The love of lagers
Alrighty
Iv been wanting to talk about this for a while. For the last year iv been mad about lagers. I walk into a bar and look to see what lagers they have before cask ales, in hope that i’ll find a hidden gem. Fair do’s this very rarely happens, especially in britian where 99.999% of lager is from the multinationals and is more alcoholic liquid cardboard than lager.
My love came after the RBESG08(ratebeer european summer gathering) in Plzen. While i was there really dont think i understood what i was doing. Loads of hidden brewpubs giving out filtered/unfiltered/dunkels/bocks/red/low alc/blackcurent? lagers every type immaginable and for the most part fantastic. Then i come back home into my usual 150 different session bitters a month routine and something was missing. A few trips to Quinns in Camden and some other finds around London and it became clear that lager was missing from my life. Lager is clean, refreshing, super drinkable and generally(craft wise) flavourful in a way that cask bitters lack, that even lambic cant fix for the most part(and thats saying something).
Now its Oktoberfest time and iv found myself in a very nice situatuion. Augustiner, Spartan, HB….Oktoberfest clean awsome lagers. Its nothing like as great as getting them gravity cask from a brewpub in Plzen, but it does the job. Even as i sit here now im drinking Cotswold 3.8% lager. Its hardly the finest but im enjoying it and it takes me back to the catacombs of the pilsner urquell brewery, where you get unfiltered, unpasturised urquell from the wooden fermentation cask.
Anyway rant over. Get on your lager chaps!
Chin chin
Tom
4 Comments to “The love of lagers”
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Can’t beat a good lager. Unfortunately so many people have had bad experiences with overly fizzy, tasteless lout that they won’t try a proper lager either. Tell them it’s not meant to be as fizzy as soda water and they won’t believe you.
Chin Chin,, I say to slap yo with your own motto. Spot on with lagers in the Czech Republic are fantastic and the majority of others do pale in comparison. I do find myself dragging by the draft selection as I enter a new establishment, or even my own local to see what there is to offer. So you are not alone…just revel in the fact that you do not live in a beer wasteland.
I’ve had 3 good lagers in my life; 2 were Czech and the other the gorgeous Scottish Harviestoun Schiehallion.
In Britain, you simply do not get the variety and depth of flavour in a lager that you get from a good bitter. Blonde bitters (eg Golden Pippin) are generally far better than lager. And most national brands of lager are truly dreadful.
I may have to visit the Czech Republic to see if you’re right.
I’ve had 3 good lagers in my life; 2 were Czech and the other the gorgeous Scottish Harviestoun Schiehallion.
In Britain, you simply do not get the variety and depth of flavour in a lager that you get from a good bitter. Blonde bitters (eg Golden Pippin) are generally far better than lager. And most national brands of lager are truly dreadful.
I may have to visit the Czech Republic to see if you’re right.