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LESSONS IN LAGER
Discovering the lighter side of beer, in all its many forms
Just when you thought you couldn’t possibly find another
reason to love beer, we offer this one: utter simplicity.
With all the brews that exist today—and have for centuries,
actually—it might surprise you to learn that there are only
two basic “categories” of beer: lager and ale. Both
contain hops, malted barley, yeast and water. The thousands of
unique types of beer throughout the world are made using different
combinations of these ingredients, added flavors and variations
on the brewing process. For this lesson in brew we’ll focus
on beer’s lighter side, the lager.
So, how does a beer become a lager? While yeast for ales gathers
on the surface of the brew then sinks, fermenting at a warm temperature
in just days, lager is brewed in the exact opposite manner. Yeast
gathers at the bottom and ferments at a cold temperature over a
few weeks to become a lager.
While all lagers are brewed this way, there plenty of lager varieties
that Beer Admirers who aren’t necessarily Beer Scholars can
appreciate. The major groups and label terms you’d find in
an average supermarket include:
American-Style Pale Lager
Pilsner Lager
Boch
Dark/Dunkel Lager
“Lager” is German for “to store,” and
lagers generally are stored near freezing for weeks to ferment
before they are ready to drink. European ingenuity led brewers
in Bavaria to keep their maturing beer in caves (I personally think
this was so their wives couldn’t find them). To assist in
the brewing process, medieval entrepreneurs created a type of yeast
to help cold beer mature properly. This “bottom-fermenting” yeast
is still used today to make lager.
The cooler environment and the longer fermentation period helps
create a very “crisp” beer. But you can also blame
this brewing process for the stereotypical description of lagers
as “light” beer, as it removes certain flavors and
particles. Thus, although they can be everything from pale to black
and sweet to bitter, lager beers tend to be very light in color
and bland in taste (connoisseurs may call this “less complex”).
The longer fermentation periods generally makes them taste drier
and have high carbonation. The major sub-groups of lager include:
American-Style Pale Lager
Lager is the most common beer type
sold in the U.S., accounting for approximately 95 percent of all
beer consumed. Most of the big American brands are lagers (think
Budweiser, Miller, Coors, etc.). It is a mass produced, inexpensive
beer with a high water content and mild flavor. These brands aim
to create basic, straightforward, inoffensive beer, which the largest
number of consumers can enjoy at an affordable price. From a taste
and color standpoint, these beers are slightly sweet, very lightly
hopped, straw colored and highly carbonated.
Despite the multitudes of jokes maligning this mainstream American
beer and its perceived lack of flavor, the plain truth is that
Budweiser is the world’s best selling beer, and it has been
since 1957. Take THAT, Beer Snobs!
Pilsner Lager
The pilsner was the first pale lager beer created.
Introduced in 1842 in Pilsen, Bohemia (today’s Czech Republic),
it quickly became popular because it was so different from the
amber brews at that time. Today it is the most widely brewed beer
style in the world. Pilsner is the palest of all the beer types,
and it tends to have a notable hop flavor and a medium- to high-
bitterness, much more than the American pale lager. Pilsners also
have a good amount of carbonation and are clean and crisp. Modern
examples include Heineken, Carlsburg and Amstel. The original pilsner,
Pilsner Urquell, is also widely available today.
Boch
Not surprisingly Boch is another lager that originated in
Germany. Many believe the name deerives from Einbeck, a once prominent
brewing city. Boch lagers are full-bodied, strong, and high in
alcohol content. They have a pronounced malt flavor, and also tend
to have a hint of chocolate or mocha. Boch beer was traditionally
brewed in the fall, lagered through the winter and offered in the
spring. It was also once a popular seasonal ber brewed by most
major U.S. brewers, but now most Boch comes from small craft-brewers. “Boch” is
actually German for "billy goat" so it’s common
to find its labels emblazoned with this image. Shiner Bock from
Texas (yep, they Texa-fied it by changing the final H to a K) is
one of the most popular U.S. boch beers.
Dark or Dunkel
Dark lagers or Dunkel (German dark lagers) are
dark in color with a malt-dominated aroma, and many have caramel
or chocolate flavors. These lagers are made with roasted barley
and hops, and from this get a richer flavor, a very dark color
and a full-bodied taste compared to their paler lager cousins.
By comparison, these are nowhere near as dark or heavy as a porter
or stout, which we’ll learn more about below.
Now that you’ve learned all about lager, maybe you’ll
be inspired to experience the many varieties for yourself. There’s
no rush to choose a favorite, though. Taste-test to your heart’s
content. You’ve got time.
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