Written by I was having lunch not too long ago with a couple of friends and colleagues that was just wonderful! It was at a place called the Bicycle Club in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, and I’ve been going to lunch there for almost ten years I guess. Anyway, besides the incredible lunch, I had a couple of pints of Sam Adams Winter Lager.
That’s some good beer, and it made my lunch even better I think!
It got me thinking about how negatively ingrained the word ‘Lager’ is in my mind. You say ‘Lager’, I immediately think fizzy yellow beer. I can’t help it, and I bet a lot of people suffer from this negative word association thanks (I think) to all the big-brewer ad campaigns we’ve had to endure over the years.
When beer shopping, I think that I might be avoiding a whole family of beers because they are in Lager world, and I can’t shake the fizzy yellow beer thing!
Anyway, the Sam Adams Winter Lager was a real treat. Aside from the technicalities of brewing lagers and where the yeast ferments (as opposed to ales), this beer was as satisfying and tasty as any given beer. It was a great choice for this lunch, but The Bike Club always has Sam Adams seasonal beers on tap anyway and I like them all.
So, what other evil lagers do I happen to like? Well, after some chin-scratching, it turns out quite a few!
The Sam Adams Winter Lager, pretty much ANY Oktoberfest is a lager, Troegs Troegenator, Ayinger Celebrator, Kona Longboard Lager, and all Bocks, like Anchor’s delicious Bock are for starters! Bob the Brit has reviewed quite favorably other great lagers like Kronenbourg Premier Cru, Staropramen, Budweiser (the European one) and Pilsner Urquell!
Still, I’ve noticed a distinct aversion on my part of the Pilsner-style lager. That’s the lager aversion working, but at least now I’m aware of it! So, lager doesn’t always mean pilsner, but pilsner always means lager! I’m working on it.
As a matter of fact, because I’ve been getting the Sam Adams variety packs each season, I’m ‘forced’ to have at least two bottles of the Boston Lager. Guess what? I like it more each time I try it. Perhaps there is hope.
What about you? Do you still associate “Lager” with fizzy yellow beer? Are there any other beer stereotypes you keep alive? Still think Guinness is as thick as mud?
As I understand it, almost all beer is either a lager or an ale, depending on how it’s fermented. I also associate lager with “fizzy yellow beer” but I don’t associate THAT with poor quality. It might be from having lived in Germany for several years, where they make quite a few beers which are fizzy, yellow, but also really good! It seems to me like I’m starting to see more and more microbreweries in the US which are making great lagers, which is really refreshing (pun intended) after so long of all of them just trying to outdo each other on who can make the hoppiest IPA.
Nope, but I do have an aversion to crappy beer, whether it be a lager or an ale. I also find it interesting that Samuel Adam’s Boston Lager is one of the worst beers they make (Noble Pils being the worst). I do like, however, Sam Adam’s Light.
I have an aversion to certain lagers… the light ones. I like a good Czech or Bohemian pilsner. Bocks and dopplebocks are among my favorite lagers. Vienna lager… yum. Y’all can keep the PBR.
@Sean – I think you are right, there are some very good ‘fizzy yellow beers’ and I’m trying to make it a point not to just write them off anymore. Your experience in Germany has probably given you a better perspective on them than the typical American might have – myself included. Thanks!
@Brainmuffin – Thanks for the comment! I think its so interesting how different people can dig different beers. Up until very recently, I wouldn’t touch the Boston Lager with a 10-foot pole, but now I kind of like it. I also tried the Noble Pils for the first time (its in season now) and thought that was pretty good too! Sam Adams Light though? That would take more effort for me to like I think! I think the point is, I was completely dissing lagers of all sorts, and for that I am sorry!
@BigTex – I’m starting to see the light and I think I’ll end up with a similar view to that in your comment in time. Thanks!
As Scott observed, I have reviewed some very good pilsner style lagers here at The Brewclub.
Personally I don’t see any real difference between Ales and Lagers, an opinion that put me at loggerheads with Britain’s CAMpaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). For Many years they refused to allow lagers at the Great British Beer Festival (‘real’ Budweiser was the first lager they tolerated) and even now many CAMRA members look disdainfully at anyone drinking anything pale, fizzy and yellow.
My two cents is that there are good beers and there a crappy beers, be they Lagers or Ales.
Which are good and which are crappy is subjective. That’s one reason that sites like this exist, to share opinions. Some of those opinions may be better informed or educated than others but they’re all valid and welcomed here.
I really dig some of the craft beer pilsner beers. Namely Victory’s Prima Pils, Stoudt’s Pils, and Sam Adams Nobel Pils. I also enjoy a good bock, marzen, or basically any other German lager out there.
@Bob – Great points, as usual! I remember thinking as I was drinking the Sam Adams Winter Lager in the post that it could have easily been mistaken as an ale from a flavor perspective anyway. Aside from the technical aspects of brewing, I think the line can be rather blurry! I just thought it interesting that I STILL had a mental problem with Lagers, for no good reason really.
@Nate – Thanks for the comment. There are many great lagers out there, and now I have even MORE beers to try! (This is good!)
The BeerFathers are guilty of it as well Scott. Our phrase for it is “lagered out” – that’s how we describe our lager aversion. Not sure what it is either, “lager” just has a bad sterotype in our minds after so many years doing this. It’s easy to forget that some of our favorite beer styles are technically lagers – like all the glorious double bocks that end in “or” and the wonderful marzen/Oktoberfests – Sam Adams Octoberfest included.
And Sam Adams Winter Lager as one of the seasonals we so look forward to – not just for ourselves – we’ve also used it as a conversion beer for at least two friends who were staunch rank domestic drinkers.
Maybe it’s time to reboot the lager franchise in our minds. Great post and cheers!
John! Nice to hear from you! I agree, a lot of great beers are technically lagers and it takes some work undoing the damage that the macros have done to the beer’s reputation!
Great post!!! Tried a Sam Adams Light that was in one of the sample packs. Not bad, actually, and probably the only light beer I would purchase. While not as good as the Black or Winter Lager, I gave it a 3.5 out of 5.
@Lee – That’s quite generous for a lite beer! Actually, I don’t think I’ve tried it so I’ll try to keep my mind open.
I know exactly what you re saying about the Lager association. I have missed out on a lot of good beers over the years afraid of having another old boring beer.
@Jim – Thanks. As they say, recognizing a problem is the first step to fixing it. Or something like that.