Lager is a German word meaning “to store” or (and this makes much more sense) “to lay down”
Written on 19 November 2008
As it’s the first BREW NEWS we thought we’d start with a feature on the world’s most popular beer style; Lager or Pilsener or Pils as it’s called in Europe.
Before the advent of refrigeration beer was stored in cool mountain caves to last through the summer months ( imagine the summer without beer!). Brewers also discovered that storage at low temperatures was extremely beneficial to the beer, producing a natural carbonation and cleaner, crisper finish. Yeasts that dropped to the bottom during fermentation were also preferred, this is why Lagers are also known as bottom fermented beers.
These lagers still looked nothing like the Lagers we enjoy today for they were still very dark in colour. It wasn’t until 1842 in a the little Czech town of Plzen that malt was kilned at low temperatures, allowing the malt to complete the process without colouring. This led to the clear golden colour we know today. It was a great success and the method quickly spread to neighbouring countries.
Here’s some Aussie examples and the real deal mentioned above.