Hoppy Lagers - Would you like more?

Not overly hopped but a nice 50 (ish) IBU grassy pils is a glorious thing. The Crisp and Prima Pils are my favorites.

 

I have, and I've been very happy with their beers. In general I think they do a great job, although their hoppier lagers have probably been among their weaker offerings...at least for my tastes. That said, being one of their weaker offerings is still better than like 90% of other beers out there. I think the muted finish for lagers just doesn't always work with big hops.

 

I can understand your view on that as someone who just enjoys an well made straight forward lager or pils.
However I do enjoy the heck out of Hoponious Union.

 

For those interested in this topic, but who still think that traditional lagers aren't hoppy, this thread from 2013 on the IBUs of contemporary German beer is worth reading.

I agree that the biggest difference is that what "hoppy" means in the US and in Germany (or what it meant 100 years ago) are quite different. Heck, even a few years ago hoppiness was more about the bitterness and is now more and more about the floral aromas and the flavor of late addition US hops, and that is what sets apart these new citrusy, aromatic hoppy lagers from the traditional bitter hoppy lagers.

Personally, I would like to see more brewers from areas of Germany (northern Germany, Franconia, etc) that traditionally brewed hoppy beers brewing their traditional beers, but upping the IBUs to get back to when their beers used to be hoppier (these numbers have been falling in recent years), and using fresh German hops. I would love to see what they come up with trying to maximize these beers using traditional ingredients and techniques, rather than just trying to imitate American IPAs with American hops. And if this already exists, please let us know the names of these beers and where I can get them.

I also wish I had paid more attention to these beers when I lived in Germany in the 90s. I drank mostly bocks and weizens at the time and missed out on so many beers. Youth is wasted on the young.

For now, I'll have to be satisfied with an upcoming fundraiser beer tasting with Jack Hendler at Jack's Abby. I guess that will have to do.

 

I also very much enjoy drinking Hoponious Union.

Cheers!

 

I see hoppy lagers as an interesting alternative to IPA's, and I'd gladly enjoy them more often if they were available, especially when I'm out at a bar or restaurant and I find an imbalanced draft list (i.e. 12 taps and 5 of them are IPA's).

I should also note that I feel that hoppy lagers require a bit more skill as a brewer in raw material selection, formulation, and production across the board; and that I feel these beers might require a little bit more care after leaving the brewery as they're generally a bit more refined.

 

Some German brewed beers that you might be interested in:

Waldhaus Ohne Filter Pils; below is a post from @PancakeMcWaffles on this beer:

“I am currently drinking the "Waldhaus Ohne Filter", the "Extra herb" seems to be quite rare, couldn't find that, although the supermarket had pretty much all of their beers, will check again next week and see if they have the extra herb.
Gotta say, their beer ain't bad, I'm very excited what kind of hops the extra herb has, because the normal one already has a strong hop flavour compared to many other german "naturtrüb pilsners"...
Here's the review: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/9510/17232

Schonramer Pils: http://www.beeradvocate.com/communi...e-bought-and-drunk.55872/page-21#post-1818376

Permit me to suggest a different ‘model’ within the context of Private Landbraueri Schönramn where they have already decided to reverse the present trend in Germany to lighten the use of hops. In my opinion, Private Landbraueri Schönram is brewing German beers as they were brewed only a few decades ago. I am uncertain whether the brewing of a German beer of circa 1980 is considered a “historical beer” but if it is then Eric Toft is brewing ‘old school’ German beers:

“Toft,…Since he has taken over as brewmaster at Private Landbraueri Schönram in 1998 he has gradually made the recipes his own, increasing hopping rates 10 to 15 percent on average, going against a trend in Germany. Brewery sales have more than doubled, again bucking a national trend.

Schönramer Pils, brewed with lower alpha aroma hops throughput, won medals at the European Beer Star competition in 2009, 2010, and 2011, and the World Beer Cup in 2012.”

Cheers!

 

I do love a good pilsner. I prefer the czech style but I rarely find American versions that are executed to my liking. Sam Adams Noble Pils and Foothills Torch Pilsner are two of my favorites, and SN Summerfest is pretty good too. I find that too many American versions are too grassy for me or don't get the hop character quite right.

Now, as to hoppy lagers. As a general rule, I think "take an existing style and throw in a bucket of hops" is often a lazy attempt at creativity in brewing. That said, when well-executed it can certainly work. I thought SN's Electric Ray IPL was the best of the Beer Camp 12-pack last year. I picked up a 6-pack of SN Hoppy Pilsner last week and was amazed at how much I wanted another. I am the kind of drinker that stays away from hop-forward beers during the cold weather months, but I think they got the balance just right on that beer. It's got really nice West Coast hop flavor while keeping the clean, crisp lager character as well. Good stuff!

 

I dig em, especially the Jack's Abby stuff. Wish it was available here in VA.

 

i'm fortunate to have jack's abby in my backyard and on tap everywhere here. so i drink quite a bit.

 

I like them, and I'd definitely drink more of them if they were readily available.

 

I am with Jack in that I think the choice of yeast does make a difference, and not just in the degree of attenuation; it's just that I see those types of IPLs as just another version of IPA- some more successful than others. (I'm pretty sure we already went 'round that rosemary bush once before, too.)

The other, more moderate approach (as you refer to it), does strike me as being potentially more interesting, though. Hopefully the success of beers like Pivo Pils or even the new SN Hoppy Lager will steer us even further in that direction.

For whatever it's worth, I generally lump all beers in the .7 BU:GU and higher range as being 'hoppy'.

 

Depends what sort of hoppiness, I guess. I like a lager with a good dose of European hops, but the ones made with new world hop varieties taste like IPAs to me so I don't see the point.

 

I just had Mass Rising on cask in Boston last week. Tasty and interesting .,..

 

I have to say I'm on board with that. I love well made lagers. And Jacks Abbey Hoponious definitely tastes like a IPA.
And SN Hoppy Lager does not. Its better balanced and actually some very good lager qualities. Someone posted above it has adjunct aftertaste to it. I believe this is someone who doesn't drink many lagers.
That being said I have great respect for the folks at Jacks. They specialize in lagers only and that's rare in craft right now.
I know they're not just throwing a bunch of hops in the kettle.

 

See @steveh, it's not just me!

 

Big thumbs-up from me too for Jack's Abby- they are one of the 'successful' ones I was thinking of.

 

I answered that I'd drink them slightly more often, because I drink a ton of them already! IPLs and (slightly) overhopped Pilsners are two of my favorite styles.

 

I respect your opinion.

 

No, no -- I was in agreement -- was just referencing another thread in which someone didn't find the SN Hoppy Lager to have very many lager qualities. I thought it did, though not without some rather generous hopping as well!