Spring has definitely sprung in San Diego. Days are slowly warming and getting longer. Birds are chirping, fruit trees are budding, and blossoms are waiting to explode from their slumber. Humans emerge from their caverns to play outside and to drink the refreshing spring air into their lungs. It is the perfect time for Pilsners because they are light, refreshing, and superbly sippable beers.
Where does Pilsner fit in in San Diego?
George Thornton (Home Brewing Co.): San Diegans are always looking for a pretty refreshing beer, but then where it’s nice with the German Pils, it’s the hoppier Pils, so it’s kind of the hop head’s ideal Pilsner. If you still want some hop character, but you want to be lower on the ABV, something with a little more of a classic European malt and hop profile, then German Pils is the way to go.
John Wise (Duck Foot Brewing Co.): San Diego doesn’t really have any cold season. It’s kind of a year round fun place and Pilsner is kind of a year round beer for warm weather. It’s just a really drinkable refreshing beer to have when it’s sunny out, maybe near the beach, maybe when you’re fishing. And it’s not something that’s going to set you back in your seat with a ton of booziness. You can kind of just enjoy them, they’re a little bit more sessionable than IPAs. I think it could be the future big beer of San Diego.
Kelsey McNair (North Park Beer Co.): Given our year-round climate it’s an obvious choice. Just like IPAs have laid a foundation in this town. It’s great seeing this resurgence in lager brewing because Pilsners are also great for warm weather. Ya know, easy drinking, refreshing, you can have a bunch of them and they are not too high octane. Well, unless you are drinking our Imperial Pils.
Jake Nunes (North Park Beer Co.): The weather in San Diego calls for a bright, thirst-quenching lager. The beer looks like sunshine. That’s why it should be poured into a tall, thin Pilsner glass, so we can enjoy how it looks. Clean, clear, and bright.
Jeff Wiederkehr (Burning Beard Brewing Co.): It is the guilt-free version of the Mega-Behemoth brewery Pilsner with way more flavor. It is the beach, the border, downtown, and East County all at once. It might not be the beer you want on a one night stand, but it is the beer you want to marry.
What do you enjoy pairing with your Pilsner?
Thornton: I do cold cut sandwiches often. Fish tacos. You could do light barbeque, you don’t want to go too heavy on the sauces, but a dry rub or honey barbeque chicken wings, that sort of stuff. White cheeses like Gruyere work really well, even things with a creamy texture like a good brie work well, or other bloomy rind cheeses. Aged meats work really well, prosciutto and sopressata. Works really well with Thai food, and obviously German food, sausages, schnitzels, that sort of stuff.
Wise: Old Bro has a good maltiness to it, but those hops are sharp and bitter and I think it pairs well with traditional German food. Some of your good German sharp mustards, some pretzels, some flavorful cheeses. Things like that – things that will complement that bitterness on the tongue. I wouldn’t go with anything too sweet.
McNair: I think that Pilsners and pizza are pretty good way to go. The zestiness and dryness in the Pilsner really helps cut through the pizza. Also, it goes great with a nice salad or something with fresh veggies.
Nunes: To be totally San Diegan, I say fish tacos. Pilsner’s slightly sweet bready maltiness softens the salsa heat. The floral, spicy hops make the cilantro and peppers pop. The high carbonation cuts through the fatty refried beans, cheese, sour cream. Pilsner’s flavor intensity is on the mild side, so it doesn’t overpower flaky white cod fish. It’s so simple, but it connects on many levels.
Wiederkehr: Long Friday nights mostly. I love having a sessionable, drinkable beer available to pair with B-movies. Food wise, I am on a crazy salad kick. Caesar salads and sushi are dynamite with Normcore.
Is there anything else you’d like to add about Pilsner?
Wise: We are going to start canning the Old Bro. It is just a fun beer. It is the favorite of both the taproom staff and the brewery staff, and usually when you have a beer like that become the company favorite, I think that says a lot about your beer. It holds a special place in our hearts and special place in this brewery. I hope that it holds special place in the San Diego crowd.
McNair: I hope people keep brewing them and we see more and more of them. It’s a great style.
Nunes: Pilsner is the most (poorly) imitated style in the world. Last I heard, Corona was the top-selling beer in San Diego (yuck). I’m glad that San Diego breweries have some really well-made examples of the style so that those of us with good taste have something refreshing when the mood strikes.
Wiederkehr: Pilsner. It is like the Tom Petty of beer. Often people are like, shit, that’s what my dad likes, and sure, maybe that is true; however, if you take the time to sit down and appreciate what it is and how it was made (like a Tom Petty song), you may come away with a deeper understanding of something – and in this case, a deeper understanding of a beer, that to the passing observer seems simple and common place, but is really subtle and nuanced beyond the comprehension of the average consumer.
What other SD Brewed Pilsner would you recommend?
Thornton: Bagby Beer Co. – Sweet Ride Pilsner. I drank this a few days ago and loved it.
Wise: AleSmith Spezial Pils is killing it right now. I had a glass and I ordered another glass of it immediately upon finishing it. I took cans home that day and probably finished them that weekend. I absolutely love that Pilsner. It is faithful to the European Pilsner and I would put it up against any of the best European Pilsners that I have had over there. I think it is on that level. I can’t heap enough praise on that beer. It’s amazing!
McNair: The Choppy Surf from Rip Current is pretty exceptional. I had it recently and I’d definitely recommend giving that one a try.
Nunes: I like the AleSmith Spezial Pils. Super clean. It’s a German-style, so a little more hop presence, which I like. And it comes in cans which I also like.
Wiederkehr: I’d like people to stop by Thre3Punks. They are putting out a really good German Pilsner and Kellerbier.
Here’s a plethora of Pilsners to enjoy in San Diego:
- 32 North Brewing Co. – San Diego Pilsner (SD Style) – 6.0% ABV
- AleSmith Brewing Co. – Spezial Pils (German Pilsner) – 4.9% ABV
- Amplified Ale Works – License to Pils (“New School German”) – 6% ABV
- Bagby Beer Co. – Sweet Ride (Bohemian) – 4.6% ABV
- Bagby Beer Co. – Gotta Pay the Pils (German) – 5.4% ABV
- Barrel Harbor Brew Co. – South Island Pilsner (SD Style) – 5.2% ABV
- Benchmark Brewing Co. – Primitive Camp (American) – 5.0% ABV
- Bitter Brothers Brewing Co. – Bitter Bill Pils (Czech) – 5.5% ABV
- Burgeon Beer Co. – Pistil (German) – 5.7% ABV
- Burning Beard Brewing – Klausbier (German) – 3.7% ABV
- Burning Beard Brewing – Normcore (Czech Pilsner) – 5.5% ABV
- Coronado Brewing Company – Seacoast Pilsner (German) – 4.9% ABV
- Duck Foot Brewing – Old Bro (Bohemian Pilsner) – 5.0% ABV
- Ebullition Brew Works – Deli Rye Pilsner (Rye w/ Caraway Seeds) – 6.2% ABV
- Eppig Brewing – Pilsner (German) – 5.1% ABV
- Fall Brewing – Plenty For All (SD Style) – 4.9% ABV
- Rip Current Brewing Co. – Choppy Surf (SD Style / Czech) – 5.3% ABV
- Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. – Czech Pilsner (Czech) – 5.2% ABV
- Green Flash Brewing Co. – Sea To Sea Lager (SD Style / Zwickel) – 4.0% ABV
- Home Brewing Co. – Positive Pils (German) – 5.2% ABV
- Iron Fist Brewing Co. – Summer City Pilsner (German Pilsner) – 4.3% ABV
- Karl Strauss – Pressure And Flow Pilsner (American) – 4.5%
- Karl Strauss – Follow The Sun – Coming Soon – While this was last brewed as a Kölsch Style. The new batch will become a Pilsner.
- Lightning Brewery – Elemental Pilsner (German) – 6.3% ABV
- Longship Brewery – Sunstone (Czech) – 4.9% ABV
- Mason Ale Works – Donny’s Pils (German) – 4.5% ABV
- Mikkeller Brewing Co. – California Dream (SD Style) – 4.6% ABV
- Mission Brewery – Coming Soon (SD Style)
- Modern Times Beer – Ice (Czech) – 4.8% ABV
- North Park Beer Co. – Bird Park (Bohemian Pilsner) – 4.7% ABV
- North Park Beer Co. – Speedster (Imperial Pilsner) – 8.4% ABV
- Pizza Port Brewing Co. – Pick Six Pilsner (Czech) – 5.2% ABV
- Pizza Port Brewing Co. – MG-42 (German) – 5.0% ABV
- Rouleur Brewing Co. – Boneshakeur (New Zealand) – 5.6% – A Pilsner made with Wai-iti and Waimea hops from New Zealand. Released at their first anniversary party March 31.
- Societe Brewing Co. – Heiress (Czech) – 5.3% ABV
- Stone Brewing Co. – Who You Callin’ Wussie (German) – 5.8% ABV
- Thr3e Punk Ales – D.E.A.D. Ramones (German) – 5.4% ABV