Augustiner Helles has a pale, straw colouring and a light, fluffy head when poured. Fine-fizzed and smooth on the palate, it has a distinct malty flavour, owing to its long secondary fermentation process, which is balanced by its light but distinct hoppy finish. If you’re looking for something highly drinkable that isn’t overly mild or meek, Augustiner Helles is the lager for you. Indeed, if you want to put a bit of pizzazz into your pub pilsner, opting for a Czech classic such as Pilsner Urquell or German imports such as Jever or Veltins is a sensible way to start. But with summer and BBQ season fast approaching, what are your options in the supermarket – which lagers are not just cold and crisp but crafted with real character? We put the big retailers’ lagers to the test. Ocado, Fuller’s Frontier The answer is quite simple: by adding more raw materials (malts, cereals) during the brewing process. In doing this we generate more fermentable sugars which in turn transform into alcohol (and CO2) during the fermentation phase of brewing. Of course, it is also necessary to use adequate yeasts, powerful enough to transform all the sugars into alcohol. Naturally, a beer will be able to reach 12% to 14% of alcohol. In this category of very strong beers we can cite the Barley wine style, as the iconic Thomas Hardy or the Bigfoot in the United States. How to calculate the alcohol content of a beer

Blond Belgian ale called The End of History was produced utilising deep freezing technology. It emits aromas of nettles, mead, and juniper berries. Of course, all the above would be moot if the lager itself didn’t come up to scratch in the taste department. Thankfully, Freestar’s trio of European hops (Saaz, Perle and Hallertau, to be specific) give the lager a classic beer taste, with a nice mix of floral flavours, light bitterness and mild maltiness on the palate. While many low ABV lagers have strange or unpleasant aftertastes, Freestar has a clean finish which doesn’t linger. Generally you want a double ipa for that volume or something Belgian but you’re likely paying a price for it. The amount of alcohol in beer depends exclusively on the style of the beer, but the amount of alcohol can range from 0.0% to 12.0% and in some cases even more. Many people enjoy drinking beer as an adult beverage. However, the amount of alcohol in each beer varies greatly, and some individuals like to get the most for their money.

Try some strong beers!

Before testing any of the tasty lagers from our list below, we first pre-chill the bottles or cans in the fridge for a number of hours. Once the beers have reached their optimum temperature, we pour them into a standard pint glass. The first things we look for after pouring are the lager’s colour, opacity, aroma and the size and consistency of the foam head. Once poured and settled, we taste the lagers, noting down the initial flavour profile, level of effervescence and general drinkability. Next up we have the 8-10% ABV beers; strong Belgian beers, Tripels and strong Blondes. From 8.0% upwards, alcohol plays a fundamental role in taste and in the whole experience of beer tasting. These are beers that should be drunk in peace, it is mainly about tasting and not just drinking. Belgian beer is known for its intense taste and high percentage of alcohol. Alcohol gets even stronger with most barley wines , Quadrupels and strong Belgian brown beers. These are sweet, warming and generally start at 8.0% ABV, going up to 12.0% (with some exceptions to ~ 15%). They are perfect to be enjoyed alone but also in company.

To pour, it has a medium golden colour, a fine fizz and a large, fluffy white head. Brewed with Hallertau hops and the region’s famed Felsquellwasser spring water, Krombacher has a soft, smooth mouthfeel and an enjoyable mineral quality to its flavour. Less floral and sweet than its Czech counterparts, this pilsner is front-loaded with strong, bready malt flavours and leaves a lingering, pleasant bitterness. At 4.8%, Krombacher is stronger than most pilsners, perfect for anyone looking for a smooth-drinking beer that is robust in both its flavour and its ABV. Doggerlander Malt Liquor is a malt liquor made in the United States. There are hints of corn, rice, and sugar. Naturally, malted barley is the best. It has more frills, fruit, and sweetness than your typical beer. American Lager : A pale, thin-bodied style, American lagers have a much milder hop profile when compared to European lagers. Not subject to the strict brewing regulations in place in many European countries, American lagers can also incorporate adjuncts like rice or corn. Some of the best known examples of the style include the likes of Bud, Coors and Miller. When we hear the word beer, the first thing that pops into most of our minds is a fresh pint of lager. Drinking one, it’s easy to see why, as the best lagers offer a classic balance of flavour, crispness and smooth drinkability that IPAs, stouts and sours can’t quite muster. Being the most popular style of beer in the UK, there are plenty of tasty, well-known lagers readily available on supermarket shelves. However, there are more interesting varieties of lager out there than you might give the style credit for, and that’s what our list aims to showcase. Scotland is home to the highest alcohol-content beers in the world. These high ABV beers sit in first, second, and third place. The strongest beer in the UK is also the strongest beer in the world, the Scottish Beithir FireBrew weighing in at a whopping 75%.

The best lagers to buy in 2023

Poor old lager. Loutish, low-rent, taste-free, commercial … There are no end of insults, some justified, some pure snobbery, that supposed connoisseurs of food and drink like to throw its way. You might assume that in craft beer circles, all lager is shunned, but not so. Craft geeks want to see all beer styles brewed properly for maximum flavour, and newer UK brewers, such as Camden Town and Brewdog, happily brew lagers (Hells and This is Lager, respectively).

Herold, the Bohemian brewery that makes this beer, has been brewing in Březnice since the 15th century, and it shows. Fundamentally, this does not do anything remarkable for a Czech pilsner, but it works thanks to its flavours: a distinctive herbal, “skunk weed” character from the saaz hops; fresh, citrusy notes; a final phase of sophisticated caramel sweetness with real elegance. This is very well-made beer. Overall, the Pinter is a sleek choice for someone who doesn’t want to fuss with the science of brewing and just wants to make beer with as little effort as possible. One bottle of a popular beer is often regarded as one standard alcoholic beverage because the standard has about 0.6 ounces of alcohol. Said dry finish, along with the beer’s clean flavour and mild aftertaste, make it perfect for pairing with various kinds of food, which was one of the brewer’s main aims when it was originally developed. Having tried it in various settings, we can confirm that it fulfils this aim well, providing crispness and refreshment without overpowering the flavours of a given dish. Originating in Northern Europe, lagers are a type of beer brewed using bottom fermenting yeasts. Able to operate at cooler temperatures, bottom fermenting yeasts work more slowly and less vigorously than yeasts used to produce other beers, and are named for how they tend to sink to the bottom of the fermentation vessel once finished. Once brewed, lagers tend to be matured in cold storage. How are lagers different from ales?Another way to indicate the amount of alcohol is as a percentage of the total weight: Alcohol By Weight or ABW. Alcohol always has a lower density than water, which is why the percentage is always lower. Vienna Lager: Also known as amber or Oktoberfest lagers, this style of beer originated in Austria, and is defined by its clear, reddish-brown appearance; mild hop profile and low bitterness; and malt-forward flavour. While not the most popular or well-known style, there are a few mainstream examples of this amber-hued drink, with Boston’s Sam Adams lager being a standout. There are loads of great tastings beers at all strength levels. Some taste strong. Some don’t (I had a Pomona Manchester Tart Sour at 10% the other week and it was amazing but certainly didn’t hint at being 10%) Pilsner: Originating in Czechia, and popular across central Europe, pilsners are lightly straw coloured lagers, tending to come in at around 4 to 5%. Pilsners, on the whole, are a tad hoppier and more aromatic than your typical lager, and are characterised by a mild, pleasant bitterness.