Style: German Pilsner
ABV: 4.8%
Presentation: Single 500 ml can
Brewery: Radeberger Exportbierbrauerei
Country: Radeberg, Germany

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

Of all the German Lagers available here on the shelves these days, I can’t think of any that have a more interesting pedigree than that of Radeberger. For starters it’s within the top 10 best selling German breweries, and back in the day was the first German Pilsner to be exported to North America.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg though. Originating in the Dresden suburb of Radberg, the Aktienbrauerei Zum Bierkeller (now known as the Radeberger Brewery) was the first in Germany to exclusively brew the Pilsner style, back in 1872. That’s not to say they were the first in the country to brew that style, but the first to wholly commit to making nothing but it.

This sort of dedication must have paid off, as it garnered the attention of influential politicians and royalty alike. In 1887 Chancellor Otto von Bismarck himself promoted this German Pils to the status of Chancellor Brew (Kanzler-Bräu) from his esteem for it. Then in 1905 it was brewed under honourary decree for the King of Saxony, Friedrich August III because he had taken such a liking to it and served it at his court every chance he had. This was the same year the brewery chose to start exporting to North America. The beer remained under royal favour until Friedrich was forced to abdicate his position at the end of World War I in 1918.

As with most domestic products the war years tended to disrupt production, and the year after the end of World War II the Socialist East German government took control of the brewery. It wasn’t until 1954 that Radeberger began to be exported worldwide once again. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990 it was purchased by the Binding Brauerei company, who had all of the equipment upgraded to modern standards. However since 2004 it’s been owned by the parent company of the Oetker Group. Yes, that Dr. Oetker of frozen pizza fame. It sort of binds the modern concept of pizza and beer…..

A tall fluted Pilsner glass would be your best pick to serve this in, however since it’s only currently available in 500 ml cans, a pint glass would be fully understandable for a one pour delivery. A tall mug will pinch hit as well. This is a beer you can pull from the fridge and start the pour, while ice cold isn’t desirable, well-chilled is the way to go.

Radeberger presents itself with a bright clear straw colour, topped with a frothy white head. The aroma releases sweet bready grains balanced by light dry grassy hops. This is pretty much mirrored in the flavour with clean metallic grains up front, a dry crisp finish, with some mild spicy hops lingering in the aftertaste. All delivered by a smooth medium-light mouthfeel, granted with some brisk carbonation on the finish.

This is a beer that will pair very well with cheese, cutting through the fats and scrubbing the tongue and palate for more of that fermented milky goodness. Consider some Munster or Monterey Jack, or some aged sharp white Cheddar. Sticking with the cultural connection some pan-fried light sausages or wurst will offer a savoury combination. As always, this style pairs well with shellfish, such as crab, clams or oysters, whether prepared with a butter or white wine base. For more ethnic options consider a nice bowl of Pad Thai, or a thick helping of Lamb Bhuna over saffron rice. Rather than Japanese options, this German Pils is a great option for sushi. Or as mentioned further above, be it take out or frozen, here’s a beer that will cut through whatever pizza toppings you choose, and reset your palate for as much as you wish to throw at it.

The next steps in the cooler:

In-Style:
Warsteiner Premium Verum
Bitburger Premium Pils
Pinkus Organic Ur Pils
Krombacher Pils

Other Pilsners:
Czechvar
Pilsner Urquell
Lagunitas PILS
Paddock Wood Czech Mate

Lateral Steps:
Fullers ESB
La Vache Folle ESB
Wild Rose SOB

For The Adventurous:
Alley Kat Full Moon Pale Ale
Red Racer IPA
Duvel
Anchor Liberty Ale

Style: Pilsener
ABV: 5%
Presentation: 6 packs of 330 ml green bottles / 500 ml green bottle
Brewery: Brewery Budweiser Budvar
Country: České Budějovice, Czech Republic

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

This traditional Pilsener is one of my regular standbys for a hot weather quencher. That was the original intention with the invention of this style, or at least to produce a light yet tasteful easy drinking beer. One thing to take note about Bohemian Pilseners, or more currently lagers that are produced in modern day Czech Republic, is that the spelling of this style has an extra “E” in it. This is due to a sort of appellation status, as the first Pilseners were developed in the city of Pilsen, Bohemia in 1842 (now referred to as Plzeň, Czech Republic).

Produced elsewhere this style is shortened to Pilsner, or even Pils. It’s an old Germanic practice to add an “-er” to the end of any location when referring to a certain product that was first developed there, a sort of famous namesake. It wasn’t uncommon to project this custom onto neighbouring nations either.

This leads us into the controversy that has been hounding this beer for over a century now. While the Czech name of the city that Czechvar is produced is České Budějovice, the Bohemian name was Budweis. It was back in 1785 when a brewery first started up, producing a beer called
Budweiser Bürgerbräu. It was in 1895 that a 2nd company, presently called Budvar, also started producing a beer called Budweiser Budvar. It’s this latter one that concerns us and our Czechvar. Two breweries from a city called Budweis, both producing beers called Budweiser. I’m sure the name rings a bell with you.

Now a certain American company also started using the label of Budweiser to brew under as far back as 1876, and had it legally registered a couple years afterwards. This immediately led to copyright lawsuits when the breweries from back in Budweis tried to share their products with the American market as well. Although there were small concessions over the years, let’s just say that things have been ongoing and the company who could afford the most lawyers has managed to maintain the most leverage. Well, at least here in North America. Hence why Budweiser Budvar is known as Czechvar here in Canada and the U.S.

That’s about as much as I want to cover regarding the legalities and the politics behind all of this, but thought it was necessary to cover the curious and somewhat unstipulated history behind the pedigree of this excellent Czech Pilsener. You may see the name Czechvar now, but you’ll know better about what lies behind it

With that taken care of let’s check out what all the fuss is all about. A tall fluted Pilsner glass is the way to go to insure an authentic experience, but if your glassware collection is limited then pull out the trusty pint glass. Chilled is definitely the way to serve this style, just make sure it’s not iced cold. With a style like this it’s what you don’t taste at times that is most important, but nearly frozen beer will mask almost anything and everything.

What fills your glass is a clear bright golden beer, with a shock white head. If not too cold you’ll be able to smell some mild bready malt, along with the classic Czech Saaz hops which are a bit spicy, and tend to possess a character of fresh cut grass. At times I even pick up some citrus notes as well. Crisp and clean are the first impressions of the flavour. A little bit of bready malt up front, but what follows is almost a metallic character of clean grains, finishing with the spicy, grassy, light citrus countenance of the traditional Noble Czech hops. Clean, dry aftertaste. Medium-bodied mouthfeel with a brisk amount of carbonation, and a crisp, dry finish.

If you’re a fan of spicy foods then this is your new best friend. Between the crispness of the hops and the cleansing aspect of the carbonation, you’ll be able to cut through almost any heat while scrubbing your palate clean and hitting the reset button in your mouth to allow you to go back for more. Thai, Indian, Vietnamese and Mexican dishes have met their ideal match. Forget the pickled ginger too, this Pilsener is subtle enough to pair with sushi while having enough character to subdue the most intense wasabi. Salty or fatty foods will be tamed as well, from pork dishes to Chinese food in rich sauce. There really isn’t much that this Pilsener can’t pair up with to one degree or another, even if you have a taste for shellfish—raw or slathered in butter or a wine steamed preparation. It will cut through fats and neutralize acidity or heat. It appears that all the fuss over this beer was worth it after all, even if it has to enter our country with a pseudonym.

The next steps in the cooler:

Czech Pilseners:
Pilsner Urquell
Krušovice Imperial
Žatec
Litovel

Other Pils:
Lagunitas Pils
Paddock Wood Czech Mate
Creemore Springs Traditional Pilsner
Raasted Pilsner
Brooklyn Pilsner
Bitburger Premium Pils
Radeberger Pilsner
Pinkus Organic Ur Pils

Lateral Steps:
Warsteiner Premium Verum
Kulmbacher
Alley Kat Charlie Flint’s Original Lager

For The Adventurous:
Duvel
Erdinger Weiss
Edelweiss Snowfresh

Style: Czech Pilsener
ABV: 5.2%
Presentation: 6 packs of 341 ml brown bottles
Brewery: Paddock Wood Brewing
Country: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

Here’s a classical rendition of a Pilsner that arose about out of bit of necessity.  Most evident from the basis that there was no such fresh offering available at the time, at least within the borders of Saskatchewan.  Oh sure, there was a chuck wagon decorated domestic that carried the name of that style, plus a couple imports which were usually a bit stale after their long journey, but nothing local that did justice to this once ground-breaking style.

Don’t believe me?  The Pilsner, a sub-style of lagers, has only been around since 1842, when it was developed in the city of Plzen, Bohemia which is now located in the modern day Czech Republic.  Its popularity immediately caught on as the original clear and light-coloured beer, which at the time was a marvel of brewing engineering and finesse, and would become the beer of choice in the decades to follow.  If the 20^th century were to have an official beverage, it may as well be the Pilsner in all its various incarnations and interpretations, as it was the most widely produced and consumed beer style of the 1900’s.

What you most likely first used to consider “Beer” actually was no doubt the light yellow fizzy contents of mass produced domestic Pilsner-styled lagers that for the most part used to be the only available option for us folks here in North America.  From the end of Prohibition up to the late 1970’s this watered down and cheaply produced phantom of the original Pilsners was pretty much the only game in town, with very few exceptions.

In order to work his way around the lack of availability to an authentic version of the Czech Pilsner style Steve Cavan took his passion for homebrewing, and subsequent venture of running a homebrew supply business, to the next level.  That next step was setting up the Paddock Wood microbrewery, so he could afford (and justify) bringing in the proper ingredients necessary to produce the real deal similar to what was still being made back in the land of its birthplace.

The actual name of this Czech-styled Pilsner stems from one of the many other passions of Steve Cavan:  Chess!  And to give Czech Mate even more street cred the label was designed and illustrated by Randy Mosher of beer literati fame (author of Radical Brewing and Tasting Beer), a visual pun involving the knight from Alice In Wonderland.

Now to fully enjoy this Pilsner of the Prairies you’re going to want to utilize the tall fluted traditional Pilsner glass.  Another tall medium-brimmed glass will work as well, but anything too wide will thin out the head quickly and wash out the aromatics within.  Since this is an all-malt lager you don’t want to serve it iced cold either, let it warm up 5-10 minutes at least so you can enjoy the ingredients within which motivated the opening of a microbrewery.

Czech Mate is a clear vibrant gold in colour, crowned by tall tight spongy white head with good retention.  Bready malt, crisp grains and light grassy hops rise up in the aroma, clean profile.  Following suit in the flavour is an identical match of the aroma, well balanced, and delivered by a medium-bodied mouthfeel with light carbonation.  It may all sound a bit basic on paper, however with a decent Pilsner much of what makes it so good is what isn’t there.  Minimalism and simplicity is the key, and there’s no place to hide or cover up something out of place.

On its own Czech Mate is a great thirst quencher, and fits the bill for a satisfying session beer, especially on a hot day.  Speaking of heat, this Pilsner is a welcome companion next to Indian, Thai, Mexican and Cajun meals, where it compliments while putting out some of the fire.  Spicy sausage and cured, treated ham will also find sweet relief when partnered up, the Pilsner will blanket the heat and cut through the spice.  However Czech Mate is still mild enough to not overwhelm a plate of steamed clams or a basket of crab legs if you’re feeling like seafood.

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
606 Ale
Bête Noire
Black Cat Lager
Double Double
London Porter
Winter Ale

In-Style:
Lagunitas Pils
Czechvar
Krušovice Imperial
Pilsner Urquell

Lateral Steps:
Creemore Springs Premium Lager
Amber’s Australian Mountain Pepper Berry Lager
Warsteiner Dunkel
Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Gold

For The Adventurous:
Schneider Weisse
Alley Kat Full Moon Pale Ale
Fuller’s ESB
Unibroue Maudite

Style: Pilsner
ABV: 4.6%
Presentation: 500 ml brown bottle
Brewery: Zatec Brewery
Country: Czech Republic

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

Not all pilsners are made equal, but one thing’s for sure, Zatec sure stands out from the crowd.  For those interested in branching out a bit from their usual fare such as Molson’s popular chuck wagon bedecked version, or the afficianado who knows exactly what makes a true pilsner and draws them to the style, this import is a real treat.  The beer and the brewery itself are named after the region in Czech Republic that it is brewed in, which is famous for its Saaz hops and boasts exports of them for over 1000 years.  In fact Zatec is Czech for Saaz.  The current facility brewing Zatec is about 200 years old, built on the grounds of an old castle in collaboration with a neighbouring brewery, both of which had been producing beer in that region for almost 700 years now.

As with this particular style the fresher it is, the better. Unfortunately this brand doesn’t come with a “best before” or “brewed on” stamp on the bottle or the label.  Available in 500 ml brown bottles, expect to find a transparent golden amber body in appearance when poured into glassware, along with a tall fluffy white head that will slowly settle and leave a good amount of lacing in its wake as the glass is emptied.  A baked bread aroma from the malt will also greet you, even a bit of a metallic character from the grain, along with mildly spicy, grassy hints of Saaz hops.  Silky smooth is the texture of the mouthfeel, this is a well balanced pilsner, with the biscuity character of the malts blending nicely with the floral and grassy qualities of the hops.  Some versions of pilsners like to lean more heavily towards a bitter dandelion green hop presence, yet for those intimidated by hoppy beers Zatec is still very approachable and balanced, in fact I would recommend it as a great introduction to the style for the uninitiated.  Personally this is one of my new favourite pilsners since I first sampled it, one of the most enjoyable of the style that I’ve had in quite a while.  Definitely worth trying.

For those interested in pairing this balanced pilsner with food you suddenly have a new best friend for your Mexican cuisine (although not the overly spicy dishes) or your next Indian take-out, so long as you don’t get too hot of a curry like madras or vindaloo.  However it’s refined enough to not overwhelm sushi either, or many noodle dishes.  Ham will also pair well with Zatec, even the saltier or spicier varieties.  And when seafood is on the menu this is almost an ideal match for most shellfish, from crab and lobster to mussels and clams.  Lastly for the cheese lovers out there a rule of thumb is to pair pilsners with American Cheese, yet the assertive malt presence in Zatec will also go nicely with Swiss, Emmental and Havarti.

The next steps in the cooler:

In-Style:
Krusovice
Czechvar
Pilsner Urquell
Radeberger

Domestic Fare:
Czechmate - Paddockwood
Phil’s Pils - Half Pints
Kelowna Pilsner - Tree Brewing
Powderhound Pilsner - Grizzly Paw

Lateral Steps:
Wild Rose S.O.B. (Special Old Bitter)
Pump House S.O.B. (Special Old Bitter)
Propeller Bitter
Fuller’s ESB (Extra Special Bitter)

For The Adventurous:
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A. - He’Brew
Rogue XS Imperial IPA