Breweries that don't lager their "lagers"

Safe to say its an ale if its not lagered.

 

Pretty sure not many breweries in the US these days are actually storing the beer in caves to ferment at colder temperatures...we have glycol controlled containers for that. But I would be shocked if breweries were using say ale yeast and simply calling it a lager.

Edit: that would be quite a lapse in integrity... let alone brains.

 

It is often more expensive and takes more time to put out a genuinely "Lagered" beer over one that hasn't been. Perhaps some breweries are skipping this step. IMO, still a lager because it used a bottom fermenting yeast.



Anchor doesn't lager and still uses an lager yeast but the end result is somewhat different that a "Lagered" beer.

 

I'm not sure. Quite honestly, I've never heard of this. But if in fact this practice is going on, I think it'd be safe to say that the brewery is simply doing it incorrectly. What matters however is the final product. Have you tried one of the lagers he claimed could have been made incorrectly? If so, what was it like?

 

If I had to guess, I'd say at least half (probably way more than half) of all lager producing breweries don't lager their lagers.

 

From my hometown, here is a Bohemian Pilsener by Tin Man Brewing Co. that does just that:
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28567/89166

The pic was most recently there on the BA profile in addition to the "Pilsener" classification (now listed as an "American Blonde), but it was just removed the other day...... mysteriously. On the website (http://www.tinmanbrewing.com/), it's still listed as a Czech Pilsener.

 

Meanwhile....isn't it "pilsner"? What's with the extra e?

 

bottom fermenting yeast =/= lager

someone post the link to that rant again please

 

German Pronunciation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilsner (check out the "also")
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style/41
https://www.beeradvocate.com/ratebeer/?path=/beerstyles/pilsener/4/

 

It's listed as an American Blonde because I suggested the change to BA. I've already said pretty much all there is to say about Tin Man, but the most important reason that Circuit can't possibly be considered a pilsner is because they brew it with ale yeast. Simple as that.

 

T

Thx for the education. Who says drinking isn't educational?

 

Thanks for doing that. "German Bohemian" should be self explanatory to any brewer/home brewer. BTW, I dig your work: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22274/view=beerfly

 

No need. It's just that saying top fermented beer = Ale and bottom fermented beer = Lager is no more than a rough rule of thumb, it works in many cases but is hopeless as a definition.Like saying that Americans are people who live in the US which ignores foreign residents and Americans living abroad.Generally but not always true.
What has happened though is the distinction above has been forced into a definition by many people.It's found so often that whenever it's questioned there are masses of references thrown back at you.Show them sources showing otherwise and you are told "We have redefined the words "ale" and "lager" and in any case words change their meaning"

 

budweiser. they just use club soda and rice.

 

Not sure why you say Anchor doesn't lager. If you go on a tour of the brewery, you'll see that 90% of the ground floor is taken up by refrigerated conicals with a layer of frost on them. I seem to remember that the guides mentioned 30 days of cold storage. Sounds like lagering to me.

Maybe you're thinking of the "warm" primary fermentation -- done at ambient temperatures in a shallow, open pool-like vessel. That's certainly not the way lagers are fermented.

 

Spot on. Their site verifies this. I just wish anchor wouldn't pasteurize their beer. Pasteurization is the death of beer!

 

Without more information on what the rep was calling a proper lager time, then it is hard to say. There are many time-temperature profiles used to make lagers. Some are faster than others.

Of course, I have had cloudy lagers. I have also had ales that were not properly matured. Small breweries have to keep beer on tap.

 

What are they doing instead? How would one "cheat" the lagering process?