Five on Five: Lager Recs from the Pros

Huh. Nothing from Pennsylvania. Go figure.

@FBarber
@jesskidden

 

Never heard of any of the breweries that these pros come from and looking through BA I see very few reviews of their beers so they must not make sought after beers, which means their recommendations don't mean much to me.

 

What's the purpose of this article when they name 5 beers that I have no chance of finding in my stores or of finding without a lot of travel or trade effort, and they name 5 brewers who I don't know and wonder about their knowledge? The article tells me all I need to know when it says "brewers’ favorite lagers run the gamut," and that statement is no surprise. A least they didn't give me any pop-up click-bait ads, although there are a fair amount of ads to look past. (Yeah, I'm grumpy today.)

 

Even Augustiner and Schlenkerla? I know for sure they're available to me locally.

 

Hate to say it but the fact they don’t have a huge following on BA means nothing in the grand scheme of beer quality or hype. It’s tough to imagine you’ve never heard of Enegren especially in the last year or so with the way lagers have gained in popularity. They definitely make some great stuff worth trying. Cheers.

 

Harley, are you able to purchase these beers in Michigan?

I was under the impression these beers are only sold/distributed in California.

Cheers!

 

I’ve received Enegren in trade and was blown away by the quality and diversity of their styles.

 

KC Bier is a quality German brewery, not the type people trade for.

I constantly see users complain about the lack of quality bocks on shelves. Fortunately, KC Bier has made that a non-issue here. If you enjoy clean lagers and traditional German styles, it should be a destination. They even give us a quality Eisbock or two every year, and for less than $15 per 6 pack.

FWIW, Pivo Project is also very new. They have been open for less than a year. Their 'parent' brewery - BKS Artisan Ales - has been open just past five years now. They only recently started turning out lagers on a consistent basis, giving way to a lager brand separate from "Artisan Ales."

 

Here’s to having quality lager breweries available to you at home as well as seeking out the latest from around the country.

 

You beat me to it. Steve Holle, founder of KC Bier Co., has a great reputation and so does his brewery. Even living here in Georgia I am aware of them. They have limited distribution, so that's why you don't see their beers outside of their region. I'd kill to get my hands on their beers.

 

Oh, that explains it.

Cheers!

 

Looking at their reviews it looks like most people haven't heard of Enegren either. If one review by single person is enough to convince you something is good then that makes sense why you would listen to these "pros" who mostly have a single review of their beers. Everyone has different taste perceptions so if a beer has a lot of positive reviews then I am more inclined to believe it. One person reviews may be by that person's mother.

 

Regarding the conversation above - In this case, it doesn't really matter much if you aren't familiar with (and therefore don't trust) the people making the recommendations. Augustiner Lagerbier Hell, Mönchsambacher Lagerbier and Schlenkerla Helles all have a stellar reputation and are basically considered modern classics in an environment like BA... but for the most part, you can only get one of them in the US (note that the other two were recommended by European brewers). Enegren has recently developed a great reputation for lagers. I am not familiar with the reputation of BKS and have only heard of them this year... but this is the one case in the list of a brewer selecting a beer from their state. If you are lucky enough to see any of these in a store in your area, it’s probably worth a shot. As a result of the way the market has developed, most lists like this are populated by beers the average consumer can't buy in their market. You can't use them as shopping lists.

Personally:
Of the imports - I’ve never had the Augustiner but would love to… I would be thrilled to have the Mönchsambacher again... and the Schlenkerla Helles is wonderful (I desire the bottles of it over the cans... but the bottles aren't dated). I’ve had very little from Enegren, but loved what I had and would try any other lager from them (and I’m not automatically thrilled with the work of the new blood US lager specialists). I have never had anything from BKS.

@herrburgess

 

Agreed 100%. My point is that just because there’s limited reviews on BA doesn’t mean it’s a poorly received beer or that a truly limited amount of people have had it. I respect that you respect the taste of fellow BA’s and the data you come across on this site. I’m just saying, the data you come across on this site truly represents a small minority of beer drinkers across the spectrum and is not absolute by any means. Cheers.

 

https://www.binnys.com/beer/lagers/...ntent_3ed027ca-8c01-439c-af93-167169e38028_en
Close second, but out of my budget at those prices.

 

They are ubiquitous in southern/ central California. Like 6 packs in the gas station status. And I would echo that my limited experience would lead me to grab anything from them without hesitation.

As to the value of an article like this, isn't it just typical beer nerd stuff? Probing the preferences of professionals in a topic you're interested in? While it may put some names on your radar it seems like it's mostly just about exploring what kind of thing pro brewers enjoy and why

 

I never see either of them at my favorite store which doesn't have a very good import section. I'll have to look closer at my second favorite store where the selection is better. (Their website tells me they carry the Rauchbier Ur-bock, and another of their locations carries that one plus another brand, but they're both out of stock.)

Back before I retired, and before I really got into German beers, I traveled throughout the state and I recall buying some Schlenkerla, but I also traveled northern Indiana and greater Chicago too and may have bought it then. But I don't think I've ever had or seen an Augustiner beer in my travels, but again I wasn't into German beers back then and would not have been looking.

Schlenkerla's website tells me that Rave & Associates in Ann Arbor is their Michigan distributor, but Rave's website doesn't list any representation of Schlenkerla (or Augustiner). Go figure! (I didn't try to verify on the Augustiner site if Rave is also the distro for them.)

 

FWIW I see these beers very often at my local Retail Beer Distributor since the US importer (Global Village Importers) rents office space there. Given that there are no dates on the bottles I personally refuse to purchase these beer despite the fact they are not as exorbitantly prices elsewhere. I can purchase six-packs for around twelve bucks but if they they refuse to date I refuse to buy.

Cheers!

 

Let’s say for a minute that these were all hyped breweries with highly sought after hazy IPAs or pastry stouts, would that lend their recommendations more clout?

I’m in the camp that hopes the steady increase in lager love doesn’t lead to that! Please give me more under-the-radar selections, even if they’re hard to find!