Lager

The world of beer is so much more than ales of all kinds. For folks who consider themselves hopheads, I have a newsflash: lager is an elegant and varied beer that is so much more than the fizzy stuff advertised at football games. As a lover of lagers, I'm so delighted by this book devoted to lagers (i.e. beer as opposed to ale).

It looks at lager in so many ways. The first part of book looks at history, both of beer in general, then at the development of lager and pilsner. The concluding chapters of this section do a phenomenal job of providing a history and analysis of American brewing.

The second section is tasting notes. The different aspects of tasting ;lagers, including proper glassware, is considered and then several styles are analyzed in detail. There is a table of information, including recommended serving temperature, for each style, followed by general tasting notes for it. This is followed by a listing of beers in this style, some with additional notes.

The third section of the book is aimed at home brewers. It has chapters on the process of making the mash, making the beer, and on the main ingredients. This is followed by recipes for the home brewer for beer in many of these styles. While this discussion was too technical for a non-brewer, kit does not detract from the value of this wonderful book.

It's certainly given me plenty ideas for my next trip to the liquor store!

There are many myths surrounding lager, that it's flavorless, lacking in depth or alcohol content, that it's easier and cheaper to make than ales or other types of fermented beers, that it has to be drunk ice cold to mask off flavors etc, etc. Author and editor of Zymurgy magazine and all around beer nerd and renaissance man Dave Carpenter begs to differ. This encyclopedic book contains a thorough treatise of lager and associated food and history.

Roughly the first 10% of the book deals with ancient history including the archaeological and historical evidence of very early brewing, malting, and the spread of brewing techniques and beer to Europe. The history chapters are well referenced with footnotes to provide further reading and reference hunting for the enthusiastic beer historians. I was tickled to read an ode to Ninkasi, the Sumerian goddess of brewing. There are also nifty pictures of cuneiform tablets and other relics of the very earliest brewing in the fertile crescent and Egypt.

Thereafter follows an interesting (really!) layman accessible treatise on the microbiology and chemistry of brewing. All of the terms are painlessly well defined and understandable. Even though I've been a home brewer for years, and I'm a professional bionerd by day, several things he says suddenly made a lot of sense to me. (He provides the best definition and explanation of selective pressure/re-pitching I've ever read).

Scattered throughout the book are tantalizing little sidebar snippets (fun facts!) about a variety of subjects. For example, I never knew why Anheuser-Busch uses beechwood strips boiled with baking soda in their aging process. That is explained very well in a sidebar in the book.


Sandwiched in the segue between the early history chapters and the regional food and brewing chapters is a discussion of the reinheitsgebot (500 year old purity law, some say the first food safety law ever).

Thence follows an information rich chapter about microbiology and refrigeration vis a vis lager yeast and brewing, pasteurization and other info which explains why the industrial revolution and refrigeration made modern lager possible and practical.

The book moves along through the ages to modern brewing history, especially as it relates to the USA, along with with marketing and market building, advertising campaigns and associations with sporting events.

Chapter 7 includes a very thorough essay on how to pour and enjoy lager. Most of us, even beer enthusiasts, pour our brew into glass and more or less call it a day. There are a lot of glass profiles which I've seen but wasn't really clear over when and where to use them. This chapter clears up any confusion.

Chapters 8 - 10 discuss the different types of lager, from old world pale and dark lagers to North American lagers (for better or worse). Each section includes specific examples along with comments on alcohol content, bitterness, color, etc.

Roughly the last 30% of the book is a tutorial on wort production, yeast selection, how-to and recipes for creating a wide range of different lagers based on or reminiscent of famous craft beers. There are 20 very well written recipes included which should keep the home brewer happily crafting for a long while.

After the recipe and tutorial section is a very useful chapter with further recommended reading and an exhaustive bibliography and index.

This is a solidly usable reference book and one that could definitely become a staple of any beer enthusiast's library. Really really useful. Since I'm a complete medieval recreation dork, I'm personally inspired to batch up some gruit in time for international gruit day (1st February). The recipe's in the book!

Five stars, I just don't see a book on this topic being better than this one.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.

Ale gets all the attention in the craft beer world but a fine lager is hard to beat. To learn more about this wonderful side of the beer spectrum, here's a look at Lager: The Definitive Guide to Tasting and Brewing the World's Most Popular Beer Styles by Dave Carpenter.

Ready to learn everything about lager? This is the guide for you. When Lager: The Definitive Guide to Tasting and Brewing the World's Most Popular Beer Style says "definitive", they mean it.

The book starts with a thorough history of lager beers, after outlining exactly what lager is. The history is far more detailed than you'll find in other references. There are three entire chapters on the history and evolution of lager before it even makes it's way to America. That's how detailed they get.

We then look at how both World Wars impacted beer, before the post-war era and the craft comeback.

Now that you've gotten a great history lesson, it's time to explore the many styles of lager, after a quick tasting lesson. 8 old world pale lagers, 8 old world dark lagers, along with 7 American styles are covered in detail.

Then it's time to brew. Lager wort production, fermentation, conditioning, and packaging are all wonderfully addressed before rounding things out with some commercial lager recipes.

This book has you covered beginning to end when it comes to lager and includes everything you need to know.

Even if you're a huge lager fan already, this book has much to offer. From history to style descriptions, homebrewing information and more. Lager: The Definitive Guide to Tasting and Brewing the World's Most Popular Beer Styles is sure to inform everyone.