Lager Love

With Oktoberfest season in full swing, there’s no better time to grab a crisp, frosty lager. Right here in town, Old World ingredients and traditional brewing techniques are being embraced by innovative craft brewers who are producing unique contemporary lagers that prove as complex as they are drinkable. Taste your way down this short list of exceptional local lagers. Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. Stammtisch This German Pilsner is a new headliner for Urban Chestnut’s reverence series. An homage to the smooth yet substantial social brews that covered many a beer hall tabletop, this easy sipping golden pils is crafted with a blend of three varieties of Hallertau hops from the old country, as well as Strisselspalt hops from the nearby Alsace region of France. Ferguson Brewing Co. Munich Dunkel German Perle hops and aromatic malts combine for a hazy, copper red dunkel that’s smooth with a toasty finish. The Civil Life Brewing Co. Vienna-style Lager One of the best craft lagers of late, this amber-colored beer fashions itself from early versions of Vienna-style lager made in 19th-century Mexico by immigrant brewers from Austria. Brewed with Northern Brewer and Hallertau Mittelfrüh hops, this one begs to be sipped on a sunny patio. Schlafly Schwarzbier (Black Lager) Schlafly’s German Schwarzbier gets its dark brown appearance from carefully roasted chocolate malts. Neither as thick as a porter nor as creamy as a stout, this medium-bodied (bordering on light-bodied) black lager is still full of flavor and holds the aromas of coffee, walnut, caramel and dark chocolate.