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Writing the Rules of West Coast Pilsner (So They Can Be Broken)

Hop-forward lagers are nothing new, but a new thread is emerging that more intentionally marries the great drinkability of a pilsner with the expressive hopping of a West Coast IPA. Could it be the best of both worlds?

Kate Bernot Oct 2, 2023 - 14 min read

Writing the Rules of West Coast Pilsner (So They Can Be Broken) Primary Image

Photo: Matt Graves

The origin story of the West Coast pilsner shares a common outcome with the Arnold Palmer: Two liquids, delicious on their own, create something equally dazzling in tandem.

The year is 2016, the city is Los Angeles, and Highland Park brewers Bob Kunz and Tim McDonnell need to fill a specialty cask of beer. They survey their available tanks: In one, a West Coast IPA; in the other, the brewery’s house beer, Refresh Pilsner. The pair decide to combine the two at a 50/50 ratio. The result: a beer with the hop character of a West Coast IPA and the easy drinkability of a pilsner. It electrifies them both.

“The cask was ripping,” Kunz says. “We were like: We need to turn this into a beer.”

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