National Lager Day

National Lager Day occurs on December 10 each year in the United States— it’s your chance to raise a crisp and refreshing glass of lager and celebrate the day!

These days, you likely won’t find many lagers when you visit your local craft brewery. This relatively unappreciated style of beer is not as trendy as its ubiquitous cousin, the IPA (India Pale Ale).

But for pure drinkability, you’d be hard-pressed to top the satisfying taste of a lager, especially on a hot summer day.

When is National Lager Day?

National Lager Day is celebrated on December 10 each year.

FAQ

Learn more about this fun holiday by finding out the answers to these frequently asked questions.

How do I celebrate National Lager Day?

There are many ways to celebrate National Lager Day. It can be as simple as cracking open a lager beer and toasting the day. Here is a list of several additional ideas for making the most of the day:

Visit a microbrewery that specializes in lager beers. Order a flight to sample the range of lager beers they offer.
Head to a local pub or bar and order a lager. Or pick up a case at the liquor store and try something new.
Visit a brewery specializing in lager beer. Take a tour and learn about the complex process of brewing lager beer.
Post an image of yourself enjoying a lager on social media. You can tag your photo with a related National Lager Day hashtag (see below).

What is the difference between a lager and an ale?

If you are going to celebrate National Lager Day properly, you should know what makes lager beer different from ales.

Beer can be classified its two main categories: ales and lagers. As you may know, there are vast differences in flavor and aroma between the two. It comes down to two main factors: the type of yeast used and the fermentation temperature.

Yeast breaks down sugars into carbon dioxide and alcohol during a process called attenuation. Depending on which type of yeast is used, a different resulting flavor profile and alcohol level is achieved.

Ales use Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast, known as a top-fermenting yeast. Because of its stronger resilience, ale yeast produces a higher alcohol content. It also brews faster, and fermentation occurs at warmer temps.

Lagers use Saccharomyces uvarum yeast, which is a bottom-fermenting yeast. Lager yeast produces less alcohol than ale yeast. It also performs better at cooler temperatures. But the cold fermentation temperatures slow the entire process.

How is lager made? Video

History of National Lager Day

Originally all beers were ales since they were warm-fermented. By the 16th century in Bavaria, cold-fermenting (lagering) began to take hold.

Lager brewing came to America from Europe starting around 1840. The popularity of lager beer was enabled by refrigeration and the increasing immigration of Germans, along with their taste for cold drink.

Not much is known about the origin of National Lager Day.

Types of lager beer

Lagers tend to have a crisp, lightly hopped taste and less-fruity aroma than most ales. You’ll instantly recognize the lager’s smooth, refined drinkability.

There are three main types of lager:

Pale – the most popular lager and the most commercially available. This clean, crisp type of lager includes styles like Pilsner and Helles.
Amber– This medium-bodied lager gets its rich caramel flavor from toasted malts. Examples include Märzen and Vienna lagers.
Dark – Dark malts create a dark lager. Typical dark lagers are Dunkel, Bock, and Schwarzbier.

How is a lager brewed?

Lager brewing is a long, slow process in which the beer must be kept cold throughout. In the early days, brewers used storage cellars or caves to keep the brew cold over the summer months.

During this time, sediments and yeast settle to the bottom, leaving the clear, crisp, and golden color we all know in lager beers.

Lager fun facts

1.) The word lager came from the German language when brewers left beer to “lager” over the summer months. They used the word Lagern, meaning “to store.”

2.) In the United States, the first lager brewer was John Wagner of Philadelphia in 1840.

3.) In the 19th century, lagers were much darker than they are today. The reason? They used much less refined ingredients back then.

4.) Lager beer is the preferred beer style around the world, except for England, where ale is the favored drink.

5.) Beer is the third most popular drink in the world, behind only water and tea.

Similar holidays to National Lager Day

National Beer Day – April 7
World Beer Day – August 6
World Bartender Day – February 24
National Bock Beer Day – March 20

National Lager Day hashtags

Use the following hashtags when you post photos of your National Lager Day celebrations:

#NationalLagerDay
#lagerbeer
#beerstagram
#beerlover
#beernerd
#beergeek

Beer and lager captions for Instagram

I make pour decisions.
My friends are lager than life.
Don’t worry, be hoppy.
Life is brewtiful.
Clear eyes, full cups, can’t lose.
Love is ale we need.
The best beers are the ones we drink with our best friends.
Rescue mission accomplished: some beer was trapped in a bottle.
Wish you were beer.
Drinkin’ wheat smoothies.
Well, look at what we have beer.
Beer Hunter.
Working on our six-packs.
Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.
Good people drink good beer.
Weekend forecast: 100% chance of beer.
Love has four letters. So does beer. Coincidence?
A balanced diet = a beer in each hand.
Life and beer are kindred spirits. Chill for the best results.
Beer… because you can’t drink bacon.

Beer Puns

Party now, adult later.
Hello, is it beer you’re looking for?
Beer cures what ales you.
Cheers to many more years and many more beers.
I’m in my hoppy place right now.
The beer necessities of life.
BEER: Brew. Enjoy. Empty. Repeat.
Bless this hoppy home.
It’s an Hoptical illusion.
Drinks well with others.
Steady as a bock.
Thank brew very much.
You know what rhymes with Friday? Beer.
We knew you could brew it.
Life would be un-beerable without good friends.
A pitcher-perfect moment!
Deja Brew!
To beer or not to beer – Shakesbeer
Wish you were beer.
Beer: the pursuit of hoppiness.

Good Beer Jokes

How does Moses make beer?
Hebrews it.

A skeleton walks into a bar and orders a beer and a mop.

If a redhead homebrews, does he make ginger ale?

I fear my last words will be, “Hold my beer and watch this.”

Caesar walks into a bar and holds up two fingers and asks, “Can you give me five beers?”

A roast beef sandwich walks into a bar and orders a beer. The bartender says, “Sorry, we don’t serve food here.”

How many beers can a tropical bird drink? Toucans.

A neutron walks into a bar and says, “How much for a beer?” The bartender replies, “For you, no charge!”

I’ve decided to stop drinking beer for good. Now, I drink for evil.

Why don’t they serve beer at the math club?
You can’t drink and derive.

National Lager Day quotes

If God had intended us to drink beer, He would have given us stomachs.
David Daye

It’s a comforting acquaintance, hope, a contagious thing like spring, inebriating like lager.
Sylvia Ashton-Warner

Give an Irishman lager for a month, and he’s a dead man. An Irishman’s stomach is lined with copper, and the beer corrodes it. But whiskey polishes the copper and is the saving of him.
Mark Twain

Oh, lager beer! It makes good cheer, And proves the poor man’s worth; It cools the body through and through and regulates the health.
Unknown

There is no such thing as a bad beer. It’s that some taste better than others.
Billy Carter

Give me a woman who loves beer, and I will conquer the world.
Kaiser Wilhelm

Drinking Quotations

Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza.
Dave Barry

Beer, it’s the best damn drink in the world.
Jack Nicholson

Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.
Benjamin Franklin

Milk is for babies. When you grow up, you have to drink beer.
Arnold Schwarzenegger

I used to drink a lot of lagers when I was younger, but I’m more of a wine drinker now, I guess. I feel daunted looking at full pints.
Edgar Wright

A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it’s better to be thoroughly sure.
Czech Proverb

Beer quotes

Beer will get you through a time of no money better than money will get you through times of no beer.
Freddie Freak

You can’t be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of football team or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least, you need a beer.
Frank Zappa

Whiskey’s too tough; Champagne costs too much; Vodka puts my mouth in gear. I hope this refrain Will help me explain; as a matter of fact, I like beer.
Tom T. Hall

Give a man a beer, and waste an hour. Teach a man to brew and waste a lifetime!
Bill Owen

Beer, if drunk with moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit, and promotes health.
Thomas Jefferson

I’m a larger drinker. I’m quite a stupid lager drinker. I do like my lager and mashed potatoes.
Rhona Mitra

A little bit of beer is divine medicine.
Paracelsus

Everybody has to believe in something…. I believe I’ll have another drink.
W.C. Fields

By Trevor Herman

Trevor writes about food, entertainment, and pop culture.

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