troegs was brewed with pilsner malt, lager yeast, and Saaz and Hersbrucker hops. Secondary fermentation adds even more flavor to this crisp, refreshing, surprisingly well-balanced American pilsner.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll be treated to aromas of cereal grains, citrus peels, honey, and floral, earthy hops. The palate contains biscuit-like malts, cereal grains, honey, orange peels, and spicy, floral hops. The finish is hoppy, crisp, and gently bitter.
Bottom Line:
This American pilsner has all the crisp flavor drinkers love in the style, but it’s also surprisingly well-balanced.
7.) Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils
ABV: 4.7%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This Bohemian-style pilsner is one of Oskar Blues’ most beloved beers and for good reason. This year-round offering is a crushable, sessionable 4.7% ABV. Known for its malted, citrus, honey, and floral flavors, it’s hopped with Saaz and Aramis hops.
Tasting Notes:
Bready malts, sweet honey, lemon peels, hay, and floral Noble hops make for a very inviting nose. Sipping it reveals hints of freshly baked bread, biscuit malts, citrus peels, cracked black pepper, honey, and floral, earthy hops. The finish is dry, lightly bitter, and pleasantly crisp.
Bottom Line:
Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella is a crisp, refreshing American take on the classic Czech-style pilsner.
6.) von Trapp Bavarian Pils
ABV: 5%
Average Price: $13 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Stow, Vermont’s von Trapp Brewery (yes, it’s the same family from ‘The Sound of Music’) is well-known for its interpretations of traditional European beers. One of our favorites of the bunch is its Bavarian Pils. It’s brewed with malts imported from Bamberg, Germany, and hops from Bavaria’s Hallertau Region. It’s known for its malty, floral, lightly bitter, crisp flavor profile.
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this beer’s nose. There are aromas of freshly baked bready, pilsner malts, grass, straw, lemon peels, honey, and floral, herbal hops. Sipping it reveals notes of bready malts, honey sweetness, citrus peels, peppery spice, and grassy, floral hops. The finish is dry, crisp, and very refreshing.
Bottom Line:
Sure, you could book a flight to Bavaria to enjoy a crisp, refreshing beer or you could simply crack open this delicious brew from von Trapp.
5.) Sixpoint The Crisp
ABV: 5.4%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
With a name like The Crisp, you should have a pretty good idea about what you’re in store for when you crack open one of these bad boys. Brewed with Cargill malt as well as Tettnang and Hallertau hops imported from Germany, it’s known for its clean, crisp, floral flavor profile.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of biscuit malts, honey, peppery spice, grass, lemon peel, and floral hops start everything off on the right foot. The palate is all cracker malts, honey, lemongrass, hay, and spicy, floral, snappy hops. The finish is dry, thirst-quenching, and effortlessly crisp.
Bottom Line:
Dry, crisp, and very floral. This is a great choice for drinkers who prefer their beers to lean heavily into those adjectives.
4.) Deschutes King Crispy
ABV: 4.8%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
We’re not sure what country King Crispy calls home. We do know that he adorns the can for this sublimely crispy beer. This highly crushable 4.8% ABV pilsner is brewed with pilsner, Bohemian pilsner, Carafoam, and acidulated malts. It gets its hop aroma and flavor from the addition of Hallertau Mittelfruh and Tettnang hops.
Tasting Notes:
There are a lot of yeasty bread, pilsner malt, honey, grass, straw, peppery, and floral hop aromas to start everything off right. Drinking it brings forth notes of bready malts, peppery spice, lemon peels, toffee, wheat crackers, and floral, earthy hops. The finish is majestically clean and crisp.
Bottom Line:
This beer is balanced, crisp, and very crushable. We’d pay tribute to this regal monarch any time of year.
3.) Victory Prima Pils
ABV: 5.3%
Average Price: $13 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This beer might be brewed in Pennsylvania, but it’s German through and through, Brewed with pilsner malts and Tettnang, Hallertau, and Saaz hops, it’s known for its mix of sweet malts, citrus peels, and gently spicy, floral hops. It’s clean, crisp, and memorable.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is a fragrant bouquet of bready malts, lemon peels, grass, straw, and floral, herbal hops. Drinking it brings you flavors of biscuit malts, honey, lemongrass, orange peels, and spicy, floral, lightly piney hops. The finish is clean, dry, and very crisp.
Bottom Line:
When it comes to American takes on classic German pilsners, you’d have a difficult time finding a better example than Victory Prima Pils.
2.) Oxbow Luppolo
ABV: 5%
Average Price: $16 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
We talk a lot about Czech-style pilsners and German-style pilsners, but we wouldn’t want to leave out crisp, refreshing Italian-style pilsners. This is exactly what they brewed at Maine’s Oxbow with its Luppolo. This unfiltered dry-hopped pilsner features European malts and hops.
Tasting Notes:
A memorable nose of sweet corn, cereal grains, rice, honey, and floral, earthy hops greets you before your first sip. The palate is crisp, refreshing, and filled with notes of sweet rice, corn, lemon peels, white pepper, honey, and spicy, floral hops. The finish is dry, refreshing, and effortlessly crisp.
Bottom Line:
While pleasantly crisp and refreshing, this beer leans sweeter than many of the other beers on this list. It’s not a bad thing.
1.) Schilling Jakobus
ABV: 5%
Average Price: $15 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
If you’ve never tried a beer from New Hampshire’s Schilling Beer, what are you waiting for? This brewery makes countless noteworthy beers, including its take on the traditional German pilsner called Jakobus. It’s brewed with a mix of German malts and Hallertau Mittelfruh and Saphir hops.
Tasting Notes:
A classic nose of cracker malts, cereal grains, lemon peels, honey, hay, and grassy, floral hops starts the whole experience off right. The palate is loaded with notable flavors like biscuit malts, yeasty bread, fruit esters, lemongrass, orange peel, honey, and floral Noble hops. The finish is dry, hoppy, and very crisp.
Bottom Line:
If you only buy one beer on this list, make it Schilling Jakobus. It’s a perfect, crisp mix of sweet malts, fruity, citrus, and floral flavors.