STELLAAAAA! THURSTQUEEN TELLS ALL ABOUT THE LAGER, BEER'S ULTIMATE PROM QUEEN

Chances are, you’ve probably had a lager at some point in your life. If you’ve had any beers from the following brands: Stella Artois, Budweiser, Coors, Miller Light, and of course for my hipsters in the back PBR —congratulations! You have had a lager!

We spent last week talking about the two categories of beers, ales, and how beer is made. And this week, we’re going to check out the other types of beer — lagers.

What is a lager?

Unlike ales, which are top fermented beers, a lager is a bottom fermented beer. Lagers are fermented at cooler temperatures, and can be aged a lot longer than some ales in a process called, well, lagering.

Though ales have a long history, lagers are a younger style of beer. These bright brews were first invented in the 1500s when brewers discovered that using a cold resistant yeast strain, combined with brewing beer at cooler temperatures resulted in crisper styles of beer.

Stylistically, lagers are meant to be refreshing, light, and have more carbonation than ales. They are also less bitter and usually have a lighter abv. Though there are plenty of different types of ales, the lager family is a bit more of a tight knit bunch. So let’s take a quick second to chat about the common lagers you’ll run into on your travels and what to pair them with.

CZECH LAGER

The Czech Lager is an extremely popular category of beer. Perhaps you’ve heard of a Pilsner? Pilsners are hopped beers brewed with Pilsner malt and lager yeast. These beers typically clock in at around 4.2 to 5.8 percent in ABV. Other types of Czech Lagers are Czech Ambers, Czech Pale Lagers and Czech Dark lagers. The most popular types of Czech Lager are Pilsners, and if you’re looking for a meal to pair these puppies with — think about freshness. Czech Pilsners are light and easygoing brews that pair beautifully with crisp salads, vegetables, and seafood.

GERMAN BOCK

The German Bock is a dark style of lager and is also an umbrella category. Some styles that fall under the German Bock umbrella include Helles Bock, Maibocks, and Doppelbocks. Helles and Maibocks are malty, toasty amber colored beers that are lighter than the German Bock. Doppelbocks are sweeter and significantly darker Bocks with higher percentages of alcohol. As for the good old fashioned German Bock, well, these beers are dark and strong German lagers. They tend to have nuttier, toastier flavors. Barbecued ribs slathered in sauce would go great with German Bocks, because the sweeter smokier flavors would complement one another.

VIENNA STYLE LAGER

Vienna Style Lagers are medium-bodied and malty beers that have an amber color. This style of beer isn’t one you’ll see very often out in the wild, and a lot of that is because they are very difficult to make. Vienna Style Lagers were invented by Anton Drehr in the 1820s. At that time Britain was considered a leader in crafting delicate brews. Anton, an Austrian Brauhaus owner, and his buds would go drinking at the pubs in England and steal samples of beer to take back to Austria in a hollowed out cane. With his samples and all the secrets of British brewing technology he learned, he eventually invented the Vienna Lager. If you run into this style, consider pairing it with almond cookies, as the nuttier flavors will complement this rare style of beer.

AMERICAN LAGER

American Lagers were brought to the good old US of A by German immigrants. The key difference between American Lagers and their European counterparts is that most of them are made with rice. These lighter bodied beers are pale and low in alcohol, meaning you can crush a few of them in one sitting if that’s how you roll. These light, crisp, and refreshing beers - that play it relatively safe - are great for large parties. American Lagers are food friendly, and go with pretty much everything. You can also use these brews in your baking endeavors, as they are add a great yeasty quality to pancakes.

PICK OF THE WEEK: UPLAND CHAMPAGNE VELVET PILSNER

Sometimes, old school is the way to go. For me, Champagne Velvet is a liquid version of a trip back in time.

Champagne Velvet is a beer with a crazy story and loads of history behind it. This beer hails from Indiana and is what is known as a Classic American Pilsner. The first recipe for CV was created at Terre Haute Brewing Co in Indiana. With its “million dollar flavor,” (it says so on the label, duh) the beer quickly rose to fame until the dark ages of Prohibition.

For a brief period, the recipe for Champagne Velvet was lost, and brewers had to rely on recollections of the living brewery employees who remembered the recipe prior to Prohibition. They revitalized the brand, but the beer’s success was short-lived due to the success of major breweries like Budweiser in the 1950s. Eventually, Upland Brewing bought the recipe and recreated it, using local ingredients from Indiana. The resulting beer is essentially liquid nostalgia.

Fellow PBR lovers who want to drink something that’s actually cool should check out Upland’s Champagne Velvet. This deliciously crisp, cheap, low alcohol lager clocks in at just 5.5%, making it perfect for Super Bowl Parties and tailgates.