The Vienna lager is one of the most historically significant lager styles ever created, and one of the most underappreciated ones on American tap lists today. It’s amber in color, malt-forward, crisp, and easy to drink, yet it almost went extinct in the country that invented it. The fact that it survived at all is thanks to a fascinating chain of historical accidents stretching from Austria to Mexico to the American craft beer revolutions.
A Vienna lager is an amber lager brewed primarily with Vienna malt, fermented cold with lager yeast, and finished with some light hopping that brings in a touch of bitterness. The result is a clean and toasty beer with a dry finish and excellent balance: not too sweet and not too hoppy.
It’s one of my favorite styles of beer and it deserves a lot more attention than it gets.
Vienna Lager History
As a surprise to absolutely nobody, the Vienna lager comes from Austria, potentially even Vienna!
For an actually useful background, Vienna lagers came to be around the same time as the Pilsner did. What an awesome time it must have been to be a beer fan, assuming you lived in or around Bavaria. Harkeing back to 1841, the Vienna Lager was created by Anton Dreher, an Austrian brewer who worked at Schwechat Brewery just outside of Vienna.
The Vienna lager made a splash pretty quickly as a “light” beer. Of course, by today’s standards, the Vienna lager isn’t light at all, but it was a revolution in beer lightness at the time. TO understand the importance of the Vienna lager, you should know that most beer in Central Europe at the time was dark brown due to heavily roasted grain. Needless to say, a non-smoky beer brewed with care was an immediate hit.
But then the Vienna lager nearly vanished entirely. But why?
Well, remember how I mentioned the Pilsner? Yes, the Pilsner became the next big thing, and Vienna lagers faded into the background. While you won’t find many Vienna lagers brewed in Vienna, you will find them in Mexico and craft breweries in the US.
What Does a Vienna Lager Taste Like?
Vienna lagers are most defined by their awesome malt character. Here’s what to expect when drinking one:
- Appearance: Light reddish-amber to copper.
- Aroma: Nice malt aroma with toasty, bready notes.
- Flavor: Complex malt flavor up front with a balanced finish.
- Mouthfeel: Medium-light to medium body.
- Finish: Pretty dry and crisp, not sweet or heavy.
- ABV: Usually 4.5–5.5%.
What a Vienna lager is not is hoppy, sweet, or heavy. The goal of the style isn’t to push forward one single flavor, but to balance quality ingredients for a more complex flavor.
How Is a Vienna Lager Made?
The brewing process for a Vienna lager is pretty straightforward, which is exactly what makes it difficult to do well. Since the style requires balance, any mistakes will show up in the final brew.
Malt: Vienna malt makes up 60–100% of the grain. Some brewers might add small amounts of Munich malt for deeper color and complexity, or some Pilsner malt for a lighter, crisper finish.
Hops: Noble German hops, such as Hallertau, Saaz, Styrian Goldings, are used just enough to balance the malt. Bitterness typically falls between 18–30 IBUs, so it has some bitter hop flavor but not enough to dominate the brew.
Yeast: Vienna lagers are bottom-fermented with clean lager yeast at cold temperatures, then lagered for a few weeks. It’s a slow process, which is part of the reason why you don’t see Vienna lagers as commonly as IPAs on craft beer menus.
Vienna Lager vs Other Lagers
The Vienna lager shares a lot in common with other styles, but with some noticeable differences. Here are a few:
Vienna Lager vs. Märzen
The Vienna and Märzen are both amber, malt-forward lagers with similar ingredients. The main differences: Märzen is typically a bit stronger (aroudn 6% ABV vs. Vienna’s 4.5–5.5%), slightly richer and more full-bodied, and traditionally brewed in March to be consumed at Oktoberfest in the fall. Vienna lager is the year-round brew, assuming someone is willing to brew it.
Vienna Lager and Pilsner
The Vienna lager and Pilsner are practically twins. Not because they’re similar, but because they were first made around the same time, around 1840. Outside of that, they have noticeable differences.
Pilsners are golden in color, light, crisp, and clean. Vienna lagers are amber, rich, and malty. There can be crossover in the ingredients used, especially with malt, but how the malt comes through in the final brew is entirely different.
Vienna Lager and Mexican Lager
Ok, now we get to the really fun comparison: Vienna lagers and Mexican lagers. In the past I’ve blanket-statemented to people that they’re basically the same. And that blanket statement is sort of true, to an extent.
The Mexican lager draws a lot of inspiration from Vienna lagers. The style was introduced in Mexico in the 1860s when Austrian Emperor Maximilian I was put in charge of ruling Mexico and brought Austrian brewers along for the ride.
Over time, Mexican brewers took the recipe and tweaked it slightly by introducing local ingredients (mainly corn) and brewing for local tastes. Some modern Mexican beers, like Negra Modelo and Dos Equis Ambar, have a lot in common with the traditional Vienna lager style.
So, the modern Mexican lager branched out from the Vienna lager it was based on. But if the ultimate form of flattery is imitation, then the Vienna lager must be one of the most flattered beers out there.
Appreciating the Vienna Lager
The Vienna lager may not have the trendy appeal of a Cold IPA or the Oktoberfest fanfare of a Märzen, but it’s one of the most carefully balanced, historically important beer styles ever made. If you see one on tap, order it. Brewers who are making this style are doing it because they genuinely love it, so you know it’ll be good.
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