I have never consumed a lager that has impressed me. Hence, I have no desire to brew lagers. Perhaps I just haven’t tried the right lager.
Any suggestions?
German lagers happen to be my favorite kinds of beer. There’s a pretty wide variety that should please just about any pallet. What kind of beers do you normally like?
I never really got into lagers either, until recently. I’ve brewed a Vienna Lager and a Munich Dunkel that were both great. I’m doing a schwarzbier soon, and expect that it will be a good one too. I’ve been brewing my way through Brewing Classic Styles, so all of the recipes are straight from that. I’ve been able to use the same strain for all three batches, WY2308 Munich Lager.
I can’t recommend any commercial lagers for you to buy. Just brew it! :cheers:
Besides don’t drink lagers?
Honestly, I’m with you. Most lagers I’ve had are just good for getting hammered on the cheap.
But I’m not close minded. I’m just not sure what a good lager is supposed to be like.
Seriously? Saying that you don’t like lagers is like saying you don’t like sandwiches. There are so many different styles to choose from and the only difference is the strain of yeast and the fermentation temperature. Other than that, your creativity is the only limit. Bocks, Dunkels, Oktoberfests,Vienna, Marzenbier, Helles and the list goes on. I think you’re cheating yourself, personally. If you said that you preferred ales and didn’t want to get into the hardware it might take to get into lagers, I would understand. You have clearly not had many lagers or a wide variety of lagers.
Try an Eisbock. Not only is it a challenge to make, but it’s a great beer. Look at John and Jamil’s BCS pg. 90-92 for a recipe.
I’m with Ken. The subtly of a light lager is incomparable. The skill and labor of love (and patience!) it takes to make a good one makes one appreciate it more. I like ales, but the margin of error with them is incredibly wide. But hey, to each his/her own. For me, lagers are my favorite beers to brew.
I totally agree with Ken, there is so much verity. Most of the time I will skip the American style larger, but German? That’s the good stuff. :0)
try some dark lagers when you get the chance.
also a proper pilsner is hard to beat
Agreed with the above. If you’re looking for good commercial examples of each style, I’ d recommend the following:
Bavarian helles- augustiner, or spaten lager
Pils- czechvar, stiegl
Maibock - hoffbrau
Schwartz- koestritzer, or sprecher black Bavarian for a good local example
Dopplebock- paulaner salvator, or spaten optimtimator
If none of those are to your liking, then you probably don’t like lagers. But if you do like them, it may just inspire you to brew some new recipes!
Besides don’t drink lagers?
Honestly, I’m with you. Most lagers I’ve had are just good for getting hammered on the cheap.
But I’m not close minded. I’m just not sure what a good lager is supposed to be like.[/quote]
A good lager exemplifies balance. I know the current fad is for highly hopped/bittered brews, but in the end, a good lager is the ultimate example of true skill in brewing. Quite frankly, a lot of the new breed of commercial brewers simply don’t have the chops to pull it off. There are a few decent American ones (from both small and big brewers)…and even after crossing the ocean, some of the German examples are amazing.
I love a good, hoppy ale as much as anyone. But those are easy as hell to make…brewers can hide a multitude of sins behind all the bitterness and intensity of flavor. The current fad seems to be over-the-top flavors…so sad that balance and restraint get so overlooked. That’s where the real skills lie. And it gets lost in the shuffle nowadays.
Look at some of Ken’s recipes. Scale one down to a 2.5g batch and give it a try.
I made the Home Run Red as a lager using 34/70 dry yeast. It’s a nice beer.
[quote=“Chris-P”]I have never consumed a lager that has impressed me. Hence, I have no desire to brew lagers. Perhaps I just haven’t tried the right lager.
Any suggestions?[/quote]
And the lagers that you have had are…?
What kind of impression are you looking for or expecting? By their very nature lagers, in general, are cleaner and more subtle than ales. Even a lager that’s very hoppy for the style like Czech pils isn’t going to rip the taste buds off your tongue like a high alpha American IPA if that’s what you’re after. However, in general, lagers do have a vast range of colors, flavors, strengths and base ingredients just like ales do so if you have not sampled widely from the lager family it’s probable that you just may not have found one yet you like. Due to the lack of esters from the yeast I think lagers compared to ales let the flavors of the base ingredients come through more cleanly.
I enjoy hoppy ales and roasty porters but savoring the rich, sweet flavor of Munich malt in a doppelbock or the Saaz hops in a Czech pils are also wonderful beer experiences in their own right IMO. If you have already tasted from the wide spectrum of lagers and don’t like any then so be it but if you have not then as a beer lover it is something you need to do and find your own answer.
[quote=“The Professor”]
A good lager exemplifies balance. [/quote]
When I think about lagers, I would use the word subtlety. This is probably most true of pilsners, helles, and the American lagers.
I agree on the comment on skill. Lagers require great skill, patience and technique.
Well-made lagers are great. Of course, alot of lagers are not well made. Quality ingredients + Quality yeast starter+ temp control+ time = good lagers.
I have really enjoyed brewing lagers and expanding what I normally drink . My favorite 3 lagers to brew are on the lighter end of the scale: Helles, Dortmunder and Bohemian Pilsner. Also like a good oktoberfest and Maibock…
Some of my favorite Lagers:
Brooklyn Lager
Victory Prima Pils
Any of the German Double Bocks (Salvator, Optimator come to mind)
A well made Dunkel for instance Ayinger Altbarish Dunkel.
Have you never tried a Natty Daddy or Steel Reserve? Both excellent examples of lagers.
Comedian, eh?
American style macro lagers are boring but there are allot of great lagers out there. I have a couple of six packs of a India pale Lager in the fridge that’s killer
I don’t get IPLs. I’ve had New Belgium’s Shift IPL and it tasted like a pale ale to me. Another one of those fads, I think.
