ABITA Brewing Company

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BREWS
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RED ALE
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MIXES

SELECT

Abita Select is an exclusive premium draft product line from Abita featuring a new style every few months.

 

BOHEMIAN PILSNER

Released November 2003

History of the beer style
To understand the history of genuine Pilsner beer, one must look into the discovery of Lager yeast and a change in barley malting technology. The history of Lager yeast goes back to Bavaria in the 1400s. Before the discovery or “Darwinism” of Lager yeast, all beer was fermented with ale yeast. Brewers did not know what yeast was, they only knew foam from the top of one tank could be used to ferment another. Ale yeast ferments at warmer temperatures, settles at the top of the vessel, and has substantially more esters or aromas. Brewers at this time had problems with spoilage bacteria that thrived in the warm Ale fermentations.

In the 1400s, brewers in Bavaria had begun storing beer in caves in the foothills of the Alps in an effort to keep beer from spoiling during the warmer months. Brewers found that cold aged beer was more stable than other beer. Therefore, brewers started to build cellars near their breweries and store large blocks of ice in them to keep the cellars cold in the summer. Brewers not only aged their beer, they also fermented beer in these cold cellars. In an effort to improve beer quality in 1553, Duke Albrecht V of Bavaria banned brewing from April 24 to September 30. Over time, yeast that thrived in the cold environment evolved and the Ale yeast and spoilage bacteria had disappeared. This new type of yeast thrived in the cold environment, took longer to age and ferment, settled at the bottom of vessels, and made a smooth and clear beer. The German word for storage is “Lagerung”. Since beer made with this new yeast required cold aging for a long period of time, months instead of days with Ales, it is commonly called Lager.

In 1842, a Bavarian monk took some Lager yeast from Munich to the town of Pilsen in Bohemia. The monk gave the yeast to a young brewer named Josef Grolle. Josef traveled to Britain to learn a new technique of making pale malt. Josef improved the process to make the barley malt even lighter in color. Before this time all beers were copper to black in color. Josef combined the straw colored malt, new Bavarian Lager yeast, Pilsen water, and local Saaz hops to create this new style of beer. This first clear, golden beer was an immediate hit with consumers.

 

Abita's Select Bohemian Pilsner
Our Bohemian Pilsner is made with malt from Weyermann, a famous Bavarian malting company. The malt bill consists of Pilsner, Cara Pils, Vienna, and Melanoidin malted barley. The beer is fermented with Munich Lager yeast and is hopped and dry hopped 100% with Saaz hops from the Czech Republic. The result is a medium body, deep gold color brew with a sharp clean bitterness, floral hop aroma, and soft malt sweetness. The snappy hop bitterness and the taste of barley linger on the palate.
 

Food Pairings
The Pilsner’s crisp bitterness and soft malt pairs well with oily fish such as grilled or smoked salmon and pan seared sea bass. Pilsner’s carbonation and taste is also good at cutting through the oils and cleansing the tongue of foods such as prosciutto, brie, and fried calamari. Enjoy this Pilsner and imagine the cool, crisp air of Prague pass you as you gaze out over the Charles Bridge and sip on this cool elixir.