How to pour
a pilsner in
Rinse the glass with cold water and leave it wet. The head clings noticeably better to a wet, cool glass, while grease or soap residue makes the foam collapse immediately. So do not dry the glass with a tea towel.
Hold the glass at an angle under the tap or bottle, about forty-five degrees, and pour against the inside wall. Pour continuously without stopping, because each interruption creates coarser foam. Do not let the bottle or tap touch the rim of the glass.
Hold the glass upright when it is about two-thirds full and pour the rest into the center of the beer. That’s where the head builds up. Two fingers, about two centimeters, is the standard size in Dutch cafés.
Skim off the foam with a slotted spoon if you want a flat edge; if you leave it standing, it will rise slightly above the rim. Wipe the outside of the glass afterward. Serve pilsner at 4 to 6 degrees.
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The story
Pilsner is named after Plzen, Pilsen in German, a city in Bohemia in what is now the Czech Republic. In 1842, the first clear, golden-blond bottom-fermented beer was brewed there, later known as Pilsner Urquell: literally the original source of pilsner. The beer's clear, light color immediately stood out in an era of dark, cloudy beer, and it helped that glassware was becoming cheaper and more commonplace. The style was adopted in Germany, the Netherlands, and later the rest of the world. Today, pilsner is the most widely consumed beer style worldwide, and in the Netherlands it is simply what you get when you ask for a beer.
The right glass
Lager is served in a narrow, straight glass that keeps it cold and supports the head. The Netherlands has two sizes for this: the fluitje, a slim glass of around 19 centiliters for a small lager, and the vaasje, slightly waisted and holding around 29 to 34 centiliters, the standard glass in a traditional brown café. Both have a small diameter, leaving little surface area exposed to the air. Larger, waisted models, such as the Willi Becher, can be found among the beer glasses; mugs with a handle are available among the beer mugs.
Mammoet Budgetline Flute Beer Glass 19 cl (12 pieces)
Mammoet Budgetline Amsterdam Beer Glass / Vase 34 cl (12 pieces)
Both sets together € 53,90.
The right tools
For a lager, you don't need much besides the glass: a jigger to measure the jenever for a kopstoot precisely and a bar spoon to stir a radler. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 48,85.
What do you pour alongside it?
The lager itself takes center stage; this is what is served alongside it in the Netherlands. A small glass of jenever turns it into a kopstoot, while vieux and beerenburg belong in the same category. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works in, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
German pilsner is generally the driest and most bitter, with a distinct hop bitterness in the finish and a firm, lasting head. Czech pilsner, the style from Plzeň, is somewhat fuller and rounder from the malt, with a softer bitterness. Dutch pilsner usually falls somewhere in between and is milder than both: less bitter, lighter in body, made to be drunk cold and from larger glasses. So the same letter on the label does not mean it is the same beer. Read more? View all drinks and brands.
Serving tip
Serve pilsner at 4 to 6 degrees. Colder than four degrees masks the aroma and you can no longer smell it; warmer than six and the head collapses faster. Rinse the glass with cold water before pouring and leave it wet; that makes more difference to the head than the speed of pouring.
Good to know
Why pilsner is clear and golden blond
Two things make the difference. The malt is lightly dried and barely roasted, so little color comes from the grain. And the bottom-fermenting yeast sinks to the bottom after fermentation, after which the beer is lagered cold and filtered; proteins and yeast residues then settle out. What remains is clear beer with a golden-blond color.
Where the bitterness comes from
The bitterness comes from hops. When the wort is boiled, the alpha acids in the hop cones are converted into a form that dissolves in water, giving the beer its bitter edge. Hops added late in the boil or after boiling mainly provide aroma and little bitterness. The bitterness of a pilsner is expressed in IBU, and German pilsner usually has a higher IBU than Dutch pilsner.
The fluitje and the vaasje
The fluitje is the slender glass of around 19 centiliters that you see in many Dutch cafés: a short pilsner that you drink before it becomes lukewarm. The vaasje is the slightly waisted standard glass, usually holding 25 centiliters of beer in a glass with a capacity of 29 to 34 centiliters, leaving room for the head above it. A fluitje is therefore not a small vaasje but a size of its own, and the smaller volume is precisely the point.
Why the head matters so much here
With pils, the head is measurable: two fingers, approximately two centimetres, is customary in the Netherlands, and a glass with too much or too little foam is sent back at a café. This has a practical purpose, because the foam retains the carbonation and aroma and creates a layer between the beer and the air. It also reveals the glass: on a glass with greasy residue, the head collapses immediately, no matter how well you pour.
How much alcohol pils contains
Pils contains roughly 4.5 to 5.5 percent alcohol. The exact percentage is listed on the label or tap menu. Alcohol-free and low-alcohol varieties contain less than 0.5 percent and state this on the bottle.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is pils?
Pils is a bottom-fermented beer: the yeast works at around 8 to 14 degrees and then sinks to the bottom. The beer is then cold-conditioned and usually filtered, making it clear and golden-blond. The taste is dry and crisp, with hop bitterness in the finish, and the alcohol content is roughly between 4.5 and 5.5 percent.
Where does the name pils come from?
From Plzen, Pilsen in German, a city in Bohemia in what is now the Czech Republic. In 1842, the first clear, golden-blond bottom-fermented beer was brewed there, later named Pilsner Urquell. The style was subsequently imitated worldwide, and the name went with it.
What is the difference between German, Czech and Dutch pils?
German pils is generally the driest and most bitter. Czech pils has a fuller malt character with softer bitterness. Dutch pils is usually milder than both: less bitter and lighter in body. It remains the same style, but the balance between malt and hops varies by country and brewery.
How big are a fluitje and a vaasje?
A fluitje is a slender glass holding around 19 centilitres. A vaasje is the slightly waisted standard glass that usually holds 25 centilitres of beer, in a glass with a capacity of 29 to 34 centilitres to leave room for the head. So a fluitje is not a smaller vaasje but a model of its own.
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