Amber Lager

Based on conversations with Brauerei Schanzenbräu founder Stefan Stretz, here’s a recipe for the Nuremberg brewery’s popular red lager—drier and slightly more bitter than other versions of the regional style.

Nuremberg’s Schanzenbräu sells plenty of helles, but it’s best known for its distinctive red lager—a niche style, even within Germany. The challenge, says founder Stefan Stretz, is achieving easy drinkability in such a full-bodied, malt-forward beer.

A collaboration with Triptych of Savoy, Illinois, this amber lager from Chicago’s Goldfinger brings Midwestern flavor via Minnesota wild rice, Wisconsin hops, and a yeast strain resurrected from a 19th-century Wisconsin brewery.

In the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove, Goldfinger has built a strong national reputation for its lagers. This one is inspired by the German zoigl tradition but makes use of American ingredients, including corn and whole-leaf Mt. Hood hops.

From Barrique Brewing & Blending in Nashville, Tennessee, head brewer Spencer Longhurst shares this recipe from an Anchor Steam–inspired collab brewed with their friends at Von Trapp in Stowe, Vermont.

An important piece of this old-fashioned lager’s puzzle is the Swiss-style lager yeast, which Elder Piper cofounder and brewer Trace Redmond says provides floral notes that accentuate the hops.

From Philadelphia’s lager-centric Human Robot, here’s a recipe for a Czech-style amber lager that came to life almost by accident—and one that uses a method they call “enhanced decoction.”

It’s Czech, it’s amber, and it’s a lager—but where did it come from? Nobody seems to know the origin story of polotmavý, or even whether it has one. Yet it’s here today, and the traditional Czech brewing process defines it every bit as much as that rich garnet color.

We know: It’s time to drink it, not brew it. Yet while you’re hoisting a few at the season’s festivities, it’s never too early to start thinking about your spring brewing schedule...

For once, forget about planning every little detail and trying to dial everything in. (How often does that work, anyway?) Have fun, throw together some under-loved ingredients, and brew yourself a monster.