Malt aroma & flavor
Low to medium. May include pilsener malt attributes such as bready, toasty, or cracker-like.
North American Origin Lager Styles
West Coast-Style Pilsener
Lager · Straw to Gold
What to expect
Malt character: Low to medium. Hop character: Medium-high to very high, exhibiting a wide range of attributes including floral, piney, citrus, fruity (berry, tropical, stone fruit, and other), sulfur, dank, diesel-like, catty, resinous, and many others.
Reading guide · The complete guideline attributes below preserve the source’s qualifications.Color · SRM
2.5–6.5
Pale / strawBlack
Straw to Gold · Illustrative colors on the shared, uneven SRM scale.
Explore styles overlapping this color rangeAlcohol · ABV
5.0–6.0%
Reference scale, not a limit on official guideline values.
Bitterness · IBU
30–50
Measured bitterness; perceived bitterness is described in the guideline below.
Brewers Association 2026 · Printed guideline page 44 · PDF page 53. Color graphics are illustrative.
The guideline, in detail
Official style attributes, including what may be present and what should be absent.
Hop aroma & flavor
Medium-high to very high, exhibiting a wide range of attributes including floral, piney, citrus, fruity (berry, tropical, stone fruit, and other), sulfur, dank, diesel-like, catty, resinous, and many others.
Perceived bitterness
Medium to high
Body & mouthfeel
Low to medium. In balance to support high dry hop rates.
Clarity
Hop haze or chill haze is allowable at low levels
Color
Straw to Gold
Fermentation characteristics
Fruity esters range from absent to medium-low; DMS, acetaldehyde, and diacetyl should not be present. Light sulfur character that enhances hop expression is allowable.
Additional guideline notes & competition context
This style of beer should balance the fresh, assertive expression of Pacific Northwest or Southern Hemisphere hops with the drinkability found in a pilsener. Kettle hops can be either noble European/noble-type hops or modern IPA hops, though the pronounced hop expression showcases modern IPA hops. Crispness and drinkability are at the forefront of the style, but body and structure are needed to balance a significant dry hop load. Beers dry hopped with European/noble hops should be classified as Italian-Style Pilsener.
Technical specifications, including gravity
Original Gravity (°Plato) 1.050-1.057 (12.5-14 °Plato) • Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (°Plato) 1.005- 1.012 (1.5-3 °Plato) • Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 3.9%-4.7% (5.0%-6.0%) • Hop Bitterness (IBU) 30-50 • Color SRM (EBC) 2.5-6.5 (4-13 EBC)