Best American Lager: The 20 Most Delicious Beers to Drink
The best American lager choices are party-friendly beers for beer-lovers to expand their tastes. While macro lagers and bold ales are very popular options for beer drinkers, many people cast lagers to the wayside because of misconceptions of what it used to be.
Today, lagers have significantly advanced from those days when there were only very limited options for enthusiasts to enjoy to a wide variety. So regardless of the type of beer you enjoy, you can find one American-made lager that works for you.
Best American Lager Beers
After extensive research, we have compiled 20 of the best choices from American lager brands. You might be familiar with some of these brands, but keep in mind that these lagers have evolved significantly since then.
– Eliot Ness by Great Lakes Brewing Co
We’re starting off our list with a party lager, which would make a great alternative to IPA if you’re looking for something new. The Eliot Ness lager has a sweet bread pudding taste that lingers on your tongue. You would also taste a hint of bitterness, normal for an amber lager.
– Baba Black Lager by Uinta
The first dark lager on our list, the Uinta Baba Black Lager would impress you with its robust and smooth taste. It is pitch black in color, with a 4 percent ABV. You can enjoy the smooth taste and dry finish, with hits of coffee, chocolate and malt. Even the aroma is alone to keep you drinking.
– The Crisp by Sixpoint Brewery
If you’re in the mood for something similar to IPA, The Crisp gives you a bite of hops at the finish. With a strong yeast taste on the nose, it features an ABV of 5.4 percent. The lager has a sweet malty taste with a hint of caramel. It will be over before you know it and leave you wanting more.
– Cold Snacks by Montucky
When relaxing at home or having a good time with friends, the Cold Snacks lager is just what you need. It’s perfect for different occasions, whether camping, fishing, or golfing, with an alluring aroma of cereal grains, malt and wet straw. Cold Snacks would also give you a crisp, light and clean taste from the moment you sip it till the finish.
– Narragansett Lager
Lager drinkers would be familiar with Narragansett Brewing Co. and their classic beer. This made our list of top American lagers because of its diverse nature, great for hanging out with friends or alone. It feels delicious on your palate, with hints of sweet corn and a creamy taste.
– Scrimshaw Pilsner
This is one of the most iconic American-made lagers known to enthusiasts, and it still continues to thrive today with delicious tastes. The first pilsner on our list, it offers a clean palate, subtle hops and ends with a dry finish as a classic beer. It features 4.5 percent ABV.
– Prima Pils Lager by Victory Brewing Company
The Prima Pils lager gives you a complete experience, which is one thing you can’t say for many lager types. It has a crisp, light and clean taste on your palate, combined with flavorful hops. As for the finishing taste, it feels sharp and is over a little too soon.
– Hoss by Great Divide
Another American-style beer on our list is Hoss, and is perfect for those who want to drink an Oktoberfest or Marzen lager and try something new. With 6.2 percent ABV, the lager would please your senses with its rich, layered taste, and notes of cherry, earth and spice. The finishing is dry and crisp to crown the richness of the lager.
– Lawnmower Lager by Caldera Brewing Company
Next on our list of American lagers is the Lawnmower Lager which we consider as an elegant lager. On the nose, you can enjoy the sweet, graham-cracker-like scent. The taste is not right, not too hoppy or boozy, but simply clean on the tongue. It features a 3.9 percent ABV.
– Coney Island Lager
The Coney Island lager is completely American, as it does not follow the common European brewing styles. It combines a complicated malty backbone with American-style hops. The easy-to-drink lager is crisp to taste with dry hops. You can see this popular lager as a hybrid of different styles that makes it stand out.
– House Beer
Don’t let the name of this American-made lager fool you, as House Beer is not as it implies. Rather than a simple beer for frat parties, it is a flavorful Budweiser lager with an elevated taste. With a 4.8 percent ABV, the lager features hints of citrus and hazelnut on your palate.
– Bikini Blonde Lager by Maui Brewery
Hawaii might not be known for lager, but their Maui Brewery definitely impresses with the Bikini Blonde Lager. The Helles-style beer is the lightest from this brewery, and feels refreshing and crisp with each sip. It has an ABV of 5.1 percent, and is perfect with some ice while you relax by the beach.
– Sit Down Son by Carton Brewing Co.
Sit Down Son is a flavorful pale lager, standing out with its lack of diverse aromatics. It makes up for this hoppy goodness, and an attractive appearance. On the palate, you would taste an unexpected mix of spice and citrus, and its ABV is set at 4 percent.
– Piercing Pils by Dogfish
This pilsner lager sets itself apart from other beers with its complex mix of pear juice and pear tea. If you want a fruity lager, then this would do the trick just right. It combines the fruity flavor with standard lager malts and Amarillo hops, which mix perfectly for a summer taste.
– Two Women Lager by New Glarus Brewing Company
Another best tasting American lager on our list is the Two Women Lager, which is highly recommended for those who are new and unfamiliar with lagers. It is a craft beer with a complex yet drinkable taste. With each gulp, you can enjoy the biscuity finish lingering on your tongue, and the fruity scent.
– Fathom India Pale Lager by Ballast Point
The Fathom India Pale Lager is another unique American-style beer on our list, as it is brewed with a generous amount of West Coast IPA hops. This is combined with Ahtanum hops to give you a heavy-handed taste on your palate. It also offers a lot of traction, with delicious aromas of pine and citrus that brings out the feeling of the hops.
– Mama’s Little Yella Pils by Oskar Blues Brewery
If you enjoy drinking pilsner or you want to give it a try, the Mama’s Little Yella Pils is a fantastic choice. Easy to drink, this lager is filled with flavor and has a crisp taste. There is also a little bit of hoppy flavor, and the bready finish leaves a pleasant aftertaste.
– LTD 06 Black Bock by Full Sail
Full Sail is a relatively new brewer but has quickly increased in popularity. And now, their LTD 06 Black Bock lager is something to think about. Featuring a complex taste of dark malts, this beer is lager mixed with caramel, pale, chocolate and Munich malts. You can also enjoy the Perle and Santiam hops, and aromas of chocolate, roast and coffee on the nose.
– Ol’ Factory Pils by Two Roads Brewing Company
Another pilsner on our list is the golden Ol’ Factory Pils, which we highly recommend as a summer beer. It pleases beer drinkers with its biscuit-like and malty nose. As for the taste, it is slightly creamy with a dry hop, but leaves a bitter taste behind.
– Doppelbock by Bayern
This Doppelbock lager crowns our extensive list, well-known as a legendary American-made beer. The lager has an 8.4 percent ABV, with a dark, smooth and malty taste. You can definitely feel the Perle and Saaz hops. This beer is perfectly drunk during cold months when you want to relax with some lager.
Enjoy Your American Lager Better With These Tips
Although you know the best lagers that you can start drinking right now, you can get even more from an American brewed beer. You can follow these tips to know how to better enjoy drinking your lager.
– Enjoy It Cold
If you want to get the most from your lager, you should serve it cold. The only exception to this rule is bocks, which are perfect at room temperature. When serving your lager, tilt the glass to 45 degrees and pour it in slowly so that you get a high head.
– Use the Right Cups
You can use any cup for your lager, or you can use the right kind for the full experience. Pilsner lagers are best served in Pilsner glasses, while steins are ideal for amber lagers. For Helles and Bocks, you can use a stemmed goblet, and a mug or pint glass works with dark lagers.
– What Goes Well With Lager?
Luckily, lagers are pretty versatile, going well with a wide range of finger foods, roasted chicken, burgers, pizza, cheese, and desserts. Since these are American lagers, they would be especially delicious with barbecue. With the right foods, you can enhance the flavor of your lager.
What Makes a Lager Different From Other Beers?
A lager is a type of beer which is made with bottom-fermenting yeast. This is a type of yeast that drops to the bottom of the tank after fermenting. This is what separates it from ale, which is made with top-fermenting yeast.
Another difference is the temperature at which they are fermented. Lagers are generally fermented at cold temperatures up to 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Ale on the other hand is made at room temperature.
Generally, any beer fermented with a lager yeast strain and in cooler temperatures qualifies as a lager. If you’re new to lager, you should know that it is more of a family of beers than just one type.
One of the most popular types of lager is pilsner, which offers a different amount of hop character on the palate and nose. While all types of pilsners are lagers, all lagers are not pilsners.
Other members of this lager family include bright or dark lagers, amber lagers, rauchbiers, bocks, kellerbiers, Oktoberfests and doppelbocks. So, don’t limit lagers to the party beers that you might have heard of, as there’s a whole new world out there to discover. And, you can start with our favorite American-style lager beers.
Enjoy Your Lager Experience
Now that you know the top American lager choices that you can go for, you can get started with drinking these delicious beers. It’s important to drink lagers the right way if you want to get the most of them.
- A lager is different from other beers as it is made with bottom-fermenting yeast.
- Eliot Ness by Great Lakes Brewing Co is the top American lager on our list.
- A lager is best drunk cold with finger foods.
- Always use the right cups for your lager.
With this information, you can walk into a store with the right information to purchase a delicious bottle of lager.
