Italian Style Pilsner

With a burst of Lórien hops in the whirlpool and more in the dry hop, the team at Sunriver Brewing in Sunriver, Oregon, describes this hop-forward pilsner as “distinctly crisp, with elegant hoppy notes of wildflowers, lemongrass, and black tea.”

“We think pilsners can be as different from each other as the four or five IPAs we have on tap,” says Kurt Smith, cofounder and head brewer at Smith & Lentz Brewing in Nashville, Tennessee.

It all started with Tipopils... Matt Brynildson, brewmaster of Firestone Walker, talks about the beer that sparked his Pivo—as well as a growing number of Italian-inspired pilsners—and the core elements of this burgeoning sub-style.

Agostino Arioli, founder of Birrificio Italiano, provided this homebrew-scale recipe for the beer that inspired “Italian-style” pilsner—an aromatic, floral, dry-hopped pilsner in an elegant frame.

Joe Stange speaks with Agostino Arioli, founder of Birrificio Italiano, about the 25-year-old beer that’s sparking a new wave of hop-forward lagers—and about what makes Tipopils different.