Minnesota breweries embrace ‘crushable’ American-style lagers. Here are 6 of our favorites.

In the early, heady days of craft beer, back when it was still called “microbrew,” beer wasn’t just beer. It was a movement, a rebellion. Both brewers and drinkers were standing up against an industry dominated by a handful of mega-breweries all essentially making the same beverage.

American-style lager beer was derided as boring, bland, watered down and flavorless. Adherents to the cause wanted bold flavors and variety. Brewers sought to make styles of beers that existed in the rest of the world, but were mostly unavailable in the United States.

Although these lagers were the focus of attacks, the issue wasn’t necessarily the beer itself. If you talked to enough brewers, you knew that they were beers the brewers wanted to drink. The real problem was that they were all you could get. A series of mergers, buyouts and closures during the 1970s and ’80s, coupled with changing consumer tastes after World War II, had created a beer monoculture. Even the few imports available were mostly pale lagers. Small brewers set out to change that.

A couple of decades later, as the movement matured and microbrew became craft, changes began to emerge. At the Craft Brewers Conference in Chicago in 2010, a prominent speaker announced that if brewers wanted craft beer to grow and last, they should start making light, pale lagers. The suggestion was met with solid rejection.

Fast forward a few more years, and you see an industry in decline as drinkers move from beer to other options. And consumer tastes have continued to evolve; high-proof flavor bombs have largely ceded ground to light crushers.

So craft brewers are now embracing the beers they once condemned. Premium American-style lagers have become a standard offering for many, including Minnesota breweries. And they are still the beers that brewers want to drink.

And why not? They are a major part of the greater beer universe. If you get past the craft beer snobbishness, they are really good. Crisp, refreshing, low-alcohol and so easy to drink, they are perfect beers for a steamy summer day.

American lagers all adhere to a fairly narrow flavor profile. When describing them, it’s a matter of degrees of difference. One might be sweeter than another, or more bitter with more or less hop flavor. Despite the similarity, each brewery does put its own particular touch on its beer.

Tomm’s Lager from Falling Knife Brewing Co. in Minneapolis is about as straightforward as it gets. With low bitterness, moderate sweetness and light, grainy malt with a corny edge, it’s a quintessential American lager. It’s low on everything, but so easy to drink and so delicious.

Leitstern Lager from Brühaven Craft Co., also in Minneapolis, has a heftier body than many American lagers. But at 4.6% alcohol, it’s still an easy sipper. The hop character is also a bit bolder, with healthy bitterness and peppery, piney flavor. Malt sweetness is very low, making for a crisp, dry finish. A faint background of green apple gives it all a lift.

You can’t say that Schell’s is jumping on any bandwagons with Deer Brand. The New Ulm brewery has been brewing this beer for more than 150 years. Corn plays a prominent role here, joined by subtle, grainy sweetness that lingers in the finish. Bitterness is mild but accentuated by the beer’s overall lightness. Hops add flavorful floral notes.

Speaking of Schell’s, you can’t discuss Minnesota-made, American-style lagers without mentioning Grain Belt, which the brewery acquired more than 20 years ago. Grain Belt Premium is a true Minnesota classic. It falls on the lighter end of the spectrum for the style, with a slight emphasis on hops and fermentation over malt. That said, there is a low, sugary sweetness that is amply balanced by lingering bitterness. That lager yeast apple adds a subtle bright touch.

The appropriately named Lager is a new summer offering from St. Paul’s Summit Brewing Co. Malt leads in this one, with grainy sweetness and hints of biscuit. Bitterness is very low, as is the spicy/floral European hop flavor. If you pay attention, you might detect traces of lemon peel. Lager is yet another solid choice from Summit.

It’s not exactly American-style, but Nature Yawns Japanese-style rice lager from Double Elbow of Rochester is close enough and definitely worth a taste. This beer uses rice as the adjunct grain instead of corn. It is extraordinarily dry and crisp with sharp and lingering bitterness. Malt flavor is very low, leaving the floral hops to take the lead. A hint of yeast-derived apple lurks in the background. This is a super-refresher that is sure to please fans of Japanese lagers.

Michael Agnew is a certified cicerone (beer-world version of sommelier) and owner of A Perfect Pint. He conducts private and corporate beer tasting events in the Twin Cities, and can be reached at michael@aperfectpint.net.