Lager.
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There are a few in London, not that I'll go back to them. Perhaps they fall more into the category of bars though. Whatever they are, admittedly most will also do Guinness, which is the option I then go for, but something in my head causes me to think of Guinness as not really being beer but just a different sort of drink, like ordering wine instead. I appreciate that isn't correct.
Yeah, the Guinness bubbles are actually nitrogen, so it's no beer in my mind. But in a good Irish pub it's a wonderful drink.
Several Lagers (Fosters, Heineken, Bud, Stella, Coors, Carlesberg etc) often get a caning here but as has been said not all lager is **** has anyone tried any of the ones listed below and if you have what did you think.
The 19 best craft lagers you could possibly wrap your thirsty chops around
Freedom Brewery - Organic Helles (4.8%)
“Brewing with spring water is what makes this one so super fresh. There are toasted malts, with a light hint of tropical fruit a touch of lemon bitterness in the finish. It’s clean, crisp, and very quenching.” – Tim Jones, founder of beer culture site BeerYeti.com
Magic Rock - Dancing Bear (4.5%)
“Such a great example of a German pilsner. It’s got a wonderful floral nose, has a crisp citrus mouthfeel with a really easy, light bitter finish. Since its addition to the Magic Rock core range, it’s been a permanent fixture inside our fridges.” - Martin Oates and Steve Bentall, presenters of the Hopinionsbeer podcast
North Brewing - Herzog (5%)
“It’s fantastic to see more and more breweries making Kölsch style beers. This is my favourite so far this year. Light, crisp and delicate fruit character with a nice smooth mouthfeel. Make sure you get it nice and fresh.” - Justin Hutton, director of The Beer Collective craft beer suppliers
Tegernsee - Tegernseer Spezial Lager (5.6%)
“Nobody does lager better than the Bavarians, and this is our current favourite. Full-bodied, crisp and clean as a whistle. We’re gonna be drinking this all summer.” – Jen Ferguson, co-founder of Hop, Burns & Black bottle shop
Wye Valley Brewery - 1985 (4.5%
“The brewery down the valley have made a really hoppy lager in this, with a touch of sweet maltiness that’s complimented by a hint of orange peel and a crisp, dry finish. We’ll be drinking more and more of this as the evenings get lighter and lighter.” – Tim Jones, founder of beer culture site BeerYeti.com
The Garden Brewery - Pilsner (4.5%)
“This Croatian crew combine progressive brewing with a love of live music. Their pilsner is the perfect beer for festival season - it’s generously hopped with a blend of Hallertauer Mittelfruh and Saaz to produce floral and fruity flavours. All you need now is the sunshine.” – Brody Rossiter, beer expert at HonestBrew online beer shop
Northern Monk - DDH (5.7%)
“They just keep smashing them out of the park. Northern Monk’s Double Dry Hopper Lager is grassy, peachy, peppery, with a heap of citrus.” - Justin Hutton, director of The Beer Collective craft beer suppliers
Cloudwater - Helles (various)
“Like most of the breweries we know, the Cloudwater team are enormous German lager fans (they have an obsession with Tegernsee, like us) and they strive to reproduce the same Bavarian clarity, body and flavour with all their Helles releases. They’re constantly changing the hops they use, so get in there quick to try as many as you can.” – Jen Ferguson, co-founder of Hop, Burns & Black bottle shop
Yellowbelly - Kellerbier (4.3%)
“Based inside a state-of-the-art facility in the South-East of Ireland, Yellowbelly are renowned for their sours, innovative styles and hop-forward offerings. But they’ve proven that they can brew a highly drinkable Helles too. They’ve paired the finest ingredients, brewing ingenuity and a bold comic book-esque aesthetic to create this striking tall boy.” – Brody Rossiter, beer expert at HonestBrew online beer shop
Lost & Grounded - Keller Pils (4.8%)
“Everything you could ever want in a Pils. It’s crisp, dry, unfiltered, and with the perfect amount of hop bitterness. The next time one of your mates orders a ‘macro’ lager at the bar, replace it with one of these, so you can educate them in just how wrong they are.” - Justin Hutton, director of The Beer Collectivecraft beer suppliers
The 19 best craft lagers you could possibly wrap your thirsty chops around
Freedom Brewery - Organic Helles (4.8%)
“Brewing with spring water is what makes this one so super fresh. There are toasted malts, with a light hint of tropical fruit a touch of lemon bitterness in the finish. It’s clean, crisp, and very quenching.” – Tim Jones, founder of beer culture site BeerYeti.com
Magic Rock - Dancing Bear (4.5%)
“Such a great example of a German pilsner. It’s got a wonderful floral nose, has a crisp citrus mouthfeel with a really easy, light bitter finish. Since its addition to the Magic Rock core range, it’s been a permanent fixture inside our fridges.” - Martin Oates and Steve Bentall, presenters of the Hopinionsbeer podcast
North Brewing - Herzog (5%)
“It’s fantastic to see more and more breweries making Kölsch style beers. This is my favourite so far this year. Light, crisp and delicate fruit character with a nice smooth mouthfeel. Make sure you get it nice and fresh.” - Justin Hutton, director of The Beer Collective craft beer suppliers
Tegernsee - Tegernseer Spezial Lager (5.6%)
“Nobody does lager better than the Bavarians, and this is our current favourite. Full-bodied, crisp and clean as a whistle. We’re gonna be drinking this all summer.” – Jen Ferguson, co-founder of Hop, Burns & Black bottle shop
Wye Valley Brewery - 1985 (4.5%
“The brewery down the valley have made a really hoppy lager in this, with a touch of sweet maltiness that’s complimented by a hint of orange peel and a crisp, dry finish. We’ll be drinking more and more of this as the evenings get lighter and lighter.” – Tim Jones, founder of beer culture site BeerYeti.com
The Garden Brewery - Pilsner (4.5%)
“This Croatian crew combine progressive brewing with a love of live music. Their pilsner is the perfect beer for festival season - it’s generously hopped with a blend of Hallertauer Mittelfruh and Saaz to produce floral and fruity flavours. All you need now is the sunshine.” – Brody Rossiter, beer expert at HonestBrew online beer shop
Northern Monk - DDH (5.7%)
“They just keep smashing them out of the park. Northern Monk’s Double Dry Hopper Lager is grassy, peachy, peppery, with a heap of citrus.” - Justin Hutton, director of The Beer Collective craft beer suppliers
Cloudwater - Helles (various)
“Like most of the breweries we know, the Cloudwater team are enormous German lager fans (they have an obsession with Tegernsee, like us) and they strive to reproduce the same Bavarian clarity, body and flavour with all their Helles releases. They’re constantly changing the hops they use, so get in there quick to try as many as you can.” – Jen Ferguson, co-founder of Hop, Burns & Black bottle shop
Yellowbelly - Kellerbier (4.3%)
“Based inside a state-of-the-art facility in the South-East of Ireland, Yellowbelly are renowned for their sours, innovative styles and hop-forward offerings. But they’ve proven that they can brew a highly drinkable Helles too. They’ve paired the finest ingredients, brewing ingenuity and a bold comic book-esque aesthetic to create this striking tall boy.” – Brody Rossiter, beer expert at HonestBrew online beer shop
Lost & Grounded - Keller Pils (4.8%)
“Everything you could ever want in a Pils. It’s crisp, dry, unfiltered, and with the perfect amount of hop bitterness. The next time one of your mates orders a ‘macro’ lager at the bar, replace it with one of these, so you can educate them in just how wrong they are.” - Justin Hutton, director of The Beer Collectivecraft beer suppliers
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Bellfield Brewery - Bohemian Pilsner (4.5%)
“From the UK’s first dedicated gluten-free brewery, a Gold winner at the Free From Awards 2017 and finalist at the Scottish Beer Awards 2016 for Best Pilsner or Lager. It’s easy drinking and mellow. There are herbal aromas - hints of spice and freshly cut grass - before everything comes to an end with a beautifully bitter hoppy finish.” – Tim Jones, founder of beer culture site BeerYeti.com
Fruh - Kolsch (4.8%)
“One of those drinks that fills us with joy every time we come back to it, and then wonder why we don’t drink it all the time. Light, sweet and biscuity, it leaves mainstream lager grovelling in its dust.” – Jen Ferguson, co-founder of Hop, Burns & Black bottle shop
Lost Rivers Brewing Co. - Neckinger (4.5%)
“Here’s a brewery created by ‘three friends who set out to create a new drinking culture where the experience is as important as taste, and where everyone is welcome!’ We back that. This brew is quite sweet, with a hint of melon and honey followed by a crisp, bitter finish. Take these to your first BBQ of the year.” – Tim Jones, founder of beer culture site BeerYeti.com
Westerham - Bohemian Rhapsody Gluten-Free Pilsner (5%)
“One of the new breed of GF beers that doesn’t taste like a GF beer! Packed with Czech-grown Noble hops to give a proper Bohemian pilsner bite and bitterness.” – Jen Ferguson, co-founder of Hop, Burns & Black bottle shop
Thornbridge - Tzara (4.8%)
“One of the original breweries in the craft revolution, and still one of the best. This is brewed differently to a normal lager - it is Köln style, so it is fermented like an ale at a high temperature, and then brought back down to condition like a lager, for a fruiter palete.” - Justin Hutton, director of The Beer Collective craft beer suppliers
Eyes Brewing - Hefeweizen (5.2%)
“These guys are the UK’s first wheat brewery, and create ‘a range of wheat beers inspired by German tradition, modern innovation and long-forgotten English ale styles’. Sounds decent, right? This one’s quite light, but there’s a gentle blast of banana, rum and raisin fruitiness, followed by a dry, bitter finish. A cracking refresher.” – Tim Jones, founder of beer culture siteBeerYeti.com
Northern Monk x KCBC – Very Stable Genius (5.2%)
“Another tremendous lager from this Leeds gang. Brewed in collaboration with Brooklyn’s KCBC, this smashable brew combines Citra and Ekuanot hops to ramp up the flavour without overwhelming the clean drinking underneath all those tropical notes. Make lager great again!” – Brody Rossiter, beer expert at HonestBrew online beer shop
Wildcard - Joker (4.4%)
“Wildcard have been going from strength to strength, brewing some fantastic one-off beers while honing their core range. The Joker is crisp, fresh and in the style of a Czech pilsner, and more than enough to turn a standard lager drinker to the craft side.” - Justin Hutton, director of The Beer Collective craft beer suppliers
Rothaus - Tannenzäpfle Pilsner (5.1%)
“A German icon. Brewed in the Southern Black Forest, this has been refreshing beer lovers for over 60 years. Expect a crisp and sessionable lager with a dry and bitter finish that cleanses the palate in preparation for the next sip.” – Brody Rossiter, beer expert at HonestBrew online beer shop
https://www.shortlist.com/food-drink/best-craft-lagers-2018-craft-beer-alcohol/352226
“From the UK’s first dedicated gluten-free brewery, a Gold winner at the Free From Awards 2017 and finalist at the Scottish Beer Awards 2016 for Best Pilsner or Lager. It’s easy drinking and mellow. There are herbal aromas - hints of spice and freshly cut grass - before everything comes to an end with a beautifully bitter hoppy finish.” – Tim Jones, founder of beer culture site BeerYeti.com
Fruh - Kolsch (4.8%)
“One of those drinks that fills us with joy every time we come back to it, and then wonder why we don’t drink it all the time. Light, sweet and biscuity, it leaves mainstream lager grovelling in its dust.” – Jen Ferguson, co-founder of Hop, Burns & Black bottle shop
Lost Rivers Brewing Co. - Neckinger (4.5%)
“Here’s a brewery created by ‘three friends who set out to create a new drinking culture where the experience is as important as taste, and where everyone is welcome!’ We back that. This brew is quite sweet, with a hint of melon and honey followed by a crisp, bitter finish. Take these to your first BBQ of the year.” – Tim Jones, founder of beer culture site BeerYeti.com
Westerham - Bohemian Rhapsody Gluten-Free Pilsner (5%)
“One of the new breed of GF beers that doesn’t taste like a GF beer! Packed with Czech-grown Noble hops to give a proper Bohemian pilsner bite and bitterness.” – Jen Ferguson, co-founder of Hop, Burns & Black bottle shop
Thornbridge - Tzara (4.8%)
“One of the original breweries in the craft revolution, and still one of the best. This is brewed differently to a normal lager - it is Köln style, so it is fermented like an ale at a high temperature, and then brought back down to condition like a lager, for a fruiter palete.” - Justin Hutton, director of The Beer Collective craft beer suppliers
Eyes Brewing - Hefeweizen (5.2%)
“These guys are the UK’s first wheat brewery, and create ‘a range of wheat beers inspired by German tradition, modern innovation and long-forgotten English ale styles’. Sounds decent, right? This one’s quite light, but there’s a gentle blast of banana, rum and raisin fruitiness, followed by a dry, bitter finish. A cracking refresher.” – Tim Jones, founder of beer culture siteBeerYeti.com
Northern Monk x KCBC – Very Stable Genius (5.2%)
“Another tremendous lager from this Leeds gang. Brewed in collaboration with Brooklyn’s KCBC, this smashable brew combines Citra and Ekuanot hops to ramp up the flavour without overwhelming the clean drinking underneath all those tropical notes. Make lager great again!” – Brody Rossiter, beer expert at HonestBrew online beer shop
Wildcard - Joker (4.4%)
“Wildcard have been going from strength to strength, brewing some fantastic one-off beers while honing their core range. The Joker is crisp, fresh and in the style of a Czech pilsner, and more than enough to turn a standard lager drinker to the craft side.” - Justin Hutton, director of The Beer Collective craft beer suppliers
Rothaus - Tannenzäpfle Pilsner (5.1%)
“A German icon. Brewed in the Southern Black Forest, this has been refreshing beer lovers for over 60 years. Expect a crisp and sessionable lager with a dry and bitter finish that cleanses the palate in preparation for the next sip.” – Brody Rossiter, beer expert at HonestBrew online beer shop
https://www.shortlist.com/food-drink/best-craft-lagers-2018-craft-beer-alcohol/352226
Wilfy
Junior Member
I’ll drink carling and fosters if there’s nowt else to drink and someone’s left them at mine like. I’m nee snob!
strange-steve
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Lagers have a bit of a bad rep among brewers but lager covers a lot of European styles such as Oktoberfestbier, bock, pilsner, Helles, marzen, Vienna, dunkel etc. which can be really delicious. It's a shame they're not more readily available here.
Brew Dad
Well-Known Member
Yes, and good "beer flavoured beers" seem to be much harder to make - less things to hide behind. I posted this elsewhere, but after about 10 attempts I still haven't made an excellent bitter. But every IPA/NEIPA I have made has been fantastic. By no means was that down to my skillful robobrewing, far more likely the 200g or so of Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe and Galaxy. Those hops will cover all kinds of flaws.
MickDundee
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If proper German/ lagers were easier to get hold of I’d probably drink more lager than ale.
I’m not a massive beer snob, I avoid the super cheap/common ones like Carling/Fosters/Tennants but will happily drink Corona or another imported lager if the choice is limited - I avoid the “brewed under licence” ones though, current UK brewed Moretti isn’t even in the same galaxy as the imported one I first had in an Italian restaurant in Edinburgh about 12 years ago.
I was even drinking Kingfisher when I was in India last month and it hit the spot at the time even though it’s bland as Hell. Avoid Kingfisher Blue though - I thought with it being 6% it might be quite malty but no, they just pile in sugar and it tastes like cider!
I’m not a massive beer snob, I avoid the super cheap/common ones like Carling/Fosters/Tennants but will happily drink Corona or another imported lager if the choice is limited - I avoid the “brewed under licence” ones though, current UK brewed Moretti isn’t even in the same galaxy as the imported one I first had in an Italian restaurant in Edinburgh about 12 years ago.
I was even drinking Kingfisher when I was in India last month and it hit the spot at the time even though it’s bland as Hell. Avoid Kingfisher Blue though - I thought with it being 6% it might be quite malty but no, they just pile in sugar and it tastes like cider!
Voted 'I started drinking other beers before lager and now drink both.'
Started on real ale, or Newkie Brown if the real ale was of dubious quality (late 80's). Moved daaawn sssarf to go to Uni and into a real ale desert. So drank Newkie Brown if available, but otherwise decent lagers, even cider, moved to the midlands and drank whatever was good and available, now back in lovely Lincs and get to drink real ale all the time if I so choose. I don't mind the odd lager now and again ~ had a night on the craft lager bottles not so long ago; some of it was actually OK and it didn't cause me to grow a stupid beer and change my name to Tristan by deed pole. At home I brew lager sometimes. These days, its all about decent beer for me. I'd rather sink a few pints of decent lager than Doombar, for example. But I mainly about cask.
Started on real ale, or Newkie Brown if the real ale was of dubious quality (late 80's). Moved daaawn sssarf to go to Uni and into a real ale desert. So drank Newkie Brown if available, but otherwise decent lagers, even cider, moved to the midlands and drank whatever was good and available, now back in lovely Lincs and get to drink real ale all the time if I so choose. I don't mind the odd lager now and again ~ had a night on the craft lager bottles not so long ago; some of it was actually OK and it didn't cause me to grow a stupid beer and change my name to Tristan by deed pole. At home I brew lager sometimes. These days, its all about decent beer for me. I'd rather sink a few pints of decent lager than Doombar, for example. But I mainly about cask.
Schiehallion lager from the Harvistion brewery is on tap at my local,and Cold Town Beer (it’s more of a Pilsner) and both are decent pints
I really like a good lager in between drinking hoppy beers, it’s good to have a couple of Punk IPA then a nice refreshing pint of Schiehallion in between
I really like a good lager in between drinking hoppy beers, it’s good to have a couple of Punk IPA then a nice refreshing pint of Schiehallion in between
Sadfield
Landlord.
@Chippy_Tea Herzog, Tzara, L&G Keller Pils are all great beers. The Tegernsee beers are by far my favourites though.
I actually really like Adnams Dry Hopped lager, especially on tap in a pub.
Obviously use more hops than Carling etc as it's got flavour
not difficult to use more hops than carling unless your fosters where they wave a hop near the beer.
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cheshirehomebrew
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I started drinking Carling back when I was about 17 or so, I couldn't get on with Fosters as the same amount of pints of Fosters instead of Carling had me throwing up all night, prob still does if I ever drank it again.
One of my local micro breweries does a cracking Pilsner lager called Moravka in either 4 or 5% versions, its brewed in Buxton and is decidedly moorish, which I like to drink on hot day instead of ale
One of my local micro breweries does a cracking Pilsner lager called Moravka in either 4 or 5% versions, its brewed in Buxton and is decidedly moorish, which I like to drink on hot day instead of ale
Me too. It's on my list to make something similar. I'm pretty sure it's a Pilsner Malt/Galaxy SMASH. Damn tasty lager that one.I actually really like Adnams Dry Hopped lager, especially on tap in a pub.
Obviously use more hops than Carling etc as it's got flavour
AdeDunn
Member
The first beer I tasted was draught Bass, bleugh. Second was keg Worthingtons, same.... Then cask Worthingtons (yup, my local actually had cask Worthingtons that they sold as Yarnfield Ale....), stil bleugh). Tennents Extra & Pilsner... Yup, more bleugh, Carling Black Label yeah that stuff shouldn't be called beer, thanks dad for buying me those 3 on my 18th birthday! Thank the gods I was also drinking Pernod and blackcurrant that night to drown out the flavour....
Literally put me off beer for years, so became a cider drinker until I was about 23, I did however try various beers over in Germany (Dortmunder Union was delicious, Bitburger Pils not bad).. Then got talked into trying Guinness. First time with blackcurrant in it, why would anybody do that though? From there, I started actually trying different beers again. Every now and then found one I'd like, often a porter, or a mild or something like that. Sometimes an actually decent lager (Dos Equis for example).
Now, well I drink any beer I like the taste of. I've even tasted bitter that I like (Fuller's ones naturally....). Not a huge fan of cider any more though oddly...
Literally put me off beer for years, so became a cider drinker until I was about 23, I did however try various beers over in Germany (Dortmunder Union was delicious, Bitburger Pils not bad).. Then got talked into trying Guinness. First time with blackcurrant in it, why would anybody do that though?
From there, I started actually trying different beers again. Every now and then found one I'd like, often a porter, or a mild or something like that. Sometimes an actually decent lager (Dos Equis for example).Now, well I drink any beer I like the taste of. I've even tasted bitter that I like (Fuller's ones naturally....). Not a huge fan of cider any more though oddly...
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