Better Know a Beer: The Basics of Lagers
Lagers are the beer most Americans are familiar with. If you’ve had a Budweiser or Miller Lite you’ve had a lager, albeit an awful lager.
Lagers are brewed using bottom-fermenting yeast at cool temperatures. Bottom fermenting means the yeast settles at the bottom of the brew versus the top of the brew like in an ale. This type of yeast thrives in cool temperatures hence the brewing in cold temperatures.
German brewers discovered lager when they left beer to ferment in caves that were naturally cool. They realized the beer would become crisper, cleaner and drier than other beers because the yeast wouldn’t impart any extra flavor on the beer.
There are may different types of lagers: pale (including pilsners), dunkel, märzen, bock, schwarzbier, kellerbier, Vienna and baltic porters. While some lagers are light and some are dark, all types of lagers taste crisp and clean.
We enjoy lagers on hot days and when we’re too lazy to order anything else. Yuengling has always been our go-to beer in all situations*.Edukatorz approved lagers include Yuengling (obviously), Spaten, Pilsner Urquell, Shiner Bock and others. If you have a question about a lager leave it in the comments or email us and we’ll let you know if they’re quality or not.
* Fact: Just say “I want a lager” in Pennsylvania and they’ll give you a Yuengling.
