American pilsner
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The American pilsner or "classic American pilsner" is the direct ancestor of the American lager but is a distinct style. This style was developed in the 19th century by German immigrants in response to the barley that was available to them in the United States. American six-row barley had a higher tannic acid and protein content and had greater husk per weight than the continental European barleys. In addition, the Tettnanger and Saaz hops of Europe were not available.
Therefore, the grain mixture was adjusted by adding up to 30% corn to the barley malt mash. However, the beer was brewed to full-fledged European strength and to the practices of a lager style. The result was a full-bodied and slightly sweet beverage that can be immediately distinguished from its less flavorful descendant. The style was commercially destroyed by Prohibition, and when beer production resumed in the USA, it was a lighter, thirst-quenching style with up to 50% corn or rice content that came to dominate the market.
Currently, there are no large-scale commercial representatives of this style, although several homebrewers and brewing scholars have formulated recipes for small-scale revival.
External link
- Reviving the Classic American Pilsner (http://www.brewingtechniques.com/library/backissues/issue3.5/renner.html)
- Hop Heaven (http://citypaper.net/articles/2005-04-14/cover.shtml) - Philadelphia Citypaper article about Victory Brewing developing a pre-Prohibition style lager
References
- Fix, G. 1994. Pre-prohibition lagers. Brewing Techniques. May/June
- Jankowski, B. 1994. Bushwick pilsners. Brewing Techniques. Jan/Feb