on tap|pilsners
piLsNeRs: crisp, refreshing, simple B y roBi n leBla nc Whenever people think of craft beer or even more flavourful beer, the default assumption is that it’s going to be a high-alcoholic flavour bomb. Sour beers with wine-like characters, fruit-salad-esque hoppy beers, dark and boozy imperial stouts are great, but they really command your attention and sometimes you want something simple done well. Enter the pilsner. Even if you haven’t had much experience with beer before, chances are good you’ve had a pilsner. Molson, Budweiser and even Coors beers are all inspired by this style of beer
that was originally brewed in Bohemia in 1842, thus making it known as the “normal” beer for several generations. Light, crisp, refreshing, with well-balanced and understated flavours, pilsners are complex in their simplicity and the perfect way to wind down after a long day. Originally regarded as a lesser beer due to the de-evolution of flavour and colour brought on by the Big Guys, the traditional flavour of the pilsner style has almost been rediscovered and, in recent years, has been attracting craft brewers from all parts of the globe, who
are creating beers in the style that either celebrate the back-to-basics traditional approach or offer a whole new flavourful variation. Here is a selection of pilsners that will either welcome you into the fold of better beer or get you to reassess this once-shunned style.
Robin LeBlanc is an award-winning beer writer and owner of thethirstywench.com. She is also the coauthor of The Ontario Craft Beer Guide, available in stores now.
piLsNeR URQUeLL plzeñský prazdro ABV: 4.1% LCBO#255380 (single), #388900 (six-pack) We all have to start somewhere when trying out better flavoured pilsners, so why not try the one that gave birth to the style? Brewed right in Plzeñ, Bohemia (now Czech Republic), the beer was originally brewed in 1842 and officially trademarked as a Pilsner beer in 1859. The combination of saaz hops, a unique fire-brewing technique, and the soft water of the region lends an overall crisp quality to the beer, along with grassy hop notes and a slight hint of citrus. One taste and it will become clear as to why this beer is the one that started it all.
sTeAM whisTLe pReMiUM piLsNeR steam whistle Brewing ABV: 5% LCBO#91157 (single), #547646 (six-pack) Sometimes getting fired can be the best thing to happen to you. At least, that’s the case with Steam Whistle founders Cam Heaps, Greg Taylor and Greg Cromwell, all of whom were fired from Upper Canada Brewing Company after the brewery’s acquisition by Sleeman in the late 1990s. The trio formed a brewery that focused on making just one beer incredibly well. The result is Steam Whistle Pilsner, a Czech pilsner with distinctive and recognizable green packaging and a crisp, slightly grainy flavour. The beer is best had fresh from the brewery on one of its tours.
ROCKweLL piLsNeR The Collingwood Brewery ABV: 4.7% The award-winning Collingwood Brewery has built a strong reputation of creating an excellent selection of accessible beers that capture the spirit of the town of Collingwood’s skiing and year-round outdoor attractions. Rockwell Pils is a light, slightly bready take on the style, with floral notes and distinct cereal grain notes in a distinctly crisp finish.
LOT 9 piLsNeR Creemore springs Brewery ABV: 4.7% LCBO#416248 Lot 9 is the relaunch of what was once Creemore’s Traditional Pilsner, using the same ingredients as the previous beer, but in different portions, resulting in a slightly lighter and brighter profile, with delicate peppery herb notes and a crackery, slightly malty finish. The beer itself was named after the very first land grant built upon in Creemore nearly 200 years ago.
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