A disconnect existed between craft brewers and the beer drinking market. Small-batch producers have been enamored with sours, barley wines, ambers, porters and more—particularly India Pale Ales, which they hop up to double and triple the resinous bite. Yet when someone reaches for a beer, odds are overwhelming that they will end up with a lager in hand. “Ales were always able to offer richer styles—English styles, Belgian styles,” explains Jeffrey Vitalich, brewmaster for Hidden Hills Brewing & Blending in Carmel. Ales and other styles allowed for more creativity. They adapted well to spices, fruits, strains of yeast or varieties of hops. “If you put fruit in an ale, no one bats an eye,” Vitalich adds. “Put fruit in a lager and people would think your brewery was weird.” Lager also suffered an image problem, at least among worldly aficionados. American mass market labels such as Budweiser, Coors and even the more hipster-friendly Pabst Blue Ribbon are of the lager ilk. No serious craft brewer wanted their beers associated with the favored style of the large brands. There’s also another issue. For a brewpub getting started and trying to make a name in the growing craft beer market, time is money. An ale can be on tap in as little as 10 days. But the more demanding lager requires about six weeks to ferment and mature. “I could have turned around four ales in that time,” explains Natalie Mika of Peter B’s Brewpub in Monterey’s Portola Hotel. So while lager overtook ale as the most popular beer more than 100 years ago, until recently it was a craft brew afterthought. That, however, is changing— which makes Mika excited. “I love pilsner, personally,” she says. “I’m super glad they’re becoming more popular.” According to the yeast supplier and laboratory BSI, sales of craft light lagers rose 2 percent each year from 2020 to 2022. Meanwhile IPA sales were flat. Many of Monterey County’s brewpubs now make it a point to fea38 The Best of Monterey Bay ® EAT + DRINK 2024-2025 The Light Stuff Craft brewers were slow to embrace lagers, but now they are becoming passionate about the style. By Dave Faries Other Brother Beer Co. lagers.indd 1 4/19/24 10:04 AM
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==