Best Winter Lagers to Celebrate National Lager Day

Best winter lagers

In order to celebrate National Lager Day, it helps to know what makes a beer a lager versus an ale. Not to blow your mind or anything, but all beers are either a lager or an ale and are made from a basic combination of water, malts, hops, and yeast.

The difference is the type of yeast used and from this relatively small variant comes a whole slew of changes and differences that make these two beers very unique.

Lagers – are made with bottom-fermenting yeast that work best at cooler temperatures, between 35° and 55° Fahrenheit. Fermentation happens more slowly, and the beer is more stable, so it can be stored (or “lagered”) for longer than ales. This yeast tends to have less presence in the finished beer. As compared to ales, lagers have a cleaner and crisper quality with emphasis on the hops and malt flavors. The lager family includes pilsners, bocks, and dunkels.

Hooray learning!

Now that you know the difference, it’s time to celebrate National Lager Day with a selection of excellent winter lagers available at Spec’s.

Samuel Adams Winter Lager
Perfect for chilly winter days, the Winter Lager is a wheat bock with warming spices such as cinnamon, ginger, and orange peel for a deep flavor and malty finish that will certainly warm you up. Malty with a slight sweetness and hint of spice complemented by floral noble hops and a 5.6%ABV.

Firestone Walker Lager
Firestone lager is an exquisite full-flavored brew with a bright golden hue and a crisp refreshing finish. Floral hops and crystal malts forge an elegant balance between delicate aromas, a soft palate, and a firm hop character. It’s a nice mix between the US and Germany as it is a combination of German Pilsner and North American Pale malts.

Founders Solid Gold
This 4.4 percent lager is one of the newest year-round releases from Michigan’s Founders. Designed to be light and drinkable, Solid Gold is just that. Featuring lager yeast, corn and lemon drop hops for just the right hit of flavor. Soon to be your go-to beer for any occasion.

Ballast Point Longfin Lager
A solidly balanced Helles that finishes clean with a hint of hops, it would easily fit in at any German beer garden. 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.

If you need more recommendations for an excellent lager, make a trip to your local Spec’s and ask the beer experts.