Serve in a willi becher at 6-9 °C
What it tastes like
Vienna lager started in 1841, when Anton Dreher in Vienna paired a lighter, more carefully kilned malt with the new cold-fermenting lager yeast. The malt that took the city's name is the heart of the beer. It sits between pale and Munich malt, giving a gentle toast and a light, almost honeyed sweetness rather than heavy caramel.
The style faded in Austria but found a second home in Mexico, carried there by Austrian-born brewers in the late nineteenth century, and survives in several darker Mexican lagers. In the glass it is reddish amber, clear and clean. Compared with Märzen, it is lighter in body, drier and a little more bitter, so it feels brisker. Compared with American amber lager, it is more restrained, with no citrusy hops. A good Vienna lager is a quiet beer that rewards attention: toast, a soft malt middle, a firm dry finish.
Style profile
- Look
- Light reddish amber to copper, brilliantly clear, with an off-white head of good staying power.
- Aroma and flavour
- Light toast and soft malt sweetness, perhaps a hint of honey, a clean lager base and a mild herbal hop note.
- Mouthfeel
- Light to medium body, moderate carbonation and a crisp, dry finish with steady bitterness.
- Ingredients
- Vienna malt as the main grain, a little Munich or light crystal malt, German noble hops, clean lager yeast.
In India
Vienna lager is rare on Indian taps, which is a pity, because it suits our climate well. It has more flavour than a pale lager yet stays light and dry enough for a hot afternoon. Indian brewers sometimes fold the idea into an amber or festival lager rather than naming it. If you brew, it is a good showcase for clean fermentation, since any off-flavour has nowhere to hide. Ask your local brewpub, and pair it with lunch rather than a heavy dinner.
At the Indian table
Food pairings contributed by Anuradha Rao
- Chicken 65The toasted malt carries the crisp, chilli-red coating, and the dry finish cleans up the oil.
- Vegetable biryaniA light, malty lager supports the whole spices without masking the saffron and fried onion.
- Fish amritsariGram flour batter and carom seeds meet a clean, toasty beer that keeps the fish tasting fresh.
- ShakkarparaThe fried, lightly sweet biscuits echo the honeyed malt in a simple tea-time pairing.
Brewed in India
Rare in India so far. We could not verify a current Indian Vienna lager, so ask your local brewpub, as amber lagers often appear as seasonals.
Want the long read? Vienna lager