Lager-Only Craft Breweries

I appreciate the clarification- this would seem to me to indicate that Metropolitan Brewing here qualifies as lager-only.

 

Once again, it's all on how you define "lager." If you stick strictly to a bottom-fermented beer; which is the most oft used definition, then Metro isn't lager-only. Yes, they "lager" their top-fermented beers, but they don't use a lager yeast to brew them.

Convoluted and confusing these days, yes, but the differences in styles are obvious when you taste them side-by-side.

 

I like how Michael Jackson described the two beer styles of Kolsch and Altbier:

“Kolsch: Cologne's style. Golden top-fermenting, layered. Softly drinkable, with a delicate fruitiness 4.3-5.0 by volume.”

“Altbier: A German term for a top-fermenting brew. Classic examples, copper in colour, mashed only from barley malt, fermented from a single cell yeast and cold conditioned, with an alcohol content of 4.5-4.7 by volume, are made in Dusseldorf.

http://www.beerhunter.com/beerstyles.html

Michael made note that both a Kolsch and Altbier are fermented using top fermenting yeast (i.e., ale yeast). Many (all?) Kolsch and Altbiers brewed in Germany are lagered for a period post fermentation.

I personally consider Kolsch and Altbier to be hybrid styles; they are beer brewed with ale yeast strains but then often (all the time?) lagered after primary fermentation is complete. Since they are primary fermented with ale yeast strains they can have a fruity aspect like Michael Jackson mentions for Kolsch: “delicate fruitiness”.

Cheers!

 

Fair enough, but by their brewer(who spent a good deal of time in Germany where those beers are considered lagers if I understand the post I quoted correctly)'s definition and the definition quoted, they are a lager-only brewery. Maybe this category needs an asterisk?

 

Indeed it does, because the beers in Germany are not known as Lagers, but as Obergäriges Lagerbier -- literally, top-fermented stored beer.

If you read Ron Pattinson's writings he talks about Germany having a couple different meanings for Lagerbier:

What you can glean from that is Lager is a noun, Lagering is a verb.​

 

This is what happens when a group of people with more enthusiasm than knowledge decided that beers should be divided between ales and lagers according to yeast action.It's a bit like deciding that North America should be divided between the US and Canada according to whether it's north or south of the 49th parallel.Generally true but useless as a definition.
Only if you subscribe to this notion does Kolsch yeast becomes an ale yeast , to Germans it's just a top fermenting Kolsch yeast.Germans don't call any of their brews ales as they recognise that ales have a different provenance.

 

Blue Stallion in Lexington KY makes mostly german style lagers and british ales. Haven't been to it yet.
http://bluestallionbrewing.com/about/

 

Brevard Brewing Company in Brevard, NC. They make on of the best Czech pilseners I've ever had. Their American premium lager is killer too.

 

I did a bit of a "pseudo" rural mid PA beer shopping tour and found lots of German style brews from many PA small breweries. Made me think there's a pattern here? not sure. By the way that's my beer for the pic in Gun Powder's Pils

 

While I have enjoyed the visits I made there -- and tend to agree with you on the American Premium Lager -- did you really find their Bohemian Pils to be representative of the Czech pilsner style? I've been to Prague and the Czech Republic more than a dozen times, and have never tasted a pils there that resembles Brevard's example (which to my palate much more cllosely resembles an American APA in terms of grain bill and hopping).

 

Sorry Marquis -- I didn't realize my redundancy when I posted the same quote!

 

Being that I've never been to the Czech Republic and had one fresh directly from there, I can't really compare. I've had other examples of Czech pilsners but this is a style I still need to try more of and compare with German pilsners and become more familiar with.

 

“ …to Germans it's just a top fermenting Kolsch yeast.” That may be the case but the fact of the matter is that Kolsch yeast strains are ale yeasts.

Cheers!

 

Yea, that's a tough one. I have yet to find a single U.S. brewed example that gets close. Heard great things about Moonlight Reality Czech Pils, but it seems harder to obtain than flying to Prague and visiting a Tankova pub there.

 

Below is something I posted in a recent thread which may be helpful to you:

“I still don't feel I have a good example of a Czech pils …” I recall that you have had Pilsner Urquell; that is a stereotypical Bohemian Pilsner. My favorite imported Bohemian Pilsner is Golden Pheasant (Zlaty Bazant).

Some of the ‘features’ that distinguish a Bohemian Pilsner from a German Pilsner:

· A bit darker color: pale gold to deep burnished gold
· Saaz hop flavor/aroma
· Some restrained diacetyl may be present (it is present in Pilsner Urquell)
· Higher final gravity (fuller mouthfeel)
· They often have a more substantial malty backbone

Cheers!

 

my second favorite in OR behind Occidental Brewing.

 

The bad thing about an Urquell is a lot of them are skunked by the time they get over here. I would love to find some fresh or on tap. I've also had a Budweiser (you know, the real one) on draft that was excellent and fit the descriptions you said.

 

Is Budvar still in a brown bottle where available? I used to love Klaster, but it has totally disappeared- this is a beer that begs to be consumed!

 

Chuckanut in Bellingham, WA!

 

As part of the Pilsner Urquell freshness initiative they package the six-packs in fully enclosed ‘boxes’ (except for two smaller holes for carrying). In the past I have purchased Pilsner Urquell in big cans but it has been a while since I have seen the cans.

If you are willing to purchase by the case, Pilsner Urquell is fully enclosed in a case. They date the beers with a best by timeframe of 9 months so you can figure out the bottling dates from that information.

I would highly recommend that you purchase Golden Pheasant if you can find that beer. I prefer Golden Pheasant over Pilsner Urquell and I have never had a bad tasting Golden Pheasant (I have had the good fortune to not buy ‘old’ Golden Pheasant).

Cheers!

P.S. I have had a number of very good Bohemian Pilsners from brewpubs but needless to say that is a local to me thing.