While beer covers an enormous range of styles, colours, and flavours, when most people think of beer, they’re thinking of pale lager. Most commercially made beers in the world are pale lagers, and in Australia before the 90s, it was almost impossible to buy any other kind of beer. 

Lagers are light in flavour and refreshing, designed to be easy to drink and difficult to put down. But don’t be fooled - while they may seem simple, lagers are a real art form.

What makes it a lager?

Every beer in the world falls into one of two categories: ale or lager. The difference is simply the kind of yeast used to make the beer. While ales use a kind of yeast that ferments on top of the beer, lagers use bottom-fermenting yeast.

Lagers also require a cooler temperature during the fermentation process (around 4-11ºC). Traditionally this was in a cool cellar - the word ‘lager’ means ‘storage’, and refers to the cold storage of this beer while it ferments - but the invention of refrigeration made this much easier and more reliable.

There’s great variety under the category of lager; just go to Oktoberfest celebrations (or Germany itself!) to explore some of the pale lagers, amber lagers and dark lagers that exist. But it’s pale lager that dominates shelves, fridges and pubs around the world.

What should you expect?

Within the broader lager camp, you can find a whole range of flavours: an amber lager carries toasty or caramel notes without being sticky, and a dark lager or Schwarzbier will give you that chocolatey or coffee flavour you might find in a stout, while being less heavy in the mouth.

Pale lagers are generally crisp and light-flavoured. Some have a pleasant sweetness from the malt, but many are designed to be dry and moreish. They seem simple, but lagers take longer to make than ales and there’s more that can potentially go wrong. So when a lager tastes clean and light-flavoured, know that a brewer has done an excellent job behind the scenes!

Lagers at the pale end of the spectrum are all about refreshment, so it’s no wonder they became so popular in the Australian climate. On a hot afternoon, or after a hard day’s work, there’s little more satisfying than smashing a cold lager. And since they’re generally low enough in alcohol that you can drink a few in a row, they make for an easy way to socialise with mates.

There’s still plenty of nuance among pale lagers, and occasionally an Aussie brewer will release a beer called a Helles or Pilsner. But since they’re mostly loved for drinking, not thinking, it’s common for all kinds of pale lagers to be simply labelled as ‘lager’.

If all you care about is drinking a refreshing beer, this makes it easy - grab a lager and don’t think too much about it!

If you’re interested in exploring nuances of flavour, this makes for a bit of a lucky dip. Will I taste some sweet malt, or will it be very dry? Will there be some fruity hop flavour, or hop spice, or will it taste completely clean? You can always see what the brewer says about it, but the best way is to taste it for yourself!

Lager

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  1. Flavour Profile
    Hops
    Malt
    Tasting notes
    Our Lager is late hopped to add an extra aromatic character to what is a clean, simple style.
    Coastie Lager
    Coastie Lager
    Lager
    Six String Brewing Company
    Sold By Six String Brewing Company
    Pay as little as $51.00
    12 pack
    $60.00
    24 pack
    Special Price $84.00 Regular Price $100.00
    4 pack
    $20.00
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  2. Flavour Profile
    Hops
    Malt
    • Thin
    Tasting notes
    Crisp. Refreshing. Light.
    Cracking Lager
    Cracking Lager
    Lager
    The Mill Brewery
    Sold By The Mill Brewery
    Pay as little as $28.00
    8 pack
    $32.00
    24 pack
    Special Price $70.00 Regular Price $78.00
    4 pack
    $16.00
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  3. Flavour Profile
    Hops
    Malt
    • Clean
    Tasting notes
    El Jefe is simply the boss of drinkability.
    Mexican Lager
    Mexican Lager
    New World Lager
    Aether Brewing
    Sold By Aether Brewing
    Pay as little as $35.00
    8 pack
    $40.00
    16 pack
    Special Price $57.00 Regular Price $67.00
    4 pack
    $20.00
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  4. Flavour Profile
    Hops
    Malt
    • Clean
    Tasting notes
    This is a simple and laid-back Brewi!
    Ocean Grove Lager
    Ocean Grove Lager
    Lager
    BrewiColo Brewing Co.
    Sold By BrewiColo Brewing Co.
    Pay as little as $44.00
    8 pack
    $50.00
    24 pack
    Special Price $92.00 Regular Price $110.00
    4 pack
    $25.00
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  5. Flavour Profile
    Hops
    Malt
    • Dry
    Tasting notes
    A dry refreshing ride ending in a crisp finish ... A Classic Redefined.
    Old School Cool
    Old School Cool
    Lager
    Blackflag Brewing
    Sold By Blackflag Brewing
    Pay as little as $38.00
    8 pack
    $42.00
    16 pack
    Special Price $58.00 Regular Price $70.00
    4 pack
    $21.00
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  6. Flavour Profile
    Hops
    Malt
    • Thin
    Tasting notes
    Crisp and sweet to start off with and then a burst of hops for the finish.
    Sheppxico Mexican Lager
    Sheppxico Mexican Lager
    Lager
    Shepparton Brewery
    Sold By Shepparton Brewery
    Pay as little as $40.00
    8 pack
    $50.00
    16 pack
    Special Price $57.00 Regular Price $65.00
    4 pack
    $25.00
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  7. Flavour Profile
    Hops
    Malt
    • Delicate
    • Clean
    Tasting notes
    Malty with a slight bitterness from classic German hops. Made with one malt and one hop. A true classic.
    Urban Lager
    Urban Lager
    Lager
    Urban Alley Brewery
    Sold By Urban Alley Brewery
    Pay as little as $43.00
    12 pack
    $50.00
    24 pack
    $92.00
    4 pack
    $19.00
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  8. Flavour Profile
    Hops
    Malt
    • Smooth / Velvety
    Tasting notes
    The perfect way to knock off after a surf or sitting on the beach watching the sunset!
    Wai-koula Lager
    Wai-koula Lager
    Lager
    BrewiColo Brewing Co.
    Sold By BrewiColo Brewing Co.
    Pay as little as $44.00
    8 pack
    $50.00
    24 pack
    Special Price $92.00 Regular Price $110.00
    4 pack
    $25.00
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  9. Flavour Profile
    Hops
    Malt
    • Clean
    Tasting notes
    This classic lager will have you coming back for another pint, with the usual esters on the nose, and a clean crisp lager malt flavour followed by a hint of lingering hop bitterness.
    Whynot Lager
    Whynot Lager
    Lager
    The Catchment Brewing Co
    Sold By The Catchment Brewing Co
    Pay as little as $35.00
    8 pack
    $40.00
    24 pack
    Special Price $69.00 Regular Price $80.00
    4 pack
    $20.00
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