Lagers are some of the most popular beers in the world, offering crisper, cleaner flavours than most ales. Among them, pilsners are the cream of the crop with a pale hue and bright, palate-cleansing freshness.
We’re celebrating some of New Zealand’s best and brightest lagers and pilsners with 2023’s New World Beer & Cider Awards. To help you find your new favourite in this sparklingly fresh category, we’ve pulled out our top lagers and pilsners from Aotearoa.
Scroll down to find our top picks for 2023, complete with food pairings to complete your beer tasting.
Lakeman Primate Pilsner
Type of beer: Pilsner
Brewery: Lakeman Brewing
Flavours: Hops, citrus, dank, herbaceous
Judges’ comments: Brewer James Cooper and his wife Elissa run a small beef and lamb farm above Lake Taupo, but 10 years ago decided they needed to supplement their farming revenue, so James taught himself how to brew. In the past decade, Lakeman have built a cult following but are now ready to break out onto the national stage with this absolute belter of a New Zealand-style pilsner that is also the awards’ Supreme Winner. Described as “vibrant and bright” by the judges, it has delicious hop aromas and flavours that swivel between zesty citrus and deeper, dank, herbaceous notes. It pushes close to pale ale territory but remains a pitch-perfect example of a modern New Zealand pilsner. “Clean, simple and balanced,” the judges added.
Pairing Recommendation: A classic Kiwi-hopped Pilsner from a Taupo farm, so give it some lamb chops and beef sausages off the BBQ.
For more on this beer visit: lakemanbrewing.co.nz/
Buy this beer: Visit online shopping
Mac's Gold
Type of beer: Larger
Brewery: Mac's
Flavours: Polished, clean, malt
Judges’ comments: You could call Mac’s Gold the original New Zealand craft beer. After all it was the beer that the late Terry McCashin first brewed in 1981 when he launched Mac’s, the first in a wave of independent microbreweries that started to pop up in the 1980s and 1990s. Four decades later, and with the brand now owned by Lion, Mac’s Gold remains a steadfast part of our beer culture and one of the best lagers produced in this country. Highly-polished, flavoursome and most importantly in a lager, “clean and refreshing”, said the judges who praised the beer as a “solid lager” with great balance and easy drinkability.
Pairing Recommendation: Light lager is perfect for Indian takeaway on a Friday night, ideal with samosas, pakoras and onion bhaji.
For more on this beer visit: macs.co.nz/
Buy this beer: Visit online shopping
Parrotdog Sundog
Type of beer: Pilsner
Brewery: Parrotdog
Flavours: Passion fruit, white grapes, hoppy-sweet
Judges’ comments: Parrotdog have just come off their third round of crowd-funded capital raising, getting an injection of $2.35 million from investors who believe they are set to grow even bigger. The Lyall Bay, Wellington, brewery started by three friends all called Matt (Kristofski, Warner and Stevens) is already one of New Zealand’s most reliable and popular craft brands and you’re going to see more of them in the future. Their Sundog Pilsner offers everything you want in a New Zealand-style pilsner, with loads of passionfruit and white grapes. It’s vibrant and bright and bursting with hop aroma. The flavour remains hoppy-sweet but buttons off to a snappy finish.
Pairing Recommendation: Passionfruit and white wine hop notes suggest fish tacos or corn chips with guacamole.
For more on this beer visit: parrotdog.co.nz/
Buy this beer: Visit online shopping
Steinlager Pure
Type of beer: Lager
Brewery: Steinlager
Flavours: Malt, bread, apple, floral-citrus hop
Judges’ comments: Steinlager Pure is the only returnee from last year’s Top 30 which tells you all you need to know about the consistency and quality from New Zealand’s biggest brewery, Lion, and its most popular brand. First up, take a moment to admire the absolute beauty of this beer in the glass. It shines like a diamond with crystal clarity and the finest of bubbles. The malt expresses the crust of just-baked bread, with a light apple note that gives way to a gentle floral-citrus hop note. The balance is just this side of sweet over bitter, with a dry finish making for an ultimate lager that is Kiwi-made world-class.
Pairing Recommendation: Light and bright lager tailor-made for tandoori fish or butter chicken.
For more on this beer visit: www.steinlager.com/
Buy this beer: Visit online shopping
Three Sisters Brewery Rumours in the Dark
Type of beer: Lager
Brewery: Three Sisters
Flavours: Dark rye bread, chocolate, toffee
Judges’ comments: New Plymouth brewery Three Sisters have been on a roll in the past three years. They were named New Zealand’s champion microbrewery in 2021, champion small brewery in 2022 and now they’ve made a debut in the Top 30. English-born Joe Emans and his German wife Sarah Emans have the perfect backgrounds for brewing and haven’t looked back since they started in their Ōakura basement in 2017, with two rounds of crowd-funding setting them up in the old New Plymouth Savings Bank building. Rumours In The Dark is a classic German beer, a Münchener Dunkel or Munich Dark, with flavours of dark rye bread, chocolate and toffee. It’s lush, malty and a must-try.
Pairing Recommendation: Toffee malts and rye bread suggest a steak sandwich with caramelised onions, or a wash-rind cheese.
For more on this beer visit: threesistersbrewery
Buy this beer: Visit online shopping
Thirsty for more top New Zealand beers?
If you’re after dark beers, lagers or more unique craft varieties, don’t forget to check out the articles linked below, or browse the Top 30 from the New World Beer & Cider Awards 2023 using our Beer Finder.
Not sure what you like? Our craft beer guide will walk you through what makes craft beer special and the different styles and flavours you can find in Aotearoa.
Related articles:
Best New Zealand craft beers for 2023
Best New Zealand IPAs and pale ales for 2023
Best New Zealand stouts and porters for 2023
Best New Zealand hazy ales for 2023
Best New Zealand wheat, saison and sours for 2023
Best New Zealand cider and alcoholic gingerbeers for 2023
About the author
Michael Donaldson is one of New Zealand’s most renowned beer writers and was named Beer Writer of the Year by the Brewers Guild of New Zealand for a third time in 2018. He has been the Chair of Judges for the New World Beer & Cider Awards since 2016.
His writing appears in North & South, The New Zealand Herald, Stuff and Drinksbiz. He is also the editor of The Pursuit of Hoppiness magazine published by the Society of Beer Advocates (SOBA). He is the author of New Zealand's definitive beer history Beer Nation - the Art and Heart of Kiwi Beer as well as The Big Book of Home Brew: a Kiwi Guide and The Hopfather, the biography of Emerson's founder Richard Emerson.