Episode 5: Budwiser - It's good to be the king

This episode looks at an old favorite, Pilsners. If you have drank a beer in your life you probably have had a pilsner. Hopefully this show will take you from a light pilsner to a regular good old pilsner.

A quick shout to Lance Meyers who is listening to the show from Iraq. Jim was so excited to hear we have a listener over-there he called me at work. Thanks for listening and more importantly thanks for serving.

Also want to thank Spotus for the intro music.

News

• This week, May 13th thru the 20th, is American Craft Beer week
• Beer is a big industry in the U.S. The industry employes over 1.7 million people, paying over 55 billion in wages and benefits and over 5.2 billion in taxes. More stats over at Beer Servers America

Pilsner Background

• Lager beer, brewed first in the town of Pilsen which is in current day Czech Republic, or whatever they are calling it these days.
• Smooth beer, often times with a much more hoppy (bitter) flavor. A sharp yellow or golden color, very clear. A highly carbonated beer. Generally about 5% ABV.
• First true pilsner brewed was Pilsner Urquell, which we will be talking about on a later show.

Budweiser

Once again the theme of the show is what your next beer should be, and we are starting with the premise that most people drink the light versions of the big three, not the regular old Pilsner version.

• Some examples, MGD, Coors Orignal, and Budwesier. Oh yeah, and Iron City Beer as well.
• While Budlight is the Number 1 selling beer in the US, Budwesier is #2.
• With Bud, you should be finding a little bit of sweetness from the malt that goes away in a hurry.
• Important thing to note of about some of the mass produced beer, it may have corn or rice in it instead of or in addition to barley. This is done to save money and to give the beer a little more crisp flavor and much less bitterness.
• Note about beechwood aging. Imagine through beer on Popsicle sticks.
• These don't really have to much of a bitter flavor or taste for the matter, HOWEVER they are more bitter than the light versions of the beer and do have a little bit of taste to them.

Next Show

Up the ladder a rung to the originals of the styles, Pilsner Urquell, Spaten, and Budvar/Czechvar.