Better Drinking

For the aspiring beer geek, nothing could be more detrimental to a well-developed palate than to assume that lagers are all terrible beers. This is certainly not true. For the beer lover, the various styles of beer should be neither good nor bad but better or worse, to be enjoyed as the occasion calls for it. There are bad beers within all styles and categories, so let us dispense with the idea that ales are the only true beers. Interestingly enough, the average mainstream lager drinker could probably say that their beers are the only true or good beers. But we'll leave that one alone for now.

Lagers, as a broad category, are those beers which employ a bottom-fermenting yeast, operative primarily in cooler temperatures. Before the advent of refrigeration, top-fermenting beers (ales) were the only ones produced, and those mostly in the fall or spring, and only in temperate climates. If the weather were too cold or hot, the yeast would not perform it's duty. Lagering, which is a German term meaning to store, was discovered somewhat accidentally when German brewers stored their spring beers in very cold caves during the summer months. With the advent of biochemistry and isolation of specific strains of yeast that best operated in colder environments, a whole new style of beer was born. These tended to be lighter beers, and flavors were much cleaner and refined.

For the ale drinker now, a world of only dark beers would seem like a paradise. But much of the brewing was very inconsistent, the flavors and aroma not being regulated by strict yeast strains, yielding varying degrees of success. Lagering changed all that, and combined with the science, brewers were able to make to new, clearer beers. The technology employed to create such creations was applied to all styles of beer, benefiting the old and the new. Truth to be told, ales progressively fell out of favor as they represented the old world, and lagers came to dominate the markets, probably associated with the progressive spirit in which they were born. Ales have made a come-back, but lagers still dominate the beer landscape. So rather than ignore them, the student of beer will become familiar with them.

What follows is are a few tasting notes on a few "mainstream" beers I wanted to try. A few of you have told me that you'd like to see my review of Michelob Ultra. I did in fact drink one of these several years ago, but did not realize it was beer until I finished. More like carbonated, unfiltered tap water from the back of chicken farm. The Miller Lite someone gave me a several years ago did not taste like beer at all, and all the politeness in the world could not make me finish it. A neighbor gave me a Steel Reserve one hot day last summer, but found it quite devoid of character, though it did give me a little buzz. Which is really what mainstream lagers are about, so I guess that one could be considered a success.

Most of the other lagers I have had also fall into a rather bland category of "beer", somewhat akin to ordering "food" at Longhorn's Steakhouse. Corona, Heineken, Red Dog, Budweiser, and Icehouse are all rather boring. There were some I hadn't tried though.

Starting early in February, I drank a Peroni and a Sapporo, side-by-side. Both were golden clear, relatively low carbonation, a thin mouthfeel, and not much flavor at all, except a clean malt.

About two weeks after that, I drank a Stella Artois and a Kirin, side-by-side. The results were very much the same as above. Of these 4 beers, the Japanese lagers were far better overall, though I would not necessarily choose any of them as a "favorite". To the contrary, none of them had anything in particular that was appealing at all. I kept waiting for them to get interesting, but it never happened. Even when warm, no flavors or aromas stood out.

Next, I tried a Brooklyn Lager and had a whole different experience. A very nice copper color, crystal-clear with moderate carbonation. Aroma is a very clean floral hop. The mouthfeel was medium thin, but the flavor was a very crisp malt with a good hop aftertaste. A refreshing beer.

After that, I drank a Pilsner Urquell, a Czech beer that prides itself on being the original Pilsner, which is a particular type of lager, the last true style of beer invented. The Urquell is good, but not as good as the Brooklyn.

Other lagers to try would be:

Sam Adams Boston Lager - crisp and clean, lots of flavor for a "mainstream" beer.

Paulaner Oktoberfestbier - drink anytime, not just in October. Full mouthfeel, creamy, delicious.

Weihenstephaner Original - clean and crisp, Bavarian style lager. Good on a hot day when you don't want a wheat beer.

Sam Adams Black Beer - this is a schwarzbier, or black beer, full of taste but not heavy. Einbecker and Kostritzer also make good, and original, German versions.

Celebrator Dopplebock - the king of dopplebocks, and really, all lagers. Paulaner's Salvator, Weihenstephaner's Korbinian, Spatan's Optimator, and Sam Adams Double Bock are also worth imbibing.

Ayinger - try the Jarhundert-Bier and Altbairisch, Munich Helles and Dunkel respectively. Excellent stuff if you want light or dark Munich-style lagers.

As you can see, there is much to choose from and my list is not attempting to be comprehensive. Now, go and investigate the lager world. You may be surprised.