Elevating Premium Lager

Todd asked: “Any other strategies…?”

I have one: how about brewing a tasty beer like they did in America ‘back in the day’. And for JK’s benefit, ‘back in the day’ means latter 1800’s. A beer like Pabst Select (later renamed Pabst Blue Ribbon) circa 1893. We homebrewers call these beers Classic American Pilsner (CAP). I have a batch of CAP that I will be bottling later this week.

A CAP would be brewed with adjuncts but perhaps at a more modest level (I choose to use 20% of the grain bill as corn). They would also be much more hoppy in all three phases (i.e., bittering, flavor and aroma). A CAP would be much more flavorful than contemporary AAL beers (e.g., Bud).

Given that a CAP would be a super-premium product with more flavor the craft breweries could justify charging a price greater than contemporary AAL beer prices.

There are some CAP beers being brewed but on a limited basis (e.g., rotating, limited distribution):

“Examples of Classic American Pilsners

There are few examples of commercially brewed CAP beers. They tend to be only available in limited regions and sometimes on a rotating basis: Straub 1872 Pre-Prohibition Lager (Pennsylvania), Fort George 1811 Pre-Prohibition Lager (Oregon), Short’s Pontius Road Pilsner (Michigan), Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. Rocket 100 (Texas), Upland Champagne Velvet (Indiana), and Fullstream Paycheck Pilsner (North Carolina).”

https://www.morebeer.com/articles/Pilsen_Beer

Another beer I can think of to add to the above is Von C Brewing’s OG Pils which they market as being similar to the original Schmidt’s beer from the 1800’s.

I am sure that some BAs could come up with other examples (in their area) to add to the above list.

Cheers to CAP beers!

 

To me, there are some X factors that aren't covered. I can think of plenty of breweries that feature all 4 of those things in spades yet their lagers aren't particularly good. IMO one of the most important factors is brewing expertise and experience brewing lagers. As they always used to say, "there's nowhere to hide flaws in a lager." You also have plenty of places trying to add their own personal spin on the concept and creating new flaws as a result. It's not to say that brewing other styles is easier or whatever, but I don't think the same skillset or mentality works across all styles. There are absolutely plenty of places that can do everything well, but there are a lot more that don't. I want to celebrate the places that not only follow these 4 factors, but also make good quality lagers that have minimal issues.

 

Fair State Brewery in Minneapolis , does all four categories IMO ,and has been doing it since day 1 with lagers and now a kolsch
Fair State Pils $10.99 4/16 (highest quality) printed on can
Cracking Foamers $15.99 12/12
Kold - Kolsch $10.49 6/12
All outstanding week priced and available on the shelf.

Another brewery Utepils in Minneapolis does the same.

 

Probably why all of these fruited and highly-American-hopped lagers are the new thing. Can't hide it, cover it up!

 

Definitely some of 'em. With others, I think it's brewers who are trying to put their personal "spin" on something and it just doesn't work. Occasionally it does, too. I'm all for celebrating that. My only personal issue is when they toss around classic style names like pilsner and such with those beers. At a certain point a beer ceases to be a pilsner when the ingredients and the entire flavor profile change. Call it something else.

 

Those are valid points. Brewing lagers is not harder per se but there are indeed more process steps needed and attention to detail is paramount here. Many of today's craft brewers started off as homebrewers making ales, with homebrewing lagers often more of an afterthought for a variety of reasons.

For smaller craft breweries there is also the consideration that brewing ales can be a more profitable venture for the business and maybe this skews priorities?

Cheers!

 

Well, there is a business/marketing issue here IMO. It seems that the word "Pilsner" is the 'it' beer when it comes to lagers. I would be willing to bet that is a fair portion of the craft beer consumer market who think that Pilsners are 'separate' from the category of Lager.

I have noticed that a growing gimmick is to expand Pilsners into a variety of sub-styles. A few years ago it became popular to label beers as being Italian Pilsners. More recently other geographical names have been used: New Zealand Pilsner, Alsatian Pilsner, Polish Pilsner,...I have yet to see a beer labeled as Mexican Pilsner but I suspect that is only a matter of time.

As long as there are folks who 'respond' to the word "Pilsner" I personally do not envision craft breweries stopping from abusing that term, despite my desire they do so.

Cheers!

 

No doubt. I think we all know where this is going, though. It's bad enough that "India Pale" or even just "IP..." means hoppy in the beer world. I'd like to shout from the rooftops now rather than wait for other ridiculous terms to take hold.

 

Athletic has a genius brand/company name for NA beer, so that is ticked. Now if the US authorities would allow the word "lager" on NA cans/bottles, we could see something good happening.

 

For the Lakes is not in the BA data base to date, so I might have to pick up a sixer and fix that.

 

If I want a quality lager fix I go German. If I want some cheap shit I’ll drink Miller or Coors.

If some American craft brewers wanted to crank out some stacked dopplebocks I’d be down, but I’m not going to pay premium price for a craft version of an AAL

 

I haven't seen it yet, but I have a full fridge of other stuff and am not looking too hard. I'm only going to get a single when I see it.

 

Would you be willing to pay more for a flavorful AAL (i.e., a Classic American Pilsner)?

Cheers!

 

I thought this thread was about Yuengling Premium !

 

For folks like you and me who live in PA.

It is my understanding this beer does not get distributed widely. It seems that everybody in the Yuengling distribution regions can obtain Traditional Lager and based upon the billboards (and other advertising) Flight is broadly distributed.

Cheers!

 

Jack, do you track the cost of ingredients for your homebrews, and if so, have you also brewed a more standard pilsner or AAL to know the percentage of extra cost for a premium lager? (Yeah I know we're not supposed to do math around here, but...)

 

Anything for you Tom!

Assuming a common original gravity (ABV) and the same proportions of malt/corn, the malt/grain cost will be the same. Yeast cost will be the same. The difference would be the cost of hops since for a CAP you need to use more hops.

I have never brewed a ‘regular’ AAL but below is a hoping schedule I would likely use for a 5 gallon batch (with assumed prices):

· For Bittering: ½ ounce Cluster hops - $1.25 (but you likely will need to purchase 1 ounce)

· Flavor hops? Yeah, let’s assume ½ ounce Saaz for last 10 minutes of boil - $1.19

For my CAP beers the hopping schedule:

· For Bittering: 1.75 ounces Cluster hops - $4.36

· For flavor: 1 ounce Hallertauer Mittelfrüh - $2.59

· For aroma (end of boil): 1 ounce Hallertauer Mittelfrüh - $2.59

So, the CAP costs about 7 bucks more to brew. A prudent expenditure IMO.

Cheers!

P.S. The prices above are sorta a worst case scenario since I assumed a purchase on a per ounce basis. I personally purchase hops in bulk (e.g., 8/16 ounce packages) so my personal costs would be a bit less.

 

So, what does that mean, really? The article suggests it is only "avoid(ing) adjuncts like rice and corn..." but that's really it? What about the use hop extract and/or hop pellets over whole dried hops? The latter used to be considered superior in the craft world, but that attitude seems to have died out (except for the few breweries who still follow it). The same for the use of purchased CO2 from non-brewing industry sources and artificially (oh, sorry - lets use the "craft" euphemism) "force carbonating" the beer. Not many "craft" brewers naturally carbonating their beers - it's difficult, time-consuming and ... oh, yeah... expensive.

As for those two "bad" adjuncts (which, for craft brewers, always omitted wheat or barley - why is that?), the reason for using them in US lager beers has been well-documented but I notice many of the craft neo-lager brewers, especially those making "rice/Japanese" lagers or "Mexican" ('aka' standard US-style AALs) are using adjuncts. In what form? Syrups? Sure, it's economical and easier if a brewery is not set up with a cereal cooker - but, wait, using ingredients or using processes because they're "cheaper/easier" is what the craft brewers always accused the macro & even the small old line US brewers of.

The article further suggests "shouting these premium ingredients to the heavens on the packaging and in the marketing has the opportunity to resonate, if executed well." So, somehow the cynical craft beer buyer, who has long ridiculed AAL label terminology like "finest grains" and "choicest hops" and "best malted barley", and especially this one:

...are going to accept craft brewers claiming the same thing?

 

Probably.

 

Not me. But I'm an old school, traditional, stick in the mud.

Nevermind I cut my teeth on those AALs and just got tired of thin, flavorless, dreck.