Lager-style craft beers deserve a second sip

Although lager-style beers are the most popular in the world, they have gotten a bad rap in the craft beer world and have largely been ignored by U.S. craft drinkers.

Of the many lager styles, the most popular is the pale lager. This style is brewed in large amounts in almost every country where beer is made, mostly by corporate breweries. Folks in Hawaii have long been familiar with brands such as Miller, Coors, Budweiser and Heineken, all of which produce a pale lager.

The majority of pale lagers are made in either Pilsners or Helles style (the latter means "light" and "bright" in German).

As popular as pale lagers are globally, few U.S. craft brewers make lagers, and craft-beer drinkers tend to favor the more aggressively flavored ales like IPAs and stouts.

By and large, craft beer drinkers associate pale lagers with the bland-tasting, mass-produced products from huge conglomerate breweries.

But not all lagers are the same. There are a few craft breweries that make excellent lager beers.

Gordon Biersch Brewing Co., founded by Dan Gordon and Dean Biersch in 1988 in San Jose, Calif., has been producing high-quality traditional-style German lager beers for 25 years.

Gordon, director of brewing operations, is one of the few Americans to have graduated from the brewing program at the world-renowned Technical University of Munich in Weihenstephan, Germany.

Why do so few craft breweries make lagers? Gordon explains that lager beers are more expensive and time-consuming to make than brewing ales.

"A brewery can crank out an ale in less than two weeks, but you can’t do that if you want to properly make a lager," he said.

Lagers need to age for at least five weeks for the beer to become brilliantly clear and develop a balanced flavor.

"It’s technically difficult to execute, too," he added. "There’s no room for error. When you’re doing highly hopped beers, it’s easy to cover up flavor flaws by adding more hops. You can’t hide anything in German lagers."

When made with high-quality ingredients and precision brewing techniques, a pale lager is one of the most enjoyable and refreshing drinks on the planet. Moreover, a pale lager is a perfect fit for hot-weather climates like Hawaii: They’re full of flavor, light on the palate, low in alcohol and bear a crisp finish.

Whether you’re a craft beer veteran or just getting started, I suggest trying Gordon Biersch’s Golden Export Lager, a recent gold medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival.

The beer has been brewed in Gordon Biersch restaurant pubs for more than 15 years and is being released in bottles for the first time.

The Golden Export is a Helles-style beer, made using 100 percent pilsner malt and Hallertauer Tettnang hops.

Clean and simple flavors make this beer a standout. Clear and golden in color, with aromas of freshly baked bread and the slightest hop spiciness, it possesses a rare, perfect balance. It is light and crisp enough to beckon repeated sips and never overwhelms the palate with bitterness.

With so few craft options for lagers on the market today, it’s refreshing to see a company that continues to do one thing and do it well. While lager beers might never achieve the cult following that ale styles do, they shouldn’t be overlooked.

A high level of skill and knowledge — not to mention quality ingredients — goes into a quality lager, and it’s worth seeking the few craft options available. You’ll be rewarded with a better-tasting beer.

Tim Golden shares his obsession with all things craft beer monthly in the Star-Advertiser food section. See his blog, “Beer in Hawaii,” at beerinhawaii.com.