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Styles · American Light Lager

Beer style · BJCP 2021 1A

American Light Lager

Standard American Beer

Published ranges These are the ranges the BJCP 2021 guidelines publish for this style.

Original gravity
1.028–1.040
Final gravity
0.998–1.008
Bitterness
8–12 IBU
Color
2–3 SRM (4–6 EBC)
Alcohol
2.8–4.2 % ABV

What it is

A very pale, very light-bodied lager built for volume drinking, with barely any malt or hop flavor to speak of. Rice or maize thins the body deliberately and the finish is fast and dry. Because there is nothing to hide behind, judges reward flawless fermentation and sheer drinkability rather than character.

Flavor

What a American Light Lager should taste like, on the three wheels the studio scores every recipe against. The shaded ring is the style’s range on each axis, from 0 at the center to 5 at the edge.

Hops

Hops stay in the background: none of their character belongs.

Malt

Grainy, with room for sweet/honey.

Fermentation

Clean, with room for sulfur.

Hops that suit it

None on character. The hops in this style are there for bitterness and balance, and any variety whose aroma you would notice is out of place.

Yeasts that suit it

Strains the lab made for beers like this one, whose fermentation character sits inside the style’s wheel. A strain sold by several labs is listed once; its page names the others.

Style numbers, names and vital statistics are from the BJCP 2021 Beer Style Guidelines, where you will find the official descriptions. The descriptions and flavor wheels here are Beerwright’s own. Beerwright is not affiliated with or endorsed by the BJCP.