Beer Styles

What is an Italian Pils? A Pils modeled on German and Czech traditions that's additionally dry-hopped during maturation. It began with Tipopils from Birrificio Italiano. Today, the term Italian Pils is used internationally, even as breweries in other countries have taken up the style.

In the glass, the beer is straw-yellow to golden and clear, with a firm white head. The aroma marks the biggest difference: it recalls blossoms, freshly cut herbs, and citrus peel. On the palate it stays lean and dry, with a bitterness that flashes briefly and doesn't linger long.

It differs from German Pils mainly in aroma. German Pils tends to smell more restrained, often of grass and bread crust. It's distinguished from Bohemian Pils by malt character, since the Czech style is allowed to be a touch sweeter and rounder, sitting at 30 to 45 IBU.

The fact sheet lists the values for German Pils according to BJCP 2021, since Italian Pils has no official style guideline of its own there. Real-world beers may well deviate, especially in alcohol content and bitterness.

A note on classification: in Germany, "Pils" is a generic term, with only individual brand names protected. The same applies to Italian Pils. Any brewery is free to brew the style, and whether or not they dry-hop it is entirely their own choice. Accordingly, the range runs wide, from mild to intensely aromatic beers—so it pays to check the label.