IMBIBE: LAGERS FOR SUMMER & DRINKS NEWS

When it comes to summer suppin’, you can’t beat a lager, writes NIKKI BIRRELL

It could be argued that the best part of doing work outside on a hot summer’s day is the lovely, crisp, cold beer at the end of it, and none is so refreshing as a lager. Or a pale lager, to be more specific – the most widely drunk beer around the world. While some ale enthusiasts have given pale lager a bit of a bad reputation, dismissing it as flavourless mass-market swill, craft brewers are proving otherwise and turning this perception on its head with some delicious examples.

So what’s the difference between a lager and an ale? Nearly all beers can actually be categorised as either a lager or an ale. The difference between them is the yeast used and the fermentation method; lagers use a bottom-fermenting yeast and are fermented at cooler temperatures for a longer time than ales, which results in the less fruity, clean taste they’re known for.

Within those two categories there are many different styles – peruse the beer aisles and you’ll find a dizzying array, especially of ales, but lager, too, has its share, including dark, heavily hopped or boozy higher alcohol varieties.

Within the lager style you’ll find sub-categories; perhaps the most widely known is pilsner. This lager is named after Pilsen, the Czech town where it was first brewed by German brewer Josef Groll in 1842; he used Saaz hops to produce a clear, golden, crisp beer with a spicy hop taste.

Other lager styles include helles, which has a maltier and breadier flavour, and Japanese rice lager, characterised by absolute clarity and a dry finish.

A good brewery, craft or otherwise, will produce a clean, crisp, smooth, mellow lager with a highly refreshing drinkability factor that’s hard to beat on a sunny day.