Mention lager and, for plenty of people, it’s almost like it’s a dirty word! And one particular image appears: pale, very cold, highly fizzy and designed to taste of as little as possible. That beer exists. Lots of it exists. But allowing it to represent every lager just isn’t right. We think lager deserves better.
Lager isn’t one flavour
Lager is not a single beer style. It is a broad family containing beers that can be pale or dark, delicate or robust, crisp or richly malty—and occasionally smoky conjuring up cold crisp autumnal evenings and the crackle of a wood on the fire, whether outside or in. Check out our fridge for starters.
There is the gentle, rounded malt character of a Helles. The firmer hop bitterness of a German Pilsner. The deeper, toasty character of a Märzen. Dunkel and Schwarzbier take lager into darker territory without automatically becoming heavy or sweet. And did you know a Baltic Porter is technically a lager? They are traditionally bottom fermented at cooler temperatures and turn up the strength and malt considerably. While a Rauchbier introduces smoked malt and a very different drinking experience.
That is before we get into Kellerbier, Vienna lager, Czech pale and dark lagers, modern dry-hopped versions and the increasingly creative lagers being made by independent breweries.
“Fancy a lager?” is therefore a much bigger question than it first appears.
Clean doesn’t mean simple - Lagers, when made properly take time, and effort
The best lagers can taste wonderfully straightforward. That doesn’t mean they are easy to make.
Traditional lager brewing generally involves yeast suited to cooler fermentation, followed by a period of maturation or conditioning - or ‘Lagering’ which comes from the German word - to store. Modern brewers can approach that process in different ways, but fermentation and maturation remain central to the character of the finished beer.
A clean profile also gives a brewer very few places to hide. When there aren’t huge quantities of hops, fruit, roast other bold flavours competing for attention, any fault can become rather obvious.
Water, malt, hops, fermentation, temperature and time all need to work together. A beautifully made Helles may taste effortless, but achieving that balance takes care and precision.
Why did lager get such a poor reputation?
Lager became enormously successful because it can be refreshing, consistent and accessible. Those are not bad qualities.
The problem came when mass marketing and big breweries made one narrow interpretation of the style dominant that the word “lager” started to mean bland, interchangeable beer rather than an entire brewing tradition that goes back hundreds of years and spans many countries.
But while this was happening, countries steeped in lager tradition like Germany and the Czech republic continued to make styles loved in their local markets.
Over the past few years we’ve seen many independent breweries embrace the style. Breweries like St Mars Of The Desert in Sheffield, Lost and Grounded in Bristol and Utopian in Devon. They have also been exploring those traditions again—sometimes faithfully, sometimes with a modern adjustment and sometimes by taking lager somewhere unexpected.
A good place to start
If your experience of lager has mostly involved one familiar kind, try comparing a few styles alongside each other. Put a Helles next to a Pilsner and notice how the balance shifts between malt and hops. Try a Märzen or Festbier and look for breadier, toastier flavours. Move into Dunkel or Schwarzbier for darker malt character, or take a bigger leap with a smoked Dunkel. You’ll be amazed at how the flavours differ and also how you can pair with so many different foods - rather than just that Friday night curry!
Enter bierFEST
Over the coming days, we’ll be sharing the lagers forming this year’s Beer No Evil bierFEST selection. Highlighting some of the UKs Best lager producers. Come with an open mind, and if lager is that dirty word to you hopefully this blog may have helped change your mind, and some of the beers may challenge what you expect lager to taste like. Making a point that we believe, lager is not boring. Boring, mass produced lager is boring.