October's are for Pilsners

Nothing quite says October like the crisp air of autumn. Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas and we’re in the midst of another week full of highs over 90 degrees. Since the weather isn’t ready to bring you the crisp, dry air we have all been craving - enter Bier - a German-style pilsner.

Bier - German Style Pilsner

In 1842, the pilsner style was born in Plezen, Bohemia (now Czech Republic) by German brewer, Josef Groll, who had been hired by Mestansky Pivovar - a collaborative facility with many independent brewers. At just 29 years old, Groll sought to create a beer different than the dark lagers that the Bavarians had been used to. The light straw color was the first of its kind - and it looked great in the well-known Bohemian crystal glasses. Brewers in Plezen were pleasantly surprised by the refreshing, crispness this new brew brought. Since then the pilsner style has been widely popular throughout history.

The core ingredients of a pilsner haven’t changed over the years: lightly kilned malt and a touch of the hops from the Noble hops variety. While Saaz hops were the hops used in the original brew, we have used Saphir hops in our brew and they are full of noble hop character.

Saphir hops were first released in 2000 and is a cross of two unnamed variety of fops developed by the Hop Research Institute in Hull, Germany. These hops have some of the lowest alpha acid contents in the world, averaging between 2 - 4.5%. The Saphir hop is mild and pleasant with spicy notes melding with tones of light tangerine citrus, soft but with a distinct hoppy bite.

Sipping on Bier might not bring you back to a crisp fall day in 1842, but this medium-bodied pilsner will definitely set the tone for a perfect October.