Beerpedia

Beer is one of the favourite beverages in the world. Among many beer types, lager is by far the most popular. It is actually so popular that a lot of people quite often refer to it simply as - beer.

How did lager become so popular all over the world? One explanation is that the immigrants from Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic, especially those who moved to the United States brought their brewing tradition with them and from there it spread further. The other explanation is perhaps a more simple one - the high demand for lager is a result of the great, crispy and refreshing taste this beer type offers. The truth, like in so many other cases, lies somewhere in between.

One might find it surprising that lager beer, although so widely spread, is more demanding to brew than its top fermenting ale counterpart. For instance, a massive addition of hops in an ale can mask some other taste deficiencies. But lager beer, depending on the recipe of course, is more delicate to produce. Its bottom fermenting yeast (Saccharomycesuvarum) is much more vulnerable, requires a lower fermentation temperature, as well as a longer fermentation period. It is a beer type that seeks a lot of attention to detail and quality control from the brewer.

The name of the type comes from lagern - a German verb for “to store”, which has its roots in the Middle Ages when Bavarians figured out that the beer taste became vastly improved once it got fermented for longer periods of time in ice-cold caves. That is why originally lager beer was produced only during the cold months of the year, usually brewed in autumn and kept until spring in a cold environment. The advancements in technology, most notably in refrigeration, helped further popularise the production of lager so it could be produced year-round and transported anywhere without a loss in taste.

At first, the lager beers were mainly dark in colour. Later on, with the development of brewing technology, the pale lager became the most common beer, partially thanks to its beautiful golden colour. Today, the pale lager is the most popular lager type. At this very moment, millions of people across the planet are enjoying their lager (beer!), a product of centuries of hard work of many generations of brewers and scientists. To all of them who helped to make lager what it is today, we can only rise a glass and say “Na zdraví!”.