What’s Essential in Brewing an American Lager?

The American lager is an interesting brew simply because of the divide it tends to cause in avid beer brewers and drinkers. While there are clearly many people who enjoy them, it can seem as though just as many people would rather they not even exist. There’s no doubting that lagers have strong supporters though. If you want to create one yourself, you might wonder what exactly is essential for brewing an American lager. Below, we’ll go over the key components of this divisive beer.

Good Lagering Yeast

Lager yeast and ale yeast are two very different beasts to tackle. You can’t even start brewing an American lager unless you’ve got the right lagering yeast. While you have plenty of choices on the market, many brewers prefer to go with a liquid lager yeast strain rather than a dry one because they tend to be more consistent in their results. That consistency is crucial for getting the clean taste of an American lager down perfectly.

Time and Patience

Timing is key for all fermenting processes but especially American lagers. You need to give them the right amount of time to ferment. It’s right in the name, in fact, as the word “lager” originally comes from a German word that means “to store,” referring to its long storage times. Lagers can take quite a few weeks to develop properly, even going into months, depending on your strain. Lager yeast is slow to work, partially because of the next point we’ll go over.

Consistent Temperature Control

American lagers need colder temperatures than most other beers you might be used to brewing. For this reason, you may want to consider putting your lager beer fermentation tanks in a colder environment like a basement or storage area. Even more importantly, you keep that colder temperature consistent throughout the fermentation process. Jacketed brewing tanks can help with keeping temperatures consistent over time.

Subtle Flavoring

For many people who enjoy American lagers, the draw comes from its incredibly clean and simple taste. Most American lagers don’t have overwhelming notes of different flavors to muddy up the simple taste they develop naturally. Be careful with the hops you use and how much of them you incorporate. Too strong, and you’ll end up ruining that crisp and clean finish that you’re going for. A little bit of subtlety is essential for brewing a successful American lager.

Craftmaster Stainless has all the brewing equipment you could need to start brewing your own American lagers. When you’re getting started or expanding your products, trust our experts to provide the best equipment for brewing you’ll find anywhere.