Lager: Not just a pale ale

Many of America’s most popular beers derive from a brief craze in mid-19th-century Germany for a particular style of lager, said Betsy Andrews in Saveur. But lagers come in a variety of styles besides golden and hoppy. Craft brewers here are now turning back the clock—creating various lagers of true “depth and complexity.”

Lakefront Local Acre Lager Milwaukee. This unfiltered lager “tastes of apricots and earth.”

Iron Hill Rauchbier North Wales, Pa. Its name is German for “smoke beer,” and it’s made with malt that’s been smoked over a beechwood fire. The “sweet, floral balancing notes” are nice, but it’s mostly “deliciously smoky.”

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Buffalo Water Beer Company Bison Blonde Milwaukee. A “balanced, unassertive, and likable summer brew,” this one offers “caramel-malt sweetness, plus a tinge of citrus.”