Bohemian Pilsners

Bohemian pilsners are a traditional style of beer that originated in the Czech Republic in the mid 1800s. Pale or golden in color and generously hopped with the local variety Saazer this style became popular throughout the world. Pilsner Urquel was the original and it is still being brewed in Plzen to this day. Their process involves taking local barley and malting it themselves, mashing it using a laborious and exhaustive technique known as “decoction” mashing, hopping with whole flower Saazer hops and fermenting with a unique yeast in open wooden fermentation tanks. We used imported floor malted Bohemian pilsner malt and top quality Czech Saazer hops to recreate this unique style here at our brewery. The water in Plzen is unusually soft which is what gives Bohemian pilsners their crisp drinkability and clean finish. We use moderately hard water here in Middlebury, which, while being ideal to brew a large variety of styles, is less than perfect for a true pilsner. The use of a little acidulated malt helped us bring the pH of the mash and hence the beer down to a perfect range, and allowed us to create a similar drinkability in our version. We’re very pleased with the way our first lager beer here at Drop In came out.