Pilsner beers are ‘lagers’, beer fermented with low-fermentation yeast. Low fermentation means that the fermentation happens at low temperatures (40 – 45 degrees Fahrenheit), and on the bottom of the vessel. In 1323, the city of Nurnberg in Germany already made a distinction between high (the ales) and low fermentation, but we are not real sure what they exactly meant with that. It was in 1420 that in the city of Munich in Bavaria for the first time somebody wrote about low fermentation in the city minutes.

From that date on, we see the fermentation method mentioned in several German city minutes. When production is mentioned, it is always in small numbers, which tells us this beer must not have been very popular. It must also have been very difficult to brew, since the temperature had to be cold enough. The brewer had to choose the days of winter, or ice was needed to cool the fermentation vessels. Ice, which the brewer had to save from winter ponds, or which had to be shipped from mountains or even from the North, from Scandinavia. So it is no surprise then that lagers were ‘invented’ in the mountainous regions of Bavaria. In fact, it is in these regions, yeast that ferments in low temperatures was found and cultivated.

The lagers, brewed at these times, were not at all like today’s Pilsners. They were probably very amber in color, not too dark and not too light, and every batch in a different shade. Since beer was consumed out of wooden, tin or stone mugs, the color of the beer was not at all important, because consumers didn’t see it.

We have to wait until 1842 when Mr. Josef Grolle for the first time brewed a light colored lager beer in the city of Pilsen, in today’s Czechia. He must have been a free spirited mind willing to do things differently, or he was looking to diversify in order to fight competition. Anyway, it is only because at about the same time the drinking glass emerged on the market, and the clear golden color of the beer could now be seen, that his beer became a success. And not right away. Only 3000 barrels were brewed in the first year. The Pilsner style beer got attention from the many consumers who visited the Bohemian health resorts, where they were offered this new style of beer, served in a glass. Serving in a glass became very trendy, something for the rich. The style, together with serving in a glass, became first accepted and more popular in the countries influenced by the German culture: Germany, Czechia, and Austria, and came to the USA with the German immigrants in the 19th century.

Belgium was actually the first country that imported German low fermented beer in 1880 for the World Fair in Brussels. However, this was not yet Pilsner, but a Munich style, a darker beer! Since the first brewer had forgotten to register the name Pilsner as his brand name, Pilsner became the identifier for a new style of lager, low fermented beer, and every brewer could name his beer Pilsner beer. WW I was a first major step to make Pilsner beer popular in Belgium, because the Germans closed most of the local breweries, and forced the remaining breweries to brew the beer they liked. But we have to wait until after WW II to see the switch from traditional beers to Pilsner beers in Belgium. Marketing, cheap production, and the aggressive move by breweries like Interbrew and Alken-Maes, who bought and closed as many small breweries as possible, were the main reasons.

Today in Belgium, the consumption of Pilsner beers has fallen back to only about 67 %. The remaining percentage being divided among the Abbey Ale, the Whites, the Reds, the Ambers, and the Lambics. In most other countries, the Pilsner style wiped out all the other local brews, and it is only thanks to the micro-brew revolution that old original styles of tasty and colorful beers are coming back. Pilsner style beer still represents over 90 % of the beer consumption in the USA! Yes, we have a long way to go.

The mass production of all the major Pilsners of this world, and the aim to please everybody, have made the well known beer brands synonymous to bland beers, tasting like water with a bit of sugar and a yellow color. To make things worse, they even made a ‘light’ version of their "beer".

Conclusion: when you want to taste a real original Pilsner beer, you have to go for smaller authentic brands, with a local following. We, and many in Belgium and in the international beer connoisseurs world, believe the BAVIK Pilsner is one of the best examples available in the world. Cheers.