Obviously, the cooler months usually call for dark beers like stouts, porters, and even barleywines. But a classic grocery-store lager still has a place on your holiday table. Honestly, there’s no wrong time of year for an easy-drinking, no-frill lager if you ask me.
While I love a juicy, hazy New England-style IPA on a humid summer night and look forward to a bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout in the middle of a winter snowstorm, I drink crisp, refreshing lagers year-round. I enjoy a pilsner after a summer afternoon on my ride-on mower. I like a light lager on a drizzly, misty spring night. The older I get, the more I respect the simplicity and refreshment of a well-made lager.
Luckily, like the IPA, you can visit pretty much any brewery (craft or giant conglomerate), and you’ll find one more lager on the menu. It’s just a classic style that has never gone out of fashion. You’ll also find myriad options at pretty much every grocery store, from Walla Walla to West Palm Beach, perfect for the holiday season. The best part? You can’t just stop into a beer or convenience store on your way to a holiday gathering, grab a 12-pack, and be just as popular as whoever carves the turkey.
What makes a grocery store lager?
As the name suggests, a grocery store lager is one you find at most places that sell beer. You don’t have to go to a specialty store or stop into a brewery to get your hands on a can of these beers. But it’s about more than where you can buy it.
A grocery store lager should also be fairly light, not very filling, and effortlessly crisp and refreshing. These are unflinching rules. It can be a macro or craft lager. It just must be produced on a large enough scale to be purchased from sea to beer frothing sea. While not a given since some craft lagers can be a little pricey, grocery store lagers are often fairly inexpensive, making them a great choice when you need to grab an easy-drinking beer for a holiday soiree.
How I pick my grocery store lagers
This should come as no surprise, but I’m not looking to spend a crazy amount of money for a grocery store lager. This isn’t your $20 4-pack. This is a 6-pack in the $10-$12 range. They should be balanced, flavorful, and crisp. The type of beer you’d crack open any time of year and be more than happy with.
The best grocery store lagers for the holiday season
Now that you have learned a little about what grocery store lagers are and why they are appealing during the holiday season (and all other seasons), it’s time to steer you toward some of the best options. Below are my go-to grocery store lagers for the holidays. Keep scrolling to see them all.
Jack’s Abby Post Shift Pilsner
With a name like Post Shift Pilsner, you know this is the type of beer you drink after a long work week. Light, crisp, and refreshing, it’s a great choice for post-work during the holiday season. This 4.7% ABV pilsner is brewed with imported German hops and malts. Made using the traditional decoction method, it’s known for its nose of cracker malts, citrus zest, honey, and earthy, herbal, floral hops. The palate centers on notes of fresh-baked bread, fresh-cut grass, honey, lemon peels, and herbal, floral Noble hops. The finish is dry, effortlessly crisp, and leaves you craving more. Drink this beer from now until the spring thaw (then buy more for spring and summer).
Pabst Blue Ribbon
It doesn’t get much more no-frills than PBR. This timeless 4.7% American adjunct lager is brewed with water, malted barley, select cereal grains, a proprietary yeast, and a mix of American and European hops. The result is a memorable, easy-drinking beer that begins with aromas of sweet corn, fresh-baked bread, honey, citrus, and floral hops. Sipping it reveals notes of sweet corn, light minerality, hay, cereal grains, honey, and floral, earthy hops. The finish is crisp, dry, and gently bitter. Pabst Blue Ribbon might be inexpensive, but it makes up for it in flavor.
Narragansett Lager
If this beer was good enough for Captain Quint in the 1975 movie ‘Jaws’, it’s good enough for me. Even if you don’t get it in the throwback cans, it’s still a great lager for the holiday season. Brewed with sox-row malt, corn, lager yeast, and Pacific Northwest hops, this is a surprisingly balanced yet crushable lager for any occasion. It all begins with a nose of bready malts, cereal grains, sweet corn, fresh-cut grass, honey, and herbal, floral hops. The palate is a symphony of flavors including corn sweetness, honey, lemon peels, cereal grains, and floral, earthy, lightly bitter hops. The finish is crisp, dry, and sublimely thirst-quenching any day of the year. While a great summer beer, this classic lager is perfect for the holiday table as well.
Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils
While you can’t go wrong with Oskar Blues Pale Ale and all of its other beers, don’t sleep on its iconic Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils. This 4.7% ABV Bohemian-style pilsner is brewed with Pale malt and German specialty malts as well as Saaz and Aramis hops. This creates a memorable lager that begins with scents of bready malts, citrus peels, honey, and herbal, floral, lightly spicy hops. Drinking it brings notes of biscuity malts, fresh-baked bread, citrus peels, and herbal, piney hops. The finish is clean and crisp, ending with a gentle hop bitterness. This beer pairs perfectly with rich holiday meals and getting cornered into a chat with your eccentric cousin.
Bottom line
You might not have previously thought of lagers as holiday beers. But think about it like this: you open any fridge during the holiday season, and you’re bound to find a few lighter beers. Why not buy something you and your friends and family will love instead of grabbing the first beer you see at the store? I’ve put together a nice mix of macro and craft lagers. Each pairs well with holiday foods, chats with old friends, and overall seasonal revelry. Grab a sixer of one or all.
