Style: German Pils
All StylesStyle Profile based on 847 recipes
BU:GU
0.67
Hops
5.4 g/L
Mash pH
5.51
Dry Hop
0.1 g/L
Description
A light-bodied, highly-attenuated, gold-colored, bottom-fermented bitter German beer showing excellent head retention and an elegant, floral hop aroma. Crisp, clean, and refreshing, a German Pils showcases the finest quality German malt and hops. History: Adapted from Czech Pilsner to suit brewing conditions in Germany, particularly water with higher mineral content and domestic hop varieties. First brewed in Germany in the early 1870s. Became more popular after WWII as German brewing schools emphasized modern techniques. Along with its sister beer, Czech Pilsner, is the ancestor of the most widely produced beer styles today. Average IBUs of many well-regarded commercial examples have dropped over time. Style Comparison: Lighter in body and color, drier, crisper, and more fully attenuated, with more of a lingering bitterness, and with higher carbonation than a Czech Premium Pale Lager. More hop character, malt flavor, and bitterness than International Pale Lagers. More hop character and bitterness with a drier, crisper finish than a Munich Helles; the Helles has more malt flavor, but of the same character as the Pils.
Examples: König Pilsener, Left Hand Polestar Pils, Paulaner Premium Pils, Schönramer Pils, Stoudt Pils, Tröegs Sunshine Pils, Trumer Pils
- 90% Pilsner (93%)
- 38% Crystal (5%)
- 35% Toast (8%)
- 34% Pale (8%)
% of German Pils recipes using each malt category (addition % in brackets)
g/L · median with IQR range
- 30% Saaz (CZ)
- 22% Hallertau Mittelfrüh
- 16% Tettnanger
- 16% Magnum (GR)
- 9% Perle (GR)
- 8% Hallertauer Hersbrucker
- 6% Hallertau Taurus
- 4% Hallertau (US)
- 4% Cascade
- 4% Citra
% of German Pils recipes using each hop
g/L · median with IQR range
dated German Pils recipes with at least one dry-hop addition
- 24% Pilsner (2 Row) Ger
- 11% Cara-Pils/Dextrine
- 9% German - Pilsner
- 7% Pilsner (Weyermann)
- 6% Vienna Malt
- 6% German - Acidulated Malt
- 6% Acid Malt
- 5% Munich Malt
- 4% Pilsner (2 Row) Bel
- 4% American - Pilsner
Colour = malt category · bar = % of recipes
- 28% Saflager Lager (W-34/70) Fermentis
- 8% German Lager Yeast (WLP830) White Labs
- 4% Bohemian Lager (2124) Wyeast Labs
- 3% Pilsner Lager Yeast (WLP800) White Labs
- 3% SafLager West European Lager (S-23) Fermentis
- 3% SafLager German Lager (S-189) Fermentis
- 3% LalBrew Diamond Lager Lallemand
- 2% Safale American (US-05) Fermentis
- 2% Harvest (L17) Imperial Yeast
- 2% Pilsen Lager (2007) Wyeast Labs
% of German Pils recipes using each strain
- 56% Single Infusion
- 31% Step Mash
- 13% Decoction
131 recipes with mash data
- 59 ppm Ca²⁺
- 5 ppm Mg²⁺
- 10 ppm Na⁺
- 50 ppm Cl⁻
- 63 ppm SO₄²⁻
- 25 ppm HCO₃⁻
median across recipes with a declared water profile
Similar Styles
Ranked by similarity across OG, IBU, ABV, hop rate, and grist composition.