National Lager Day on December 10th raises a glass to the third most popular beverage after water and tea. While lager is typically characterized as a light, summer beer we believe that every season deserves to be celebrated with a few of your favorite things.
- 16th Century – Lagers are relatively new to the beer scene, first appearing in Bavaria during the 16th century; before that, ales were brewed for over 7,000 years because ales were easier to ferment.
- 1620 – The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, not because it was their intended destination (they were on course to sail well south), but because they settled on the destination up north simply because they ran out of beer. [Google this fact]
- 1741 – Benno Scharl – known as the ‘father’ of modern brewing and early adopter of the term lagering, is born.
- 19th Century – Born in the 19th century Bavaria Lager was the result of brewers experimenting with the benefits of storing beer for long periods in cold environments. Brewed using a bottom-fermenting yeast this beer would then be transported to places where the temperature remained low, first in cellars, and then transported to the caves of the Alps.
- 1840 – The first US lager was brewed in 1840 by John Wagner, who had a small brewery in the back of his house on St. John Street in Philadelphia. Wagner brought the first lager yeast to the United States from a brewery in Bavaria.
- 1842 – The town of Plzen, Bohemia, produced the world’s first golden lager.
- 1876 – In Munich, Lager brewing leaped forward with Von Linde’s refrigeration, notably at the Paulaner brewery
- 1957 – the U.S. government tested beers’ safety post-nuclear explosions, finding that some remained drinkable, though with altered taste.
- 1983 – there were 49 licensed breweries in the United States; by the end of 2017, there were 7,450.
- 2017 – the average U.S. citizen over 21 consumed 26.9 gallons of beer. However, the United States doesn’t even make the top 10 in terms of overall beer drinking.
- 2019 – A Brief History of Lager: 500 Years of the World’s Favourite Beer, is published.
- 2022 – Vermont has the highest number of craft breweries. 15 breweries per 100,000 people.
- Lagers are distinguished from other beers by using a cold-conditioning process. The types of yeast used are referred to as “bottom-fermenting” yeast or yeast that can develop at colder temperatures.
- Lagers tend to have a crisp, lightly hopped taste and less-fruity aroma than most ales. You’ll instantly recognize Lager’s smooth, refined drinkability. There are three main types of lager:
- Pale – the most popular lager and the most commercially available. This clean, crisp type of lager includes styles like Pilsner and Helles.
- Amber– This medium-bodied lager gets its rich, caramel flavor from toasted malts. Examples include Märzen and Vienna lagers.
- Dark – Dark malts create a dark lager. Typical dark lagers are Dunkel, Bock, and Schwarzbier.
- Within the category of lagers, quite a few different varieties have been (and are still being) developed. Learning about the similarities and differences among the lagers will help expand the knowledge, as well as the enjoyment, of this multifaceted beer. Start by taking a look at a few listed here:
- Pilsner – First produced in 1842 and taking its name from the Bohemian city where it was developed, what is now Plzeň, Czech Republic. Pilsner Uruquell, the world’s first pale lager, was created and is still produced here today. Pair it with chicken, shellfish, and white cheddar cheese for a delicious meal or snack.
- Doppelbock -Originally made by monks in Munich, Germany with the intention of consuming it as liquid bread during times of fasting for religious observances such as Lent. This extra dark beer tastes great paired with roasted pork, certain Swiss cheeses or rich desserts like chocolate cake.
- American Lager – Super light and highly carbonated, this beer is not bitter or heavy. Its history dates back to WWII when Americans replaced the grains (from German beer-making) with rice. Enjoy it at a backyard barbecue with burgers, hot dogs and more.
- Vienna Style Lager – Moving back over to the European roots of the lager, this Austrian beer offers plenty of malty aroma and notes of bread with a low amount of bitterness. Though a Mexican beer, one example of this style is a Dos Equis. Tastes great with outdoor barbecue items such as grilled meats or sweet treats such as fruity desserts.
- Before the advent of refrigeration, brewers perfected this process in cellars dug into the ground and filled with ice.
- Deep within these frozen cellars of the Earth they would be packed in ice from the mountains or lakes and left to “lager” over the summer. The word Lager itself speaks of this method and is derived from the German word for “to store”, Lagern.
- Lager styles include Pilsners, Helles, Dunkels, Bocks, Schwarzbiers and Oktoberfests (to name a few).
- Beer is the 3rd most consumed beverage in the world behind water and tea.
- King Gambrinus is known as the “patron saint of beer” (not to be confused with St. Arnold, the patron saint of brewing).
- Lager is one of the most common types of beer produced and consumed worldwide.
- Cenosillicaphobia is the fear of an empty beer glass.
- The Vermont Country Store has Mini Chocolate Guinness pints made by Lir, one of Ireland’s award-winning chocolatiers, whose luxuriously smooth chocolate pairs perfectly with the rich molasses and espresso flavors of real Guinness stout.
- Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and Barack Obama were all homebrewers.
- Frosty glasses cause foaming.
- Most Americans live within 10 miles of a craft brewery.
- Around the world, humans consume over 50 billion gallons of beer every year.
- California is the biggest producer of beer in the U.S. with over 1,100 breweries.
- There are several beer spas in the Czech Republic. The Chodovar Beer Spa in the Czech Republic offers a 20-minute bath in beer brewing ingredients.
- The company says that this method boosts blood circulation, opens up pores, softens the skin and infuses the body with vitamins of their clients.
- In Ancient Egypt, women would brew beer as an offering to the gods. Aside from offerings, beer was also considered a feminine drink, while men traditionally had wine.
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