In a country awash in craft brews of all styles, why aren’t there many microbrewed American lagers to drink?
That’s the question filmmaking cousins Emmett and Brendan Malloy posed a year or so ago for their cousin Chris Miller, probably in between cans of Coors Light and Pabst Blue Ribbon, the Malloys’ usual beers of choice. Miller is a Pacific Palisades‒raised, UCSB-educated, Los Olivos‒residing beer distributor who helped build Figueroa Mountain Brewing’s sales network before launching his own company, and he posed the same question to his friend Joshua Ellis, another UCSB grad who works as a stockbroker but was winning awards for his home brews.
The answer is complex. Though an American lager’s ingredients, which are mandated to include adjuncts like rice, corn, or sugar, might be less expensive than the roasted malts required of a rich ale, they need much more fermenting and settling time in the tank, thereby occupying valuable brewing space for weeks. Lagers are also extremely difficult to do well, because any brewing missteps — too many hops, too few, etc. — are quickly apparent. Said Ellis, “There’s no place to hide in that beer.” On top of all that, the consumer expects to pay less for lagers than other beers, despite their more cumbersome process. After all, said Ellis, “They’re supposed to be beers you can crush.”