Lager is the most popular beer style in the world for a reason — it’s crisp, clean and refreshing. Here are some of the best on offer this summer.
When the weather turns hot lager rules. They are light, refreshing and yes – definite cliché alert – crisp and thirst-quenching.
But be warned, there are some lagers that are better than others, and that’s all to do with where the beer gets its name: lager comes from the German word “to store” and a good lager not only has to be brewed precisely but it also has to have a long conditioning period, often up to six weeks. That conditioning period helps produce the trademark smoothness of a great example.
Also beware of the generic, green-bottled pale lager you see in supermarkets and bottle stores. Because lager is so globally dominant it’s also mostly uniform — giant global brands mass-produce templated beer designed to offend as few
people as possible. Hence accusations of lager being “industrial,” “bland,” or “corporate” can be somewhat justified.
Lager done well is as tasty and refreshing as any beverage on the planet. That honey-toast malt, the smooth body, prickle of carbonation, the lightweight mouthfeel, the spike of late bitterness that washes away any lingering sweetness and lets you start the cycle all over again with the next swig.
Couple that lighter taste profile with a sub-5 per cent ABV and you’ve got a beer that allows the opportunity for a convivial few without leaving your tastebuds overwhelmed and your brain soporific. Try doing a few 6.8 per cent IPAs on a hot day — you’ll soon be asleep.
All the main craft breweries in New Zealand now have at least one lager in their portfolio because … and why wouldn’t you make something that people actually like drinking? While many sit at around the 5 per cent ABV I think there’s some virtue in having a beer closer to 4 per cent because in a 330ml can that’s one standard drink per can.
One of my favourites is Parrotdog Lager: basically a hat-tip to Steinlager, with the same taste profile thanks to the distinctive Green Bullet hop. At 4.5 per cent, it’s at a slightly lower ABV than a 5 per cent Steinie but you still get all the classic flavours.
Also, worth picking up when you see them are McLeod’s Longboarder Lager, Three Boys Lager (which won the trophy as the best lager at this year’s New Zealand Beer Awards), 8 Wired Mahu Lager and Emerson’s Underground Lager. And of course, you can’t go past a Steinie Classic after a hard day’s work!
Michael Donaldson
hoppiness.co.nz