20 lager styles and how to identify them
The diversity of lager is oft-overlooked. Here are 20 lager styles and how to recognise them to help showcase the category’s broad appeal.
Lager, as a style, it seems has been sorely mistreated by buyers, stockists and bar and restaurant operators alike. But the people who control fridge, tap and shelf space are becoming better educated. While beer fans are looking for refreshing and interesting styles, many are assessing a variety of lagers that meet their needs.
Is your beer list lagging behind the trend? It’s time to get clued up and reassess what you know or don’t know about lager. Our palates depend upon it. Below is a basic guide of 20 (in alphabetical order) to get you started.
Amber, dark kellerbier and rotbier
Sporting a range of colours from amber, red through to dark brown in colour, these lagers are cloudy if unfiltered, but often very well-balanced. A few offer up some malt sweetness on the palate and they generally have low carbonation and a low level of diacetyl. For rotbiers (red lagers), sometimes brewers have chosen to dally with barrel-ageing, which means they may present a subtle vanilla or caramel aroma.
American lager
Pale straw-yellow in colour and usually only moderately hopped, sometimes using rice or corn in the grain mix and with a lot of carbonation giving extra effervescence. These lagers are often relatively accessible to all, with balance and ultimate refreshment being the primary aim, but served very cold and without producing much of a finish.
Bock
Traditional bocks can often range from being copper to some being extremely dark in colour, and traditionally offer up toasty flavours and caramel notes.
Czech lager
These are lagers that have been influenced by Czech Pilsners and can sometimes include a sub-style called spezials. Often yellow-gold in colour, these lagers have toasted grain and floral, herbal and grassy aromas, with a slight tang of hops. A light amount of diacetyl is acceptable within this style, but only if it complements the finish.
Dark lager
These can be anything from dark copper in colour through to deep, dark brown, and have chocolate and coffee notes on the nose. The hops here play a vital role in creating balance. The sub-styles of dark lagers include dunkel, schwarzbier and tmavy ležák.
Doppelbock
Amber to dark chestnut brown in colour, with a malty backbone and a smooth body, this lager has notes of lightly toasted breadiness, and hints of caramel and toffee. It has a gentle finish and its ABV is typically higher than 7%.
Dortmunder
Gold in the glass and with rich and mellow toasted malt on the nose; sometimes with spicy hops and some light citrus on the palate. A low level of sulphur is also acceptable here, as long as it remains complementary to the overall balance.
Helles and Münchener
These can be light yellow or even bright gold in colour, and showcase the sweetness of malt, along with a gentle, floral hop note. The overall style of beer is very clean-tasting and has a long, enduring finish. A sub-style for these can also include Austrian märzen.
Hoppy Pilsener
Ranging from pale gold to light amber in colour, these are lagers that have often been dry-hopped, usually with fairly ostentatious New World varieties that can lean into citrus, floral, fruit or pine cone aromas. The overall style has complexity, however, as its interplay between maltiness and hop bitterness dances together. This category can include India ale lager as a sub-style.
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Light lager
These are lagers that either have no alcohol or are commonly understood to have an ABV that is 3% or under, and also might have been specifically brewed to have a low carbohydrate and therefore lower calorific content.
Maibock and helles bock
Golden- or amber-hued lager that has a grain-led, light toastiness that is delicate on the nose and well-balanced, although it may have light DMS (dimethyl sulphide). The overall brew is clean-tasting and has a moderately dry finish. The alcohol can vary, but can sometimes be up to 8% ABV.
North German Pilsner
Bright yellow to gold in colour and with a soft foam head, with slight floral aromas from noble hops and a well-balanced bitter citrus finish.
Oktoberfestbier and märzen
Seasonal-style lagers that are anything from golden to amber in colour and have clarity, clean, crisp flavours and sometimes a toasty sweetness. The hop character can often be restrained and the finish can be dry.
Pilsner
Sporting a pale straw or light golden hue, these have a light grain aroma and sometimes sport floral or citrus notes. They have a crisp mouthfeel, with nuances of both toasted grain and juicy, refreshing citrus. They often have a dry finish and sometimes a lingering bitterness.
Poltomavý
Amber in colour and Czech in origin, the term poltomavý actually means ‘half-dark’ and is commonly understood to be a halfway house between a Pilsner and a dark lager. It has toasty, bready aromas and a rich, malt-forward palate with a medium finish.
Rauchbier (smoked beer)
This can be amber through to dark brown in colour and has a smoky aroma and flavour due to the malt used having been dried over beech wood flames. The resulting lager is like märzen in appearance and yet any restrained character is somewhat muted by the presence of smokiness.
Strong lager
From bright gold through to dark brown on the eye, this style also includes dunkler doppelbock, doppelbock and eisbock. The style has a big, bold alcoholic nose and a medium to full body, with notes like chocolate, dry fruits and coffee. This style can vary in strength, ranging from 7.5% ABV to 14% ABV.
Vienna lager
A lager that is amber in colour and yet has a gentle aroma that has light notes of toasty malt and a little caramel. The finish is long and has malt at the beginning, before giving way to a light bitterness and dryness for its finale. The overall lager is crisp, clean and moreish.
Zoigl
A German style of lager that can be anything from gold to amber in hue and is sessionable and easy-drinking, with a hint of citrus on the palate. This style has historically been made in communal breweries and can often be unfiltered too.
Zwickl and kellerbier
Proving to be anything from pale to light amber in colour, this can sometimes be cloudy if unfiltered and frequently more on the hoppy side. The style can often taste a lot like an unfiltered Pilsner. In a few instances, malt sweetness can be detected, as can a slightly bitter finish that makes the drinker want to dip back in. The style can have a rather high carbonation too and show a low level of diacetyl.
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