If you didn’t know it already, pilsners weren’t created by some craft brewer in the US in the 1980s or even at one of the massive Macro-brewers in St. Louis or Milwaukee. No, the style was created back in 1842 in what’s now commonly referred to as Czechia or the Czech Republic in the Bohemian city of Plzeň (or Pilsen in English). We’re talking about the iconic, timeless Pilsner Urquell.
This pale lager is a golden-hued, bottom-fermented beer that’s known for its malt sweetness, floral hop flavor, aroma, light hop bitterness, and crisp, refreshing finish. There’s a reason some of the most sessionable, crushable beers are pilsners. It’s a classic, easy-drinking style.
It’s also a great style to enjoy in the dog days of summer. Especially if you’re opting for classic Czech-style pilsners. But you don’t have to find them yourself. We did the work for you. Below, you’ll find eight of the best Czech-style pilsners to drink this month. We also ranked them on their overall crisp, refreshing flavor. Keep scrolling to see them all.
8. The Lost Abbey Noble Tendencies
ABV: 5%
Average Price: $12.99 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
This award-winning Czech-style pilsner is brewed with Bohemian Pils and Munich malts as well as Saaz hops. It’s known for its crisp, clean, no-frills flavor profile featuring a nice malt backbone, and floral Noble hops. It was created to pay tribute to the classic Czech pilsners that came before it.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find aromas of sweet malts, cereal grains, honey, and floral, earthy hops. Drinking it reveals notes of biscuit-like malts, cereal grains, honey, light citrus peels, and floral, herbal, spicy Noble hops. The finish is crisp, dry, and effortlessly refreshing.
Bottom Line:
This is a classic, crisp pilsner with a nice malt backbone and floral, spicy, lightly bitter hops. What’s not to love?
7. Kane Speciál 13°
ABV: 5.4%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Beer:
To say that this beer is as authentically Czech-style as American beers get is an understatement. It was brewed using floor-malted Moravian Pilsner malt and Czech Saaz hops. It’s cold fermented and lagered in stainless steel tanks for six weeks. The result is a classic, bready, floral, crisp pilsner.
Tasting Notes:
Before your first sip, you’ll be greeted by a nose of cracker malt, light cracked black pepper, freshly baked bread, citrus, and floral, herbal hops. The palate continues this trend with cracker malts, pepper, citrus peels, honey, cereal grains, and floral, spicy, lightly bitter hops. The finish is crisp, clean, and highly memorable.
Bottom Line:
Kane takes this beer really seriously. It’s made with Czech-grown malt and gets added flavor from being lagered for six weeks.
6. Heater Allen Pils
ABV: 5%
Average Price: $6.99 for a 16-ounce can
The Beer:
Like many American-made Czech-style pilsners, Heater Allen set out to make a beer similar to Pilsner Urquell. This award-winning pilsner was brewed with Weyermann Bohemian Pilsner malt, and Czech-grown Saaz hops. It’s unfiltered, lagered for eight full weeks, and known for its balance of sweet malts and floral hops.
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this beer’s nose. There are hints of cereal grains, sweet honey, corn, and floral hops. The palate is filled with freshly baked bread, cereal grains, honey, lemon zest, cracked black pepper, and floral, lightly bitter hops. The finish is classic, crisp, and very clean.
Bottom Line:
This pilsner is all about balance. Sweet malts, floral hops, and gentle bitterness. It’s all there.
5. Threes Yore
ABV: 3.9%
Average Price: $17 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
This beer might be only 3.9% ABV. But that just means you can drink more cans of this award-winning brew. Made with Czech-grown Moravian floor-malted Pilsner malt and Czech-grown Saaz hops, it tastes like the crisp, thirst-quenching European beers that came before it.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find aromas of cereal grains, freshly baked bread, fresh-cut grass, lemon peels, and floral, piney hops. Sipping it reveals notes of bready malts, sweet corn, lemongrass, hay, and floral, piney hops. The ending is crisp, and dry, and leaves you wanting more.
Bottom Line:
There are a lot of aromas and flavors to unpack with this pilsner. There are so many that you’d require a few samplings to uncover them all.
4. Schilling Palmovka 12˚
ABV: 5.5%
Average Price: $19 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
When New Hampshire’s Schilling gets an idea, they really go for it. Palmovka 12˚ is a Czech-style pilsner made with sourced Czech ingredients. On top of that, it’s made with a traditional Czech mash and decoction schedule. This creates a traditional pilsner with a base of malts, light bitterness, and a ton of floral hops.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of freshly baked bread, cereal grains, honey, hay, lemon peels, cracked black pepper, and floral, herbal, earthy hops are present before your first sip. The palate is loaded with cereal grains, caramel malts, lemon, hay, fresh-cut grass, honey, corn, and floral, herbal, lightly piney hops. The finish is crisp, hoppy, and gently spicy.
Bottom Line:
If you’re a fan of classic, European pilsners, you’ll love what Schilling created with Palmovka 12. It’s crisp, refreshing, and crushable.
3. Pilsner Urquell
ABV: 4.4%
Average Price: $9.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
No Czech-style pilsner list is complete without the original pilsner. As we mentioned above, Pilsner Urquell created the style when it was first launched in 1842. It’s still brewed the same way with Moravian Czech barley malt, Plzen water, Saaz hops, and the brewery’s proprietary H-Strain yeast.
Tasting Notes:
There are a ton of aromas freshly baked bread, sweet corn, cereal grains, honey, fresh hay, grass, citrus peels, and floral hops. The palate is a mix of yeasty bread, caramel malts, honey, lemongrass, hay, and floral, spicy hops. It’s classic, crisp, and very refreshing.
Bottom Line:
Pilsner Urquell is the OG pilsner and it’s still just as flavorful today as ever. Before you try any of the other beers on this list, you should try the original first.
2. Moonlight Reality Czeck
ABV: 4.9%
Average Price: $14.99 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
Moonlight Brewing understands that the Bohemian style of Czech pilsners reigns supreme. They based their “West Coast” version on that style. That being said, you’ll obviously still find classic flavors like bready malts, floral hops, and a crisp, clean, highly refreshing finish.
Tasting Notes:
Freshly baked bread, lemon zest, honey, freshly cut grass, and classic floral hops on the nose start your experience on a great foot. There’s more of the same on the palate in the best way possible with bready malts, cereal grains, caramel, lemongrass, hay, honey, and floral, spicy hops making appearances. The finish is crisp, dry, and gently bitter.
Bottom Line:
When you talk about well-rounded, balanced Czech-style pilsners, you should absolutely think of this epic beer.
1. Notch The Standard
ABV: 4.4%
Average Price: $16.49 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
This traditional Czech-style pilsner is brewed with soft water, and floor-malted Pilsner malt, and gets its hop aroma and flavor from the liberal use of Sterling hops. It’s made using the double decoction method and is open-fermented, and lagered for a long time. The result is a perfect balance of malt, citrus, and floral.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of cracker malt, cereal grains, sweet corn, lemon, orange peel, cracked pepper, and floral, herbal hops make for a great start. Drinking it reveals notes of cracker malt, cornbread, cereal grains, honey, lemon, fresh-cut grass, straw, and more floral, piney hops. The finish is sweet, dry, and pleasantly crisp.
Bottom Line:
If you only try one beer on this list, make it this one. Drink this one side by side with Pilsner Urquell and compare the flavors. You might have a new favorite.
