In its German homeland, when it comes to beer, a lager is a myriad of things. The style is bound only by the technical parameters of cold fermentation, cold storage (or lagering) and the bottom feeding yeast usually employed. Lagers come in all hues and potencies, with regional variation across the country.

In America, and much of the world, however, the lager is much narrower in the popular imagination. Yellow, fizzy and light bodied, the pale lager is the most consumed style in the world, the nation and, yes, in Colorado. Despite the plethora of ales, European lagers and sours on menus statewide, the pale lager still reigns supreme.

Craft breweries shied away from lagers for much of their 30-plus year history. This may have been to be contrary to “big beer,” to offer something novel, but brewer Eli Gerson of Ramblebine Brewing in Grand Junction also notes that, “The benefit to an ale is the amount of time it takes to make.” Cold fermentation is a slow process, and Gerson adds that he can produce “two to three ales for every lager.”

The process is long but lends itself to a smoother finish. Cold lagering tends to reduce off-putting flavors like acetic acid. The same process helps the beer to settle and clarify.

Sam Enders, brewmaster at Stronghouse Brew Pub in Telluride, describes the result as “crisp (with) crystal clear brightness, very well carbonated and clean.” Lagers are synonymous with drinkability and, as such, lend themselves to high consumption in summer months. Lagers are often described as sessionable, and Enders adds that, “If I can drink a pint and want another, that is always a sign that it’s a good lager.”

Besides drinkability, brewers often point to the lager’s Old World roots when asked to describe what makes a good lager. Gerson sees “European lagers as the perfect examples” of the style. This hearkening back to tradition, however, adds another dimension to the complicated nature of making authentic and quaffable lagers.

Kevin McHugh, owner and brewer at Pomona Brewing Company in Montrose, thinks the extra effort is worth it. When making a German lager, he is “strict about the malts … even the yeast, which can be hard to source,” because he believes the lauded tradition is worth taking note of. Not just light lagers, German lager traditions are informing McHugh’s process on styles as divergent as mildly hopped pilsners and smoke-driven rauchbiers.

In fact, the German brewing tradition has influenced beer culture worldwide for hundreds of years. In Mexico, German immigrants in the 19th century created a brewing tradition that stretches forward to today, where Mexican lagers are one of the most popular styles in the world.

The style is making headway in the craft beer scene, as well. Emma Dutch, head brewer at Trail Life Brewing in Grand Junction, says that their “Mexican lager is consistently [their] top seller.” The style is nebulous but is typically crisp and light, with dazzling clarity like other light lager styles.

Where many German lagers hearken to tradition, Dutch points to her Mexican lager as a creative opportunity.

“Our pilsner has German noble hops and pilsner malt, but our Mexican lager features New Zealand hops. I appreciate that about craft in the U.S. There are beers that are strictly traditional, but no one is holding anyone’s feet to the fire over tradition and everyone appreciates creativity.”

Mexican or American, the pale lager is America’s beer. It outsells other styles unequivocally, and its dominance isn’t going anywhere. Local breweries, as such, have turned to the lager to create a common ground between the uninitiated and an industry that can be intimidating from the outside. “I’m secretly hoping,” adds Dutch, “that our Mexican lager will prove a gateway to other easy drinking craft beers and that drinkers will find that craft doesn’t just mean a double IPA.”

Originally published in the Fall 2023 issue of Spoke+Blossom.

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