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Styles · German Leichtbier

Beer style · BJCP 2021 5A

German Leichtbier

Pale Bitter European Beer

Representative The guidelines publish this style’s ranges per variant or not at all, so these are a representative envelope instead.

Original gravity
1.026–1.034
Final gravity
1.006–1.010
Bitterness
15–28 IBU
Color
2–5 SRM (4–10 EBC)
Alcohol
2.4–3.6 % ABV

What it is

A German pils scaled down in gravity but not in hop character, so it stays crisp and properly bitter instead of watery. Pale malt, noble hops and an utterly clean fermentation are all there is to it. Success means a low-alcohol beer that still tastes like a real lager.

Flavor

What a German Leichtbier should taste like, on the three wheels the studio scores every recipe against. The shaded ring is the style’s range on each axis, from 0 at the center to 5 at the edge.

Hops

Floral, herbal and spice.

Malt

Grainy, with room for sweet/honey.

Fermentation

Clean, with room for sulfur.

Hops that suit it

The traditional choice

What German Leichtbier has classically been brewed with.

Also right on character

Varieties whose loudest notes all sit on this style’s hop wheel, best fit first. How much to use is the recipe’s question; these are the ones that taste right.

And 2 more hops whose character fits. These are the 24 that fit best.

Yeasts that suit it

Strains the lab made for beers like this one, whose fermentation character sits inside the style’s wheel. A strain sold by several labs is listed once; its page names the others.

And 14 more yeasts whose character fits. These are the 24 that fit best.

Style numbers, names and vital statistics are from the BJCP 2021 Beer Style Guidelines, where you will find the official descriptions. The descriptions and flavor wheels here are Beerwright’s own. Beerwright is not affiliated with or endorsed by the BJCP.