Why does everybody hate lagers?

As has been stated before I find it the exact opposite. Give me a good well balanced pilsner or Helles and I will happily sip and savor it for an hour dissecting the malt and the hop flavors, and how they play off of each other.

Looking into toasty/biscuity/grainy/grass malt flavors and trying to decide what spice, herbal, or floral flavors are in there.

Give me an IPA and after a couple of sniffs I'm done. I understand the hop flavors coming from it and I don't find much else during the drinking session.

Big stouts may be more of a savoring session but I stay away from most modern ones because they are way too sweet.

 

One of my Summer go to beers. So good and refreshing on a hot day

 

Right -- so probably not the way to be introduced to lager!

In all seriousness, you know I enjoy the Schlenkerla portfolio as much as a local, but I think a lager-novice should ease their way into it. If I'd had a Rauchbier as my first lagerbier, it probably would have taken me a while to ask for another of the same family of beers.

Exactly.

Then again, someone who enjoys Imperial Stout is bound to like a good Doppelbock, and maybe a lager-novice has really enjoyed a smoked Porter, so Schlenkerla Ur-Bock might be a nice comparison?

 

Now there's a good start. And it sounded like you hadn't taken that first step.

 

Maybe smoked Märzen isn’t a good start, try Schlenkerla Hellesbier instead.

 

Which shows some folks are just gluttons for punishment.

 

You can bring a horse to lager...

 

I wouldn't touch lagers for a while. I had a bunch of leftover pabst, bud light and a few coors light I've been drinking. I think I prefer coors light of the 3 brands. Pabst is just a little sweet and bud light just doesn't taste good to me, can't explain why... I'll drink the rest, but meh. Coors light didn't have great taste, but it wasn't offensive either. Pretty flavorless, which is fine on a hot day. Coors light used to be my go to before craft, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by my preference. As for craft lagers, I'll try one here and there to expand my horizons.

 

Anheuser Busch is still a quality brewery. And Budweiser is still a quality beer, arguably one of the highest quality beers one can buy.

It's just not in a style most craft lager lovers prefer.

 

They actually brew quite a few "less hoppy" more "traditional" lagers. House Lager, Sunny Ridge, Red Tape, and Copper Legend just to name a few.

Oh, and their new Kellerbier series has been phenomenal.

While that's an awesome beer, if you haven't been to Germany you should go. You'll probably have a few "6's".

And they'll probably respond with, "People in the US drink our beers?"

 

Eh -- they've been in the U.S. for quite a while (over 30 years in my own experience), pretty sure they know. If only they didn't owe their souls (or something) to Merchant du Vin.

 

Thanks for confirming that there are too many people who equate "lager" only with the American Adjunct derivative.

 

Go out and find a bar with some classic German or Czech imports on tap. That might change your opinion on lagerbier.

 

Do you prefer Jever because it's drier/hoppier than Rothaus (at least to my palate)?

 

Yeah, when I read that i'm just like "oh no!"... Hopefully he finds a nice, PROPER lager soon... Well done examples simply can't be beat by any style, as far as i'm concerned.

 

While I agree with most of your post, this part isn't universally true. Nightshift had to drop Pfaffenheck (their Pils) from their regular line-up because it simply wasn't selling well. While not a lager, this happened with the Furth as well (their Hefeweizen).

I would guess most breweries' best selling beer is some type of New England pale/IPA. Notch is different in that they've carved out a niche market. Just like Allagash's best selling beer is Allagash White.

I don't know, the best lagers I've ever had can be just as, if not more flavorful than some other styles. Sure, those other styles punch you in the face right away, but the depth of flavor of a fine Pilsner can come through if you take your time to pick out the flavors. And personally I still get "punched in the face" by Pils malt from a stellar Pilsner when I find one.

 

I'm guessing he hasn't read through the thread.

It's all about expectations. If you're expecting an IPA you'll think you've been gyped. If you know what good malt with the right amount of hop "spicing" tastes like, a fresh Ayinger Jahrhundert or HB Dunkel will make you smile. And it doesn't need to hit you over the head, either.

 

It also sucks when you expect a solid Pils malt profile and you get hit over the head with hops.

That makes me grimace.

 

And that's happening all too much these days. "We'll make it taste just like our IPA and everyone will love it!" But we're calling it a Pils, and it doesn't taste like a Pils. "But it will sell like crazy!"

Yeah, until the fad dies fast.

 

Did they not sell in the taproom though or was it the off premise sales that didn't warrant (can) distribution anymore? My memory of that thread over in the NE forum is, ahem, hazy but I recall seeing at least Furth on tap last time I was there.