Today, Celebrate the Lagerbier: National Lager Day

Happy #NationalLagerDay!

*This is an updated/modified essay previously posted here on 2021-12-10*

The world knows the word Lager and here in the US, we seem to think of Lager as the straw-colored, mass-market beer. Nothing inherently wrong with those Lagerbier styles, by the way. The difference between Ale and Lager is not as much as one would think, but the only physical difference is the yeast. The history of Lager is complex, and yeast has the most important role in it. While the place where Lagerbier originated may be surprising to some and obvious to others, I’m sure there are some surprising yeasty facts below for either camp. I’ll make this as brief as possible.

Grab a Lagerbier and let’s go back in time.

A good starting point is the enactment of the Reinheitsgebot. On April 23rd, 1516, Duke of Bavaria, Wilheim IV, a member of the royal Wittelsbach family, decreed what will eventually be the longest still-standing brewing standard we now refer to as the German Purity Law. Although beer was not the focus of the decree (more about it here), it can be argued that it did lay the foundation for Lagerbier with the restriction of ingredients. As we all know, the original proclamation specifically calls out for water, hops, and malt to be used in Bavarian beer. No yeast was mentioned, but this was fantastic news for our hungry little fungi friends. More on that later.

Mother Nature assisted in Lageriber’s firm grip in Bavaria before the next proclamation. Climatologists agree that a “Little Ice Age” began no later than 1550 and dropped the average temperatures by a degree or so. It may sound insignificant, but it was enough to be noticed all over Europe until temperatures stabilized around 1850.

In 1553, Wilheim’s successor and son, Duke Albrecht V, outlawed brewing in the summer months due to the inconsistent beers being produced during these warmer months. The dates Albrecht chose were April 23rd, the original date of his father’s proclamation, to September 29th. They didn't understand why, yet they knew fermentation and cold storage (“Lagern,” German verb “to store”) done in the colder months of the year resulted in higher quality beers.

The Munich Dunkel Lagerbier's origin as a beer style can be traced back to these events. Malts were darker in color, the water chemistry high bicarbonates (alkalinity) to aid in dark beer production, and proclamations to keep beers cold for an extended period. Munich Dunkel has been cited many times as not only the first beer style to be designated, but as the first Lageriber to be named as such. Lager yeast helped in many ways here. Cold storage for ideal fermentation temperatures, little to no fermentation characters, and extended lagering to promote clarity and round flavors.

Ale yeast (Saccharomyces Cerevisiae or S. cerevisiae) is usually slated to ferment at higher temperatures (65°F to 70°F, on average with some strains reaching even higher) and thus results and a vigorous, relatively quick fermentation and development of a large cap of kräusen. Usually accompanied by many fruity esters and spicy phenols. Lager yeast (Saccharomyces pastorianus or S. pastorianus) typically ferment at cooler temperatures (48°F to 58°F, on average). Because of this cooler temperature, fermentation is less violent, takes much longer, and there is less kräusen. Mostly a clean (little to no fruit or spice flavors) fermentation.

Note: Kräusen is the fluffy stuff that develops at the top of the fermenter that is made up of yeast and proteins and other materials frothed up because of yeast metabolism.

In 1996, the genome sequence of an S. cerevisiae strain was DNA-sequenced. A bit over a decade later, in 2009, the genome for Weihenstephan 34/70 S. pastorianus strain was sequenced. The data showed the chromosome mapping of S. pastorianus is about half identical to S. cerevisiae. Furthermore, the DNA also showed that the unidentified half of S. pastorianus is what gives it low-temperature fermentation capabilities.

After identifying S. cerevisiae as a hybridization parent of S. pastorianus, it was thought that the likely candidates were S. uvarum or S. bayanus might fit the bill. It turns out S. uvarum is a pure landrace to the region that is not hybridized and S. bayanus is hybridized from S. cerevisiae, S. uvarum, and another strain. We know S. bayanus by its more common name, Champagne yeast. After evaluating over 1,000 other European strains, it was later determined that S. pastorianus’ parent is not from Europe!

In 2011, microbiologists took their search for the origin of S. pastorianus to Patagonia, between Chile and Argentina in the high Andes. It’s cold there and that’s important. Many yeasts were collected and studied from there. One was found to be unidentified and was sent to Colorado for sequencing while the team on-site determined this strain was a pure landrace.

Then, it happened…. When the DNA was sequenced in Colorado, the yeast’s genome was found to be over 99% the same as the non-S. cerevisiae portion of the S. pastorianus segment.

In the words of Murry…. “You ARE the father!” And it was a busy father, indeed. S. eubayanus, as it would be named, was also the missing sequence for S. bayanus. It is still not understood how S. eubayanus got from South America to Europe, although there are many fun ideas such as on a bird. There is ongoing research, including the discovery of S. eubayanus elsewhere in South America, North America, China, Tibet, New Zealand, and a recent find of it in Ireland. There is at least a more solid understanding of the genetics that helped us identify the full origin of the yeast that made Lagerbier!

A toast to the reason for our little single-celled organism that makes our favorite drink. It is because of Lager yeast, along with serendipitous events and lucky molecular hybridization, that we have Lagerbier to enjoy today. I’ll see you all out there for a Lagerbier.

Prost!

-Gilbert "Charlie" Perez, Advanced Cicerone®

References

(Research Publication/Journal Article)
Sean A Bergin, Stephen Allen, Conor Hession, Eoin Ó Cinnéide, Adam Ryan, Kevin P Byrne, Tadhg Ó Cróinín, Kenneth H Wolfe, Geraldine Butler (2022). Identification of European isolates of the lager yeast parent Saccharomyces eubayanus. Oxford University Press on behalf of FEMS. https://academic.oup.com/femsyr/article/22/1/foac053/6874782

Alworth, J. (2015, 2021). The Beer Bible. Workman.

Dornbusch, H. D. (1997). Prost! The Story of German Beer. Brewers Publications (Brewers Association).

Kraus-Weyermann, T., Dornbusch, H. D. (2018). Dark Lagers: History, Mystery, Brewing Techniques, Recipes. Master Brewers Associations of the Americas (MBAA).

Oliver, G. (2012). The Oxford Companion to Beer. Oxford University Press.

The Reinheitsgebot and German Beer Day!

Bitburger Pils
The Phoenix Club, Anaheim, CA

*Originally Published 4/23/2021, Updated 4/23/2022*

Happy #GermanBeerDay!

On this day over 500 years ago, April 23, 1516, Duke of Bavaria, Wilheim IV decreed what will eventually be the longest still-standing brewing standard we now refer to as the German Purity Law: The Reinheitsgebot.

The story goes, this law was enacted so brewers could produce quality beer using only water, hops, and barley malt. Yeast was not mentioned because they did not yet know about what it was, it is said. Although it makes for a wonderful story, this is only partially true. Of the over 300 translated words, a bit less than 30 of them are about beer.

Among other reasons, the Purity Law was legislated to stabilize the price of bread by ensuring barley was used for beer and resulted in only backers could use wheat for bread and the royals could use wheat for their beer. Wilheim IV, as a member of the royal Bavarian family, the Wittelsbach’s, had a historical, unwilling hand in the modern-day Weissbier (Hefeweizen) with this order, too. By the way, the Wittelsbach's are also the royal family that would later celebrate (in 1810) a wedding of a prince that would later become the Oktoberfest.

An undisputed positive result was the ban on the use of some ingredients that were harming beer drinkers before the proclamation was enacted. Additives, such as belladonna or wormwood, would have some psychedelic and/or toxic effects that understandably found their way off the list of approved list of ingredients.

It can be argued the non-mention of yeast is because it did not stay in the beer. However, it is most likely that yeast was indeed known at that time because there were brewery workers called ‘hefener,’ and ‘hefe’ means yeast. They were responsible to put the ‘zeug’ (stuff) leftover from one batch to another to encourage fermentation. Perhaps they did know it was yeast, which could explain why it was left out, but they knew it did the job. In other words, it may be that yeast was simply implied.

This law only applied to Bavarian breweries, too. Lager brewing was very well established by this time and the restrictions in The Purity Law were favorable, luckily. In 1553, Wilheim’s successor and son, Duke Albrecht V, outlawed brewing in the summer months due to the inconsistent beers being produced during these warmer months. The dates Albrecht chose were April 23rd, the original date of his father’s proclamation, to September 29th. They didn't understand why, yet they knew fermentation and cold storage (“Lagern,” German verb “to store”) done in the colder months of the year resulted in higher quality beers.

Northern breweries were predominantly Ale producers and most used either wheat and/or other spices. In fact, Köln (Cologne) enacted a similar decree in 1603 that outlawed bottom-fermenting (Lager) brewing to preserve the brewing tradition and beer quality. Some have speculated this was done in direct response, while the timing may only be a coincidence. The more logical reason is the clement in Northern Germany is warmer on average and is more suitable for top-fermenting (Ale) conditions.

To add more confusion, in 1551, Bavaria began to allow the use of some additional ingredients, such as coriander, and in 1616 more ingredients were added, like salt. German Unification in 1871 resulted in a law that omitted mention of any ingredient restriction for taxation purposes. Ale and Lagers were separated in the law in 1906 and the ingredient restriction only applied to Lagerbier.

The first time the decree was referred to as “The Purity Law” was not until after World War I. Bavaria joined the new German union under the pretense that their version of the Purity Law joined with them, thereby creating two laws once again, for Ales and Lagers. It was referred to as the Reinheitsgebot from 1919 going forward. This means the Lager brewing tradition that was perfected in Bavaria can still adhere to their law while the Ale producers (Kölsch, Alt, Weisse, Gose, etc…) are also legal. Both laws are now under the Biersteuergesetz (Beer Tax Law) after the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, unifying Germany yet again.

In 1987, the European Union declared that imported beer into Germany does not need to meet The Purity Law.

The 1993( most recent) update to the law further clarifies what was done in 1906. The law is still the same, with the addition of being more restrictive in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg with no additional adjunct sugars permitted, even for Ale, and Bavaria can not use sugar adjuncts even for export.

Clear enough? No!? Well, that's understandable. Given the turbulent past in that region, the constant modification of the law makes it difficult to follow. Add to that the use of the word Reinheitsgebot in marketing and we have the understanding (or misunderstanding?) of the proclamation.

On this German Beer Day, take joy that the pride of German brewing tradition is alive and well. Hoist your pint up and appreciate the part of history that played an integral part in shaping that beer.

Prost!

Gilbert “Charlie” Perez, Advanced Cicerone®

References

Alworth, J. (2015, 2021). The Beer Bible. Workman.

Dornbusch, H. D. (1997). Prost! The Story of German Beer. Brewers Publications (Brewers Association).

Kraus-Weyermann, T., Dornbusch, H. D. (2018). Dark Lagers: History, Mystery, Brewing Techniques, Recipes. Master Brewers Associations of the Americas (MBAA).

Enbeerment’s Lagerbier of the Week: Brighter Than Sunshine

*Originally posted August 5, 2021*

Radiant Beer Co. opened its doors, kind of, during the height of pandemic in 2020 with to-go only packaged beer and shined bright from day one. Only a few weeks later, their first Lager was packaged and sold. Since then, Radiant’s head of all things brewing Andrew Bell his brewing team has consistently had a Lagerbier flowing and available on-site ever since it was safe to do so. Their latest German-Style Pilsner (Pils), Brighter Than Sunshine is Enbeerment’s Lagerbier of the week!

Any well-produced German Pils benefits with the use of traditional old-world ingredients. Brighter Than Sunshine does just that with the use of only German malt and hops, with a focus on the application of Saphir, Tettnang, and Hallertau Mittlefrüh hops. Tettnang and Hallertau Mittlefrüh are both Noble Hops and are renowned for their pleasant properties and elegant nature. Saphir, a popular German hop, is a fairly recent addition to the available hop roster. Only being bred by the Hop Research Center Hüll (about 45 minutes north of Munich) in 2002, Saphir imparts a nice mix of “noble” qualities along with some added new-world characters. All three shimmer in sophistication in Brighter Than Sunshine.

Pouring a pale golden yellow with a fluffy cap of foam, aided using a LUKR (Czech “slow pour”) Faucet when ordered at the tasting room. Aromas of biscuit let the hops gracefully take the spotlight. Tettnang and Hallertau Mittlefrüh provide the black tea, sage, dried lavender, fresh pine, sweet spices, and new-mown hay while Saphir adds lemon zest and berry stems all in graceful balance. The palate is much the same with the addition of an earl grey tea and lemongrass. Medium-bodied and highly effervescent with a snappy mouthfeel. Pleasantly bitter and clean, semi-dry finish.

Pair with almost any meal one may think of especially Mexican and Thai dishes where the hop flavors resonate with the cilantro and lime while the carbonation washes away any oils left on the tongue. A great partner with carne asada, too. If seafood is more your liking, shellfish or delicate fish will work, especially with citrus marinades or drizzles. Brighter Than Sunshine can stand up to spicy dishes (did someone say Buffalo Wings?) and salty dishes are tamed by the bitterness.

Enjoy a pour while it’s still around and take home a 4-pack.

Radiant Beer Co.
1566 W Lincoln Ave, Anaheim, CA 92801
Website, Insta, Facebook

Prost!

Gilbert “Charlie” Perez, Advanced Cicerone®

Enbeerment’s Lagerbier of the Week: Carlos Danger

*Originally posted July 19th, 2021*

Jon, Jerrod, and Jordan keep turning out amazing lagers to keep us entertained and quench our thirst. They have released a few lagers in the past few weeks, and it is tough not to turn these posts into a Bearded Tang marketing ploy. American Dark Lager Mariana’s Quench, Australian Pale Lager Ella Down Unda, and the return of fan-favorite German Pilsner Ausflippen (previously written about here). But one other Lagerbier stands out and is a testament to the talent at Bearded Tang (and their witty banter). A toasty Vienna Lager, Carlos Danger, is Enbeerment’s Lagerbier of the Week!

Vienna Lagers have origins in Austria by a brewer named Anton Dreher in 1841. Developed alongside what is now referred to as Märzen by a fellow brewer, friend to Dreher, and a legend in Bavarian beer history, Gabriel Sedlmayr II. Upon the development of Munich malt (Sedlmayr) and Vienna malt (Dreher), they became the primary ingredients for their respected associated beer styles. Over the decades and the popularity of adjuncts used in the new-world brewing tradition, this style has taken a turn towards the bland and resembles only in name to their linage. Looking at you, Dark Mexican Lagers.

Carlos Danger, however, holds to what the traditional style was meant to be in all its Austrian glory. Pours out a dazzling amber with orange highlights, crystal clear, with a dense, long-lasting ivory head atop. Aromas of lightly toasted bread with drizzled honey and a touch of flowery hops. The palate is the same as the nose with the addition of a sharp bitterness to balance out the gentle sweet bread and lingers into the dry finish along with some soft, cozy malt. Everything this style was meant to be.

While enjoying a pint at Rodeo 39 in Stanton you have many options for food. If you are looking for an interesting combination, pair it up with Nandomo by Hironori’s Al Pastor Raman (pictured above). The spicy heat and delectable nature of the meat will partner well with the toasty flavors of the beer while the onions and lime echo the slight hop notes making them pop more. The bitterness might make accentuate the heat, but the saltiness of the broth lets those malt flavors through to balance the whole thing. Perhaps a classic Cuppy-Roni pepperoni pizza Steele Pan is more your style. Take a bit of the pie, take a sip, and let the bitterness contrast the saltiness to let the toasty notes envelop the savory meat cups. You can also enjoy with a nice burger or steak by Primal Cuts, a Hawaiian BBQ-inspired sandwich at Shootz, or enjoy it with just about any other terrific food choices available there.

Bearded Tang Brewing
12885 Beach Blvd, #23, Stanton, CA 90680
Insta, Facebook

Prost!

Gilbert “Charlie” Perez, Advanced Cicerone®

Enbeerment’s Lagerbier of the Week: Mouth Peace

Peace & Suds.
(Photo taken at Green Cheek, Orange, by me)

*Originally posted July 7, 2021*

Green Cheek is no stranger to traditional lagers and their team makes some outstanding examples. Their current pale lager in the old-world style is no different. It is easy to have inner peace once one takes a sip of this invigorating Lagerbier. Mouth Peace, a German Pils by Green Cheek is Enbeerment’s Lagerbier of the week!

Taking inspiration from the Czech or Bohemian Pilsner style lager that came before it, the first German Pils is claimed by the Radeberger Brewery in 1872 to combat the growing popularity of the golden pale lager. The German Pils differs from its Czech origins in a few ways such as having sharper edges on bitterness and dryness and having more lively carbonation. (More on all Pilsners here.)

Pale gold in color and brightly clear with a pillowy head. On the nose, aromas of pristine malt characters such as dried hay and cereal with minty, almost tea-like, or cut grass hop aroma. The taste is clean and refreshing with a light cracker with peppery hops to give their delicate herbal tones to take hold. Crisp finish with a clear-cut bitterness that lingers for a while, very pleasantly, aiding to the thirst-quenching nature of the beer.

Pair with… just about anything. It’s summer and it’s hot out so give it a try with some spicy sausages or carne asada, tacos with lots of lime and cilantro, or anything with lots of capsaicin heat at this weekend’s backyard cookout. You’ll be hard-pressed not find peace within you… after a can or two of Mouth Peace, that is.

“Drink While Smiling.”

Green Cheek Beer Co.
2294 N Batavia St, Ste C, Orange, CA 92865
Or
2957 Randolph Ave, Unit B, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Website, Insta, Facebook

Prost!

Gilbert “Charlie” Perez, Advanced Cicerone®

Enbeerment’s Lagerbier of the Week: Stereo Pils

*Originally posted June 8, 2021*

Beginning its life as Sun Medallion, a collaboration with Bearded Tang’s Jon Chiusano, Stereo Pils is a Czech-Style Pilsner that has evolved to be individual and distinct from its first incarnation. This wonderful lager was gained popularity as a draught-only refreshing beer and quickly a crowd and staff favorite at Placentia’s Stereo Brewing. To our delight, Stereo Pils is available in 16oz canned 4-packs to-go for the first time!

The Czech or Bohemian Pilsner style is the lager that influenced (but is not the same as) other pale lagers including German Pils and the American Light Lager. More on the history of Pilsner here. Stereo Pils shows off the marvelous uplifting quality of the style.

Golden in color and brilliantly clear with no chill-haze at all. Zippy, snappy, crisp, purfumy, and rejuvenating. Brewed using 100% floor malted Bohemian Pilsner malt, only Saaz hops, and a clean lager profile to allow the ingredients to shine. A dried cereal malt backbone with lemony, spicy hop aromas laying atop a pillowy cap of foam. Flavors of hay, cut grass, lemon zest, and a round bitter bite on the finish.

Get it while it’s hot… Or cold in this case. Pay them a visit and enjoy your Pils.

Stereo Brewing Company
950 S Vía Rodeo, Placentia, CA 92870

Website, Insta, Facebook

Na Zdraví!

Gilbert “Charlie” Perez, Advanced Cicerone®

*Beer Education - Ale vs. Lager*

Ale and lager. Which of the two is better? Before we can even begin to think about how to answer this question, we must first have a clear understanding on the differences between ales and lagers. The answer is not as clear-cut and dry as one would think.

Perhaps the question we should ask is: What is an ale and what is a lager?

The short answer is... nothing! Well, that is if we consider only the end product, which is still beer. But if we dissect this, there are only a few differences. The main few are yeast species, fermentation temperature, aging temperature & duration, and fruit character.

Yeast

This is the only real physical difference between ales and lagers. There are two types of yeast that brewers choose from. Ale yeast (also known as "top-fermenting" yeast) is called Saccharomyces Cerevisiae. This species of yeast has many different strains. Lager yeast (also known as "bottom-fermenting" yeast) is called Saccharomyces Pastorianus. As with ale yeast, this species also has many different strains. They both act the same in terms of basic fermentation metabolism and end product. Reasoning for distinguishing them as bottom or top-fermenting seems to correlate with the amount of kräusen found at the top of the fermenter.

FYI: Kräusen is the fluffy stuff that develops at the top of the fermenter that is made up of yeast and proteins and other materials frothed up as a result of yeast metabolism.

Fermentation Temperature

In general, ale yeast is usually slated to ferment at higher temperatures (65°F to 70°F, on average with some strains reaching even higher) and thus results and a vigorous, relatively quick fermentation and development of a large cap of kräusen. Lager yeast typically ferment at cooler temperatures (48°F to 58°F, on average). Because of this cooler temperature, fermentation is less violent, takes much longer, and there is less kräusen.

Aging Temperature & Duration

Ales are generally not aged for very long and are usually cold crashed (significant drop in temperature to about +/-40°F) after fermentation to allow the yeast and proteins to drop out. Dry-hopping (adding hops into the fermenter after fermentation is complete) is done at this time. Typically, an average ale is ready in as little as two to four weeks.

Lagers ferment at cooler temperatures and therefore take longer to complete. Fermentation can last a few weeks and up to a couple months in some cases. Once fermentation has finished, lagering can start. The word "lager" is the verb "to store" or put away in German. Combined with cool fermentation, lagering at about 33°F helps to further clarify the beer and allows the flavors to round out. Lagers can take many months to complete, from brew-day to packaging. Depending on the beer, lagering alone can last upwards to 6 months to a year, although 3 months is average.

Fruit Character

The aforementioned items are production-based distinctions. All of those aspects result in the one piece of evidence we can detect in both flavor and aroma: Fruit character. Ale yeast produce many fruity esters due to the quick fermentation, generally higher temperatures, and short aging. This is acceptable and desirable. Lagers on the other hand, are clean and show no fruit character. The slow fermentation caused by low temperature and long lagering times result in a malt and hops focused beer.

There will be more explanation further below, but the same can be true with beers fermented cold with ale yeast strains, which will produce very little esters. Interestingly enough, lager strains used to ferment beers at ale temperatures will indeed produce more fruit esters than they would usually do if fermented cold.

Bonus: Myths About Ales and Lagers

"Lagers have lower alcohol than ales." ...FALSE!

Being an ale does not necessarily indicate a higher ABV. True, the high-alcohol beers are usually an ale of some kind, there are also lagers available that can reach ABV's above 10%. Eisbock is one example.

"Ales are dark." ...FALSE!

Cream Ales and American Blonde Ales are quite pale in color.

"Lagers are always light in color." ...FALSE!

Doppelbock, Dunkle, American Dark Lager, and Baltic Porter are examples of lager beers that are dark brown to almost black in color.

"Lagers have more carbonation." ...FALSE!

Have you ever popped opened a bottle of Duvel? That's a Belgian Golden Strong Ale. Try to pour it without a producing a foam head at least 3 fingers high. Just try it.

Curveballs

This is probably the most important part of this article. We have hybrid beers out there to throw us a off-course and shows off how far we have come in our understanding of what used to be a clear line between ale and lager. These hybrid beers are a blend of ale and lager, usually using lager yeasts fermented at the lower end of ale temperatures and/or often involve lagering for a period of time regardless of yeast strain or species. Examples of these hybrids include Cream Ale, California Common, Kölsch, and Altbier.

California Common and  Cream Ale use an adapted lager strain to ferment at the low-end of ale temperatures (too high for some lager strains) and results in clean lager characteristics. This is historically true for Cream Ale, but is currently not that common. Kölsch and Altbier are examples of an ale yeast strains fermenting at the high-end of lager temperatures (too low for some ale stains) used to produce lager characteristics. They also go through a period of cold conditioning although the duration varies by style. Those are some examples of styles which create clean, lager-like beers using non-traditional methods.

A word on lagering: It is not uncommon for a beer fermented with ale yeast to undergo a cold-conditioning phase or for a "bottom-fermented" beer to be aged at room temperature. The resulting beer may differ from the traditional expectations, but could still be enjoyable if done correctly.

Other cuveballs are beers fermented with other organisms and/or wild yeasts. These organisms and wild yeasts (such as wild Saccharomyces, Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, and Acetobacter) all have their own properties in regards to optimum fermentation temperatures. However, most of the beers we see inoculated with any type of "bug" or "wild" yeasts/organisms are typically kept at room temperature (68°-72°F) or higher. So, by the explanation above, these wild and sour beers are widely accepted as ales.

And there you have it!

To recap, ale yeast (Saccharomyces Cerevisiae) and lager yeast (Saccharomyces Pastorianus) is the only physical difference between them. The flavor differences between lagers and ales are small, but noticeable. Lagers are clean, little no no yeast character with and no fruity esters, fermented a cool temperatures, and are submitted to extended lagering. Ales tend to have fruit character, fermented at higher temperatures, and not aged as long by comparison. There are exceptions with hybrid's using lager strains at low ale temperatures or ale strains at high lager temperatures.

Hope you learned a thing or two. Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Gilbert "Charlie" Perez, Certified Cicerone®