Pilsner, lager, IPA or sour: which beer should you choose?

Pilsner vs lager: what’s the difference?

Lager is the wider family; pilsner is one style within it. Lagers use lager yeast, while ales use ale yeast. Lager flavours range from gentle malt and hops to darker, richer notes.

Pilsner usually brings more noticeable hop character than a familiar pale lager. Czech-style pilsners balance malt with rounded hop bitterness; Good Robot Pilsner keeps things approachable.

Which of our lagers should you try?

Choose a lager by the flavour and alcohol content you’re after:

• We’ve made things a little lighter with Good Robot Ultra Light Lager, at 4% ABV.
• Good Robot Pilsner is Czech born, Nova Scotia made: golden, lightly hoppy and 4.5% ABV in a 473 mL can. Just dipping your toe into craft beer? It’s an easy place to start.
• Good Robot Lager is a good, honest local lager, close to the big-name lagers with a little more oomph, at 5.5% ABV. Good, cold and local.
• Diablo Mexican Lager is light and crisp, with lime zest and jalapeño. Not spicy! Often described as nachos in a can, it’s 5.6% ABV and won Gold at the 2019 Atlantic Canada Brewing Awards.

Lager doesn’t have to be pale. On our taproom menus you’ll find Nocturnal Protocol Czech-Style Dark Lager, with dark-fruit, chocolate and coffee notes, at 4.8% ABV.

IPA vs lager: what will you notice?

An IPA usually puts hops more in the foreground than a familiar pale lager. IPA means India Pale Ale; hops can bring citrus, pine, melon and tropical-fruit character.

Good Robot Ultra Light IPA tastes like an IPA and drinks like a light beer: smooth and crisp, with bright citrus and a hint of floral character, at 4% ABV. It won Gold at the Canada Beer Cup 2025.

Creature Feature IPA brings melon, citrus and stone-fruit notes, a slight haze and 6.4% ABV. The craft beer gods, in their tiny beanies and flannel shirts, asked us for an IPA. This is the one we made.

Tropical Storm DIPA is our double IPA, bringing gusts of clementine, mango and pineapple, with plenty of haze. At 8% ABV, it’s the stronger option in this trio.

Are all IPAs bitter?

No. IPAs vary in how bitter they taste. Good Robot’s Creature Feature is slightly hazy and less bitter than most IPAs, an approachable place to explore melon and citrus notes.

What about pale ales?

An APA is an American Pale Ale. Burban Legend APA, Good Robot’s citrus-forward pale ale, brings hints of malt sweetness at 5.5% ABV. It’s named after the Chevy Suburban that took the original Robots to summer music festivals. Burban, not bourbon: there’s no bourbon in this beer.

What is sour beer?

Sour beer is brewed to taste tart on purpose. That tang comes from acidity, a different sensation from hop bitterness. Some sours are bracing; others bring gentler tartness alongside fruit flavours.

Thembot Guava-Blackberry Sour, Good Robot’s guava-blackberry sour, is one of the friendly ones, at 5.5% ABV. It tastes refreshing and tangy. Not super sour. We brewed it to celebrate our LGBTQIA2S+ community, choosing guava and blackberry as a nod to the colours of the transgender flag.

Curious about a classic? Goseface Killah Gose is a light, salty, lemony German sour wheat beer with a hint of coriander, at 5% ABV. We brought it back after years away; look for it on our taproom menus.

Looking for something lighter?

Our Ultra Light Lager and Ultra Light IPA are both 4% ABV. Choose the lager or the bright citrus and floral character of the IPA.

For a lower-alcohol option, our Ultra Daylight Non-Alcoholic Beer contains 0.5% alcohol by volume and has a crisp, refreshing taste. Bring a little extra daylight to your next get-together.

A quick beer-style comparison

How do you choose your next beer?

Start with a flavour you like, then try another style alongside it. Keep a familiar lager in the mix, explore citrus and tropical notes with an IPA, or go tart with Good Robot’s Thembot. A few styles give everyone somewhere to start.

Browse our beer and drinks, or build your own mix of cans. Any quantity. No case to fill. Check current pack sizes and availability in the shop. We’ll leave the favourite-picking to you.