Jack Hendler

Modern Lager Beer

The idea of crisp, pale lagers may have roots in 19th century Bohemia, but lager beer is far older and richly complex. Since Pilsner beer took the world by storm, lager beer has become a household term and a commercial behemoth before taking root among homebrewers and craft brewers. Modern Lager Beer is an exploration of the world of lager beers, their historical origins, and the detailed development and techniques used in their production today. Explorethe Bavarian and Bohemian originsfollowed by an examination of the many significant ways that themodern perception of lager styles has been shaped by a myriad of techniques used to produce them. Many of the traditional methods once employed in the production of lager beer can be used today by the savvy brewer to create unique and delicious lager beers. Insight from many of today'smodern brewers, along with traditional beersthathave inspired them, will highlight the interesting ways that lager brewers borrow from these traditions in search of creating their own unique expressions of lager. Modern Lager Beer is filled with practical methods, processes, culture, and recipes from some of the world's greatestlager craftbreweries. From the smallest details of decoction programs to philosophies of fermentation tank geometry, as much as possible of the minutiae of the world's most popular beer category isexplored.