Exploration of Lager
About Lager:
Conventional brewers’ yeast is essentially subdivided into two distinct categories - warm (top) fermenting and cold (bottom) fermenting which make families of beers we know commonly as ‘ale’ and ‘lager’ styles. Prior to the classification of these micro-organisms, little was accurately known about the ‘secret ingredient’ that sparked the fermentation process, or much about the detail of this process itself. Over time and through experience, brewers historically learned to curate the action of the yeast to their designs and tastes.
Strains that performed well in colder temperatures proliferated in regions with cold climates and conversely, those that preferred warmer temperatures became favoured in ferments produced in hotter environments. Cold fermentation generally takes a little longer and due to its less vigorous nature was found to require long conditioning or maturation periods to help refine the character of the beer. Thus, these beers were often stored for some time before drinking - and could be enjoyed in warmer seasons when conditions were not suitable to produce freshly brewed beer before the advent of modern refrigeration.
This family of beers is lager, its name derived from the German verb ‘to store’. There are many and varied styles and iterations of lager that are brewed in nations around the world today, the most prevalent being the international pilsner style, a golden, lightly sweet beer that can be found in some form on almost every bar. But lager itself is a broad church with an incredible history - from the original creamy, rich Czech beers of Pilsen to the incredible diversity of regional German and Austrian variations to the huge modern brands that defy any sense of locale in their internationalism. Lager can be bold, strong and full bodied or light and delicately fresh, it can be pale golden through deep red to jet black. There is much to explore!
This box is a sample of some of our own takes on a few lager styles that have inspired us and we hope will serve as a pleasant step on your journey exploring all that lager has to offer.
——
Dünkel 4.7%:
A dark lager in the style of Munich with a prominent biscuit malt character, some light caramel notes, with a pleasing clean, dry finish. Despite its rich colour, this beer retains a crisp snap and is readily enjoyable by the pint. Do not fear the dark!
The ubiquitous lager style across the world, this style was originally born in the Czech town of Pilsen and has since been adopted and adapted in practically every country round the world to suit evolving tastes. Our take on this pale lager is characterised by a clean profile, assertive bitterness, some honeyed malt sweetness and completed with a gentle dry hop from expressive southern hemisphere hops that provide complex fruity top notes to complement its refreshing light body.
Our newest lagered ferment, arriving just in time for summer this is perhaps the most universally approachable. A long cold conditioning helps to give this pale beer a very fresh, clean body. With less bitterness than the pils and no cold side hops, more of the distinct character and delicate sweetness of the barley comes through as well as a familiar snappy lager yeast profile. Brewed with traditional German hops there are some soft herbal notes that permeate. A wonderful beer to slake a thirst as temperatures begin to rise!