Lager

The Lager category encompasses all bottom-fermented beers, a gigantic family that includes everything from light, commercial Pilsners to strong German Bocks, as well as Helles, Dunkel, Schwarzbier, Vienna Lager, and Märzen. The word lager comes from German and means to store, in reference to the long cold maturation that defines this type of beer and gives it its characteristic clean taste.

In the glass, they can display very diverse colors depending on the substyle, from the lightest straw yellow to deep black, generally with a creamy, well-retained foam. On the nose, notes of cereal, bread, and malt dominate, with herbal or floral touches of hops depending on the recipe. Fermentation at low temperatures prevents the yeast from generating fruity esters, which leaves a very clean profile where the malt and hops shine. On the palate, they are balanced beers, with controlled sweetness, bitterness ranging from very low to moderate-high depending on the style, lively carbonation, and a clean, dry finish. The alcohol content ranges from 4% to over 7% depending on the substyle.

They are brewed with varied malts according to the style, both noble and modern European hops, soft or moderately mineralized water, and, above all, lager yeasts (Saccharomyces pastorianus) that ferment in the cold and allow for prolonged maturation (lagering) that refines all the flavors.

This collection gathers all the diversity of the lager world beyond the commercial Pilsner: craft beers with personality, historical recipes, modern reinterpretations, and innovative proposals. A great gateway to discovering that lager means much more than the light blonde beer we know from the supermarket.