Why poor old lager needs a second look

SUMMER’S on the way and with the hot weather many drinkers reach for a crisp refreshing lager.

Poor old lager is a beer style that’s been sorely used and abused over the years with many of today’s major brands paying little resemblance to the golden beers that emerged from the Czech town of Pilsen back in the 19th Century.

Luckily many of our local brewers are, as ever, playing with the style, and produce some remarkably good drinks in the process.

To start with, what’s the difference between ale and lager? It comes down to yeast really. Lager yeasts ferment at a lower temperature and over a longer time than ale yeast, and this is generally reckoned to produce cleaner and crisper tasting beers in the process. Colour has nothing to do with it by the way – ales and lagers both come in an array of shades from the palest gold to the darkest brown.

Despite its European origins, lager beer has been brewed in the UK since the 19th Century and here in Manchester it has a slightly venerable history.

Today some of our family brewers still produce their own lagers. JW Lees produce Original Lager (and also import the rather good Bohemia Regent from the Czech Republic) while Holts produce three – Diamond, Crystal and Crystal Gold. Let’s have a look at some lagers from the smaller players though.

One local lager that’s been around for a while is from Outstanding Brewery (recently located from Bury to Salford) whose simply named is classically clean with a gentle hop finish. It’s brewed in accordance with the famous Bavarian Purity Law. Only available on draught it is available in many local free trade outlets. Another lager from the northern side of the region is Radcliffe-based

This is another pale golden brew with a touch of sweetness on the palate balanced by a crisp edge and light dry finish. This is available both bottled and on draught (and you will find this at the new Brink Bar on Bridge Street in the city centre).

Manchester’s Marble Brewery, firing on all cylinders under new head brewer James Kemp, is currently releasing a range of internationally inspired hop-driven lager beers. The first release as

described as a ‘New Zealand Pilsner.’

This is a very entertaining hybrid brewed using Pilsner malt and Czech Pilsner yeast but hopped with three New Zealand varieties. Crisp, fruity and wonderfully aromatic, try to track down a bottle. This has just been followed up by Your

an ‘American Plisner’ available in bottle and on draught. Again this has traditional lager malt and yeast and this time combined with Equinox, Citra and Cascade hops for the USA. Again crisp and clean but with a huge basket of tropical fruit on the nose and palate.

Both of Marble’s near neighbours also produce lagers worth seeking out. Blackjack Brewery produces a prosaically named which combines grassy hops, sherbet fruit notes and a clean, dry finish. The entrant from Runaway Brewery is a slightly different beast. Their

is an amber-coloured beer inspired by the Oktoberfest beers produced in Munich (and uses German malt, hops and yeast). More malt accented than the other lagers I’ve mentioned, with some sweetness and spice, it also has a pleasingly clean finish.

Moving across town to Ardwick for our final three, first stopping point is Cloudwater Brewery. In its short existence Cloudwater has justifiably had both a national and international impact with its wide range of seasonal beers. There’s a programme of lagers and the latest is

Again made with traditional yeast and males, the hops are Pioneer, Mutueka and Pilgrim. It has the classic grassy ‘new mown hay’ nose, a clean hoppy taste and an appealing dryness in the finish. Again, many independent beer shops should have bottles of this (try Beermoth in the City Centre for example).

Beer Nouveau (‘The Temperance Street Brewery’) has released

Lager and wheat malts are used and the hops are classic European varieties – Saaz and Hallertau Mittelfrüh. There’s also been an eight week lagering (or maturation) period. This all produces a beer with a light nose and fruitiness on both the palate and in the dry finish.