Click on the labels to truly get a feel for the Lagers.

Lager beer, which was first brewed in Germany some 500 years ago, has since become one of the most popular types of beer in the world. The word comes from German and means "to store". Traditionally, the beer is stored in barrels for several weeks or longer before being served. Lager is also a general name that includes several variations or styles, such as Pilsner, Vienna and Märzen.

History 

Beginning in the sixteenth century (or possibly even earlier) Bavarian brewers were required by law to brew beer only during the cooler months of the year. In order to have beer available during the hot summer months, beers would be stored in caves and stone cellars, often under blocks of ice.

In the period 1820-1830, a brewer named Gabriel Sedlmayr II the Younger, whose family was running the Spaten Brewery in Bavaria went around Europe to improve his brewing skills. When he returned, he used what he had learned to get a more stable and consistent lager beer. The Bavarian lager was still different from the widely-known modern lager; due to the hardness of Munich water it was quite dark.

The new recipe of the improved lager beer spread quickly over Europe. In particular Sedlmayr's friend Anton Dreher used the new lagering technique to improve the Viennese beer in 1840–1841. The Viennese water enabled the use of lighter malts, giving the beer an amber-red rich colour.

The new recipe reached Bohemia, too, and the technique was further improved. In 1842, in the town of Plzeň, a 29-year-old Bavarian brewer Josef Groll tried the new lagering recipe using a different malt with the local water, which was much softer than Munich or even Viennese water: the resultant beer had a very bright golden color. This new kind of beer, which became known as Pilsener or Pilsner, had a huge success and spread all over Europe.