Yeah, that’s why I asked for recommendations. Clearly you didn’t get the memo.
Modelo Negra
Dos Equis Amber…
Aren’t they referred to as “Vienna Lagers”?
Both, pretty tasty for a mass produced product.
I would only caution you hat lagers are tricky to make well. I’d get my process down with ales, then read up before you jump into the lager pool. You want the right yeast and plenty of it, the right ferm temps and a way to maintain it, and the ability to lager the beer when its done. Its certainly takes a lot more time, effort and resources to make lagers as opposed to ales.
Yeah, that’s why I asked for recommendations. Clearly you didn’t get the memo.[/quote]
I thought this might be a troll thread and it turns out I was right. Instead of posting the question (with the topic) you did, maybe you could just say that you hadn’t had a lot of experience with lagers and could someone please suggest a few for you to drink. Perhaps you could tell us what lagers you had tried and what you didn’t like about them. That would make it much easier for the rest of the board to point you in the right direction. A lager can be anything you want it to be… hoppy, dark, high ABV, etc.
Yeah, that’s why I asked for recommendations. Clearly you didn’t get the memo.[/quote]
I thought this might be a troll thread and it turns out I was right. Instead of posting the question (with the topic) you did, maybe you could just say that you hadn’t had a lot of experience with lagers and could someone please suggest a few for you to drink. Perhaps you could tell us what lagers you had tried and what you didn’t like about them. That would make it much easier for the rest of the board to point you in the right direction. A lager can be anything you want it to be… hoppy, dark, high ABV, etc.[/quote]
Wasn’t trying to troll. But your response came off a bit dick-ish. Hence my response.
Lagers I’ve tried off the top of my head…
- Sam Adams Boston Lager
- Dos Equis
- Negra Modelo
- Corona
- Fosters
- Heineken
- Kona Longboard
- Yuengling
- Victory Prima Pils
- PBR
I’m sure there are a dozen others I’ve had, but all of them have been forgettable.
I tend to like beers with a lot of flavor. Doesn’t have to be hoppy; just flavorful.
Again - appreciate lager suggestions that can open my mind on the matter.
Maybe you like the flavors that are produced by ale yeast, which is reasonable. The warmer fermentation temps create esters which some like and some do not. Sam Adams Boston Lager (however common) is a pretty flavorful beer so I would’ve suggested it as something to try. The only other flavorful lager on your list is Victory and maybe you just don’t like that style. Negra Modelo is a nice beer but it’s not hoppy. Most of the others are relatively boring by most standards although I don’t mind Yuengling and I actually just made a batch of something similar. The best thing to do is go to a good store that carries a lot of beer and see if you can find some German lagers like Paulaner, Ayinger, Spaten, Hofbrau or Hacker Pschorr. Festbiers are about to hit the markets and any of those German breweries will have a good one. American breweries make their versions but they’re typically not as good. If you’re looking for good lagers, the best advice would be to try to get your hands on something German since Germany is the Disneyworld of lagers. Peruse the lagers at the store and find German examples of as many as you can. If you don’t like lagers after trying those beers, maybe you just like ales. The other thing to do is list your favorite ales. If they’re all high-ABV, high-IBU, Hefes or Belgians, you might have an issue locating a lager like that.
Some of the more boldly flavorful lagers would be the bocks: maibock/hellesbock, traditional bock, and doppelbock. They have a rich melanoidin component and some nice breadiness.
[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]
Interesting. Before I started brewing, I used to say “I don’t like Ales, just Lagers”. This was mostly based on my early memories of my Dad with his nasty, bitter Ballantine ale.(at least that’s what I thought then). So, for the longest time I thought that Sam Adams lager was the pinnacle of beery goodness. Brewing has really opened my eyes to the world-wide spectrum of tasty beers- lagers and ales, malty and hoppy.
Beer is GOOD! :cheers:
Thanks for the tips. I’ll hit up Total Wine this weekend and check out some German Lagers.
Not sure if you’re familiar with Voodoo Brewing from Meadville, PA. They’re Pilzilla is a different take on a Czech pilsner. It’s crazy delicious.
Sam Adams Noble Pils is flavorful. Very nice late hop flavor and aroma. Not sure if it’s seasonal or not.
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.[/quote]
Well said!
Thanks for the tips. I’ll hit up Total Wine this weekend and check out some German Lagers.[/quote]
I have to admit I was never partial to German lagers when I was living in the States. I suspect that was because they were always past their prime by the time they hit the store shelves. If you want to get blown away by lagers, plan a trip to Germany or Czech Republic, the difference is night and day.
I’m out of date these days on US offerings, but I would also have recommended the Sam Adams Boston Lager as a flavorful, nice beer. It’s also a nice clone beer to brew, almost like a APA, but subbing lager yeast for ale yeast, and noble hops for c-hops.
Lagers are all about subtlety and fermentation character. Honestly one of my favorite craft lagers is Brooklyn Lager (I believe its technically a pre-prohibition american pilsner). Everything really understated, but a snappy, well-fermented beer that you can drink pint after pint. Also, Victory Prima Pils. Probably the closest thing you can get to an authentic german pils made outside of germany that I have had, and I am really not a fan of their beers in general. You should definitely be able to get both @ Total Wine (jealous btw, great store). As Ken said though, definitely spend some time in the German lager section. Bonus if you can find one in cans, as it won’t have that oxidized skunky character that so many get. Warsteiner definitely comes in cans, as well as one that starts with an “R”, is in white pint cans with gold lettering that I just had and was awesome. Spaten lager or Spaten Marzen as well… Mmmmm…
Before I started brewing, I drank good spirits or Miller Lite when I went out. Then I became an alehead after my first extract brew. If it didn’t have enough resiny hops that slapped you in the face, with malts, esters, phenols etc all noticeable, it was not a good beer. Then I developed a taste for subtle, well-made beers. The bready malt and Saaz hops in a DRAUGHT Pilsner Urquell (again, bottles get skunkified): something for the highlight reel of life. Then I started on the long, never-ending spiral of sour beers from which I’m afraid I will never emerge.
Lagers have nothing to hide behind. It had better have fresh ingredients, great fermentation, and proper serving conditions, or it will not taste good. But when it is all of those things…mmmmmmmmmmm…If a brewer makes a pale ale and it has a bit too many esters, was fermented a little warm, or with not enough yeast, yes it might have some weird phenolics, but its ok, because its an ale. I bet after you snort back a few good lagers out of your favorite glass, as someone who brews beer, will be able to appreciate how frigging hard it is to make something with that much subtle goodness and clean flavors.
One other question: the brands you mentioned you had: serving makes a huge difference, ie did you have them directly out of a bottle, or in good glassware? The bar may have had dirty lines. Or taps. Or maybe it was served to you in one of those confounded shaker pint glasses. Also, please tell me you aren’t judging Negro Modelo by one that was served to you with a lime wedge.
Also, do yourself a favor, and pick up a single (or sixer) of schwartzbier. Kostrizer or Einbecker. You will thank me.
EDIT: I just reread Chris’ post and see that he’s really not into subtle flavor profiles in beers…yet :mrgreen: …in that case I might check out more of the melanoidin-rich lager styles, like dunkels, bocks (NOT shiner), and gasp viennas. Also, I believe you can get Great Lakes in Virginia…Great Lakes Dortmunder. Yes. Please.
Pietro: All good stuff there. When you were mentioning bad tap lines and all of that… it also occurred to me that sometimes our tastebuds are just not lined up for beer. It might be that you had too much beer the day before or something you ate or maybe you’re just not feeling well. I’ve gone to the taps to pull a beer that was just added to the draft fridge and thought, “Ugh, this beer did not come out well” only to try it again a few days later and say, “What was I thinking? This beer came out great!”. I also agree about the European beers being past their prime when they get here. There are exceptions but if they’re sitting on the shelf for a long time, they’re not going to be good. Festbiers might be better because at least you know (if you buy them this time of year) that they’re relatively fresh. My recent trip to Austria, Slovak Republic, Prague and Munich introduced me to a number of great beers. Cheers.
Thanks all for the tips, and suggestions. I am certainly open to changing my mind on Lagers and will continue hunting for that beer that wins me over.
I am by no means a huge lager fan. Hoppy and/or roasty ales are by far my favorites. Having said that, there are still a hell of a lot of good lagers out there that I get a craving for every now and then. I think the Marzen/Ofest style is a good place to start if you’re looking for something more flavorful. Paulaner is my fave, but it’s hard to go wrong with any of the good German breweries. A lot of US craft brewers are putting out excellent Ofests now as well.
Schwarzbiers are hard to come by, but they’re well worth a try if you can find them. Aside from the German breweries, I can find Xingu (from Brazil) pretty easily and it’s a very good example of the style.
If you like big beers, then dopplebock is a great style. I’m partial to Celebrator, but again any good German brewery’s version will be great. Troegs’ Troegenator is a great example from the US as well.
And as far as Pilsners go, if you don’t like what you’ve tried you likely haven’t tried enough. Jever, Mikkeller, Saranac, Lagunitas, Stoudts, and Left Hand all make excellent pilsners. There’s sure to be one out there that you will like.
Why search for something that you have already decided you don’t like…sounds like you want to be convinced to like a type of beer rather than enjoying what you do already enjoy. It could be just me but I have no interest in convincing anyone to like a certain style of beer. Brew what you enjoy and enjoy drinking it.
Since you live in NOVA, find the nearest Total Wine and grab a 5L keg of a German Lager. And get to drinking.
Amazing lagerbiers!!!
Germans are hands down the Kings of Lagers.
