Though we have many reasons to drink…this month is your “official” reason to chug a tall glass of beer! Retrospectively, National Lager Month started yesterday (12/10/2009) but nevertheless you have a reason to celebrate. Dating back to the days of the Roman Empire lager was served as a family drink among adults during dinner. Then lager became a drink that was socially acceptable for pleasurable effects in most gatherings among adults.

You don’t have to purchase passport and visit old Rome or hop a plane to Colorado and participate in the Great American Beer Festival to enjoy one of the world’s oldest alcoholic beverages. All you have to do is throw a “beer party” of your own to celebrate America’s favorite beverage besides water and tea.
 

There’s no limit to the types of beer you can serve at your “beer party.” And thanks to http://hopsandhappiness.wordpress.com you can educate yourself and take your pick of beers to serve! You can serve; ales, pale ales, wheat beers, bitters, porters, stouts, barley wines, brown ales and triples, Lager pilsners, Vienna lagers, bocks and Marzens. To be specific you can gulp on: Altbier: A German style beer with a dry finish. Amber Ale: They have more malt flavor and less hoppiness than traditional pale ales. Its alcohol content is medium. Barley Wine: Sometimes this fruitiness is balanced out by hops. Its alcohol content is high. Bitter: English ale with a generally deep bronze appearance and a well-hopped flavor. Bock: A German lager; Brown Ale: amber appearance and a sweet, mild flavor typically an English style of beer. Doppelbock: A stronger and darker version of Bock. India Pale Ale (IPA): An ale with a light amber appearance that is characterized by its citrus and hoppy, bitter flavor. Its alcohol content is medium to medium high. Lambic Ale: A style unique to Belgium that may range in color and a dry and cider flavor with a somewhat sour finish. Its alcohol content is medium. Marzen: A German lager with a generally dark copper color and a full-bodied, malty flavor with a clean, dry finish. Last but not least; Pilsner: A lager with a golden color and crisp, dry and hoppy flavor brewed in North America (i.e. Budweiser, Kokanee, and Heineken are all pilsner-style beers) and many more kinds of suds…it’s your pick or picks for that matter.

So now you don’t have to make-up a reason to drink; you just got a free pass because it is National Lager Month! However you decide to get the party going this National Lager Month so do it in style, in season and with carefulness in mind.

By the way, can you save me a glass? I got a little thirsty while writing this article!

“TO THE PARTY PEOPLE OF THE WORLD”

Happy Holidays,
Reggie Payne