When you think about the flavor of beer, what do you imagine? To me, it’s a crisp, refreshing, no-frills lager. The type of beer you’d just as likely crack open on an unseasonably warm spring day while grilling as you would after an afternoon of mowing the lawn on a hot, hazy, humid summer day. It’s light, refreshing, and tastes like beer.
That’s not to say that there isn’t a place for chocolate- and coffee-centric porters or boozy, barrel-aged stouts, or even tart, lip-smacking sour beers. There is a time and place for those and many other styles. It’s just that sometimes I want to crack open a beer and not taste an explosion of tropical fruit juices or get bashed in the head with malts or oaky wood. I want a beer that tastes the way I imagine it should. Specifically, I’m thinking about a balanced, thirst-quenching lager.
What makes a lager so clean and crisp?
There’s a reason I (and many drinkers) envision the flavor profile of a lager when we think of a traditional “beer” flavor. Think about it. Take a moment to imagine what a beer tastes like. Odds are it will be a crisp, refreshing pilsner or light lager. But what exactly makes a lager so clean, crisp, refreshing, and beer-like?
This is because the classic lager style is brewed using bottom-fermenting yeast at colder temperatures than most other styles. On top of that, traditional lagers are often stored (or lagered) for weeks to months in underground cellars, which contributes to a balanced, malty-sweet, lightly floral, hoppy flavor profile. Its name even comes from the German word lagern, which means “to store”.
So, to sum it up, brewers use a special yeast that works at cold temperatures. This reduces esters, phenols, and other undesirable flavors. It also creates the refreshing, crisp flavor profile we all love.
What do lagers taste like?
Well, that’s a bit of an open-ended question. There are a variety of different lagers. But if you’re specifically looking for lagers featuring caramel malts and a crisp flavor profile, you’re going to want to direct your attention to pilsners, helles lagers, American light lagers, and Vienna lagers. Pilsners and light lagers are known for their crisp, refreshing, easy-drinking flavor profile. Helles lagers are a little sweeter and maltier. Vienna lagers are slightly darker and feature more caramel notes alongside floral hops.
How I pick my classic lagers
Picking classic lagers that “taste like beer” is really as easy as it sounds. I looked for lagers that were crisp, refreshing, balanced, and would be just as likely to be cracked open after an afternoon of mowing the lawn on a hot summer day as a crisp fall evening spent sitting around a backyard fire pit.
The best classic lagers that taste like beer
Now that you’ve learned a little about the lager style, how it’s made, and some of the best options to choose from, it’s time to actually find some to add to your refrigerator for this season. Keep scrolling to see them all.
Narragansett Lager
If you’ve ever watched ‘Jaws, you’ve seen Captain Quint crushing cans of Narragansett Lager (you can even purchase 1975 throwback cans). This 5% ABV American adjunct lager is made with six-row malt and a proprietary blend of Pacific Northwest hops, Iowa corn, lager yeast, and water. It’s known for its balanced flavor profile, beginning with aromas of cereal grains, corn, honey, and floral hops. Sipping it reveals flavors like sweet corn, caramel malts, honey, and floral notes. The finish is crisp, thirst-quenching, and highly crushable.
Weihenstephaner Helles
This 4.8% ABV Munich Helles lager comes from Germany’s Weihenstephaner, the oldest continuously operating brewery in the world, founded in 1040. While the brewery is extremely old, this award-winning beer has only been brewed since 2020. Made with select malts, yeast, and Hallertau Select and Sapphire hops, it’s known for its balanced, memorable flavor profile. It all starts with aromas of bready malts, citrus peels, honey, and floral Noble hops. The palate is centered on flavors like fresh-baked bread, honey, orange peels, and floral, lightly bitter hops. The finish is floral, herbal, and crisp, leaving you craving one (or two) more.
Pilsner Urquell
No crushable, classic lager list is complete without Pilsner Urquell. The world’s first pale lager, this balanced, refreshing beer was first brewed in 1842 in Plzeň (Pilsen), Bohemia, in what is now Czechia. This 4.4% pilsner is brewed with soft water from Pilsen, Noble Saaz hops from the Žatec region, and Moravian malted barley. It’s made using the traditional triple-decoction method to create a truly balanced, malt-driven beer. The result is a memorable brew that begins with aromas of toffee, honey, citrus, and floral hops. Sipping it brings notes of biscuit malts, caramel, honey candy, light minerality, and floral hops. The finish is sweet, floral, and effortlessly crisp and refreshing.
Miller High Life
Beers don’t get much more “no-frills” than Miller High Life. Best imbibed in its classic, clear glass bottle, this is the epitome of beer that “tastes like beer”. Miller’s flagship beer was first introduced in 1903 and is just as thirst-quenching to this day. Referred to as the “Champagne of beers,” this 4.6% ABV American adjunct lager is brewed with malted barley, Galena hops, and a proprietary yeast. This easy-drinking lager begins with scents of sweet corn, cereal grains, honey, and lightly herbal, floral hops. The palate is a mix of flavors including caramel malts, sweet corn, clover honey, citrus peels, and floral hops. The finish is effortlessly crisp, clean, and dry, ending with a mix of corn sweetness and floral hoppiness.
Bottom line
You should have a pretty good idea about what makes a crisp, refreshing beer and where to find one. I suggest you grab one (or more) of the beers on this list or blaze your own trail and find a pilsner, light lager, or any other lager type that fits your description of what a beer should taste like.
