Pale lager

Czech Pale Lager

BJCP 3A

The everyday Czech session beer, the desitka you drink four of. Lower gravity than the premium version but the same soft water, the same Saaz, and the same expectation that it will be spotless.

Vital statistics

Each bar is drawn against the full range of all 98 styles

Original gravity

1.028 - 1.044

Final gravity

1.008 - 1.014

Bitterness

20 IBU - 35 IBU

Colour

3 SRM - 6 SRM

Alcohol

3% - 4.1%

Colour also 6-12 EBC

What goes wrong

Thinking low gravity means low effort. Finishing this one with body intact at 3.5% is harder than brewing the strong version.

Commercial examples

Bernard světlé pivo 10Březňák Světlé výčepní pivoNotch Session PilsRadegast Rázna 10Únětické pivo 10°

Reference examples of the style, as listed in the BJCP 2021 Style Guidelines. Availability varies by market and year.

Vital statistics as published in the BJCP 2021 Style Guidelines. Not yet checked against the published guidelines: treat these ranges as a planning aid and read the source at bjcp.org before entering a competition.

The rest of the pale lager family

American Light Lager

2.8-4.2% · 8-12 IBU

American Lager

4.2-5.3% · 8-18 IBU

Cream Ale

4.2-5.6% · 8-20 IBU

International Pale Lager

4.6-6% · 18-25 IBU

Czech Premium Pale Lager

4.2-5.8% · 30-45 IBU

Munich Helles

4.7-5.4% · 16-22 IBU

Festbier

5.8-6.3% · 18-25 IBU

German Leichtbier

2.4-3.6% · 15-28 IBU

Kolsch

4.4-5.2% · 18-30 IBU

German Helles Exportbier

4.8-6% · 20-30 IBU

German Pils

4.4-5.2% · 22-40 IBU

Plan a batch to these numbers.

Bitterness Colour Alcohol