Michael Donaldson explains the joy that can
be found in a finely made lager…

Summer means one thing to me: lager.

Lager? It gets dissed by many people in craft beer circles but I think that’s narrow-minded – after all there’s a reason that lager is the most popular beer style in the world. And I think that’s also the reason that so many people claim to hate lager; it’s a victim of its own success.

When the weather turns hot, lagers rule. They are light, refreshing, and yes (definite cliché alert), crisp and thirst-quenching.

But be warned, there are some lagers that are better than others, and that’s all to do with where the beer gets its name. Lager comes from the German word “to store” and a good lager not only has to be brewed precisely, but also has to have a long conditioning period, often up to six weeks. That conditioning period helps produce the trademark smoothness of a great example.

In some ways, you can see where the lager “haters” are coming from. Because it is such a globally dominant commodity it’s also mostly uniform – giant brands tend to mass-produce templated beer that is designed to offend as few people as possible. Hence accusations of lager being “industrial” or “corporate” can be somewhat justified by the craft drinker.

But to bag lager as boring, or as bland is to not understand the beauty of a great one. To an extent, lager is about minimalism but that simplicity doesn’t mean dumb or watered-down: think of great Japanese architecture, the writing of Raymond Carver or the movies of Ingmar Bergman. A lack of showiness or ostentation doesn’t mean a lack of class.

In fact, lager done well is as tasty and refreshing as any beverage on the planet. That honey-grain malt, the smooth body, the prickle of carbonation, the lightweight mouthfeel, the spike of late bitterness that washes away any lingering sweetness and lets you start the cycle all over again with the next swig.

Couple that lighter taste profile with a sub-5% ABV and you’ve got a beer that allows the opportunity for a convivial few without leaving your tastebuds overwhelmed and your brain soporific. Try doing a few 6.8% IPAs on a hot day — you’ll soon be asleep.

All the main craft breweries in New Zealand now have at least one lager in their portfolio… and why wouldn’t they make something that many people like drinking? While many sit at around the 5% ABV, I think there’s some virtue in having a beer closer to 4%, because in a 330ml can that’s one standard drink per can.

Some of my favourites include Parrotdog Lager: basically a hat-tip to Steinlager, with the same taste profile thanks to the distinctive Green Bullet hop. At 4.5% it’s at a slightly lower ABV than a 5% Steinie but you still get all the classic flavours.

Also worth picking up when you see them are McLeod’s Longboarder Lager, Three Boys Lager (which won the Trophy as the Best Lager at this year’s New Zealand Beer Awards), 8-Wired Mahu Lager and Emerson’s Underground Lager. And, of course you can’t go past a Steinie Classic after a hard day’s work!

Michael Donaldson is a Beer Writer of the Year, journalist and author

beernation.co.nz