In one way or another, all light lagers are some form of Pilsner.  Historically, Pilsner malt was developed by a brewery in the Czech Republic known today as Pilsner Urquell Brewery.  Prior to the discovery of malt kilned more lightly than the lightest of the time, most beers were deep golden at the lightest.  Lager yeast had been realized, as well as cold fermentation, but straw-colored clarity had not been seen before.  Incidentally, it was near this time that a middle-class consumer began to have access to more mass-produced glassware, and drinkers could now seek a light-straw golden yellow beer with brilliant clarity they could appreciate, rather than drinking typically murkier, dark yellow and amber lagers out of metal tankards they were used to.

Developing these beers takes patience.  There is nothing to hide behind if a mistake is made.  The general formula remains the same: extremely lightly kilned malts, delicate additions of old-world hop varieties, and a slow-working, cold fermenting lager yeast of typically European pedigree.  Water chemistry should be as neutral as resources allow, and make space for the raw ingredients to interact as harmoniously as possible.  Once fermentation is complete, the beer is chilled en masse, transferred to a fresh vessel, and conditioned with minimal disruption for as much as three months, though typically 4 weeks is acceptable.  

Clarity, high carbonation, snappy hop aroma and flavor, straw-golden hue, and balance are all targets for any light lager.  Flaws are so easily perceived because of the lightness of the finished product, and are by and large unacceptable.  

As one of the most challenging styles to make well, it’s a good feeling to have a result we are satisfied offering to the public.