Lagers are Craft Beer's Next Looming Trend

Jul. 24, 2015

American craft beer consumers historically favor big and flavorful ales. Look at any top beer list and you’ll see an alarming amount of IPAs, barrel-aged Stouts, tart Sours and fruity Belgians dominating beer menus and store shelves.

Recently though, the flavor pendulum has started to swing back the other way, as consumers are beginning to seek out the clean, crisp and flavors of lagers and Pilsners.

Lagers, a style of beer that uses bottom-fermenting yeast and is conditioned at colder temperatures, remains the most widely consumed style of beer in the country. The top 20 best-selling beers in 2014 are all lagers, according to Chicago-based research firm IRI.

While Lagers dominate the beer landscape around the world, the style in the U.S. is most often associated with macro beers, which until recently caused craft beer drinkers to pass over the style and purchase an ale instead. Consumers however, are finally educated enough about what a true, well-crafted lager should taste like, which is changing their perception of the style.

Unlike heavily hopped IPAs and syrupy sweet barrel-aged stouts, lagers are brewed to be clean, refreshing and feature delicate flavors. In fact, most U.S. lagers are brewed under the Reinheitsgebot purity law, which states that nothing but water, hops, malted barley and yeast is allowed in the beer. These beers can’t hide any of the off-flavors that might be found lurking in there. It takes an incredibly skilled and patient brewmaster to create a brilliant Lager, and consumers are growing more appreciative of that craftsmanship.

As the evolution of the fast growing craft market segment continues, breweries are pushing the reinvention of lagers and Pilsners as a way for the craft market to expand its market share. Pilsners along have taken a huge chunk of the market share, as sales of the style have grown 56% between January 2014 and January 2015. The reason is that Pilsners hit that sweet spot for many drinkers between sessionability and fuller flavor. Pilsners are also one of the more spicy, floral members of the lager family, making them a nice bridge for new lager drinkers and macro drinkers looking to move up to a premium craft beer.

The consumer demand for more lagers in the market hasn’t fallen on deaf ears. Breweries across the country have added lagers to their portfolios, brewing everything from the pale and clear Helles to the dark as night Schwarzbier. There will still be plenty of consumers ordering big, heavy, over-the-top beers, but craft breweries are now using approachable craft lagers to turn on domestic drinkers to craft beer.

The Wirtz Beverage craft beer portfolio contains a wide-selection of both ales and lagers. Here are a few of our lagers that we are really enjoying right now. Contact your Sales Consultant to explore our whole portfolio.

Anchor California Lager
Style: Premium Lager ABV: 4.9% IBUs N/A

Made in San Francisco with two-row California barley, Cluster hops and Anchor's own lager yeast, this all-malt brew is kräusened and lagered in the cellars. Its golden color, distinctive aroma, creamy head, balanced depth of flavor, and smooth finish make Anchor California Lager a delicious choice.

Sierra Nevada Nooner Pils
Style: German Pilsner ABV: 5.2% IBUs: 38

Nooner is Sierra Nevada's take on the classic German-style pilsner--one of the original session beers. Nooner is easy drinking yet packed with the big flavor of spicy and floral whole-cone hops. Its brilliant golden color begs you to take a sip and sink your taste buds into an extremely welcoming beer, full of flavor and balanced by a crisp, dry finish.

Ballast Point Brewing Co. Longfin Lager 
Style: Helles Lager ABV: 4.5% IBUs: 18

Inspired by the Helles Style from Germany, this very light colored Lager is big on malt flavor. With the reserved use of hops in bittering, this crisp Lager has the aroma, and flavor of fresh baked bread thanks to the German produced Pilsner Malt. 

Full Sail Pilsner
Style: Pilsner ABV: 6% IBUs: 60

Inspired by classic European Pilsners, this beer is really a celebration of the fresh, local Cascade hops grown in the Pacific Northwest. Full Sail Pilsner has intense aromas of citrus and pine, supported by a medium body and dry malty palate. 

Uinta Brewing Co. Baba Black Lager
Style: Schwarzbier ABV: 4% IBUs: 32 

German Schwarzbiers prove that not all dark beers are strong and heavy. This full-flavored lager is exceptionably drinkable and pitch black in color, with subtle notes of toasted bread, dried fruit and cold brew coffee. At only 4% ABV Baba is the perfect lager to drink during any season.