Pre-Prohibition Lager: A classic American Pilsner-type beer
Pre-Prohibition lager is an old beer style with a recent history. It is a rediscovery, recreation, or reinterpretation of a type of beer once made in the United States before Prohibition that became popular about 25 years ago through the work of homebrewers. It was actually somewhat of a radical idea at the time since many in the nascent craft brewing industry were strongly against using adjuncts in beer. Ah, how times have changed . . .
The 2015 and 2021 Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Style Guidelines include pre-Prohibition lager in the Historical Beer style category, category 27. It was introduced in the 1998 BJCP Guidelines as classic (pre-Prohibition) within the American Light Lager category. In the 1999, 2004, and 2008 BJCP Guidelines, it was known as Classic American Pilsner (shorthand as CAP), first in the American Lager category and later in the Pilsner category. These style names are not typically used for commercial products, which are often called Pilsner, lager, or simply beer. The choice of name is mostly to differentiate it from other products such as modern American light lagers or European Pilsner-type beers.
History
This is the story of mainstream American beer for much of the second half of the 1800s and first half of the 1900s. There are two parts to the history of this style. First, the creation of the original style. Second, its recreation in the modern craft beer era. It’s a bit easier to tell the story backwards since the second phase is much better documented.
Between 1994 and 1997, several influential articles were published in multiple homebrewing magazines by the late Dr. George Fix, Ben Jankowski, and Jeff Renner. Fix laid out much of the historical foundation for the style in his article “Explorations in Pre-Prohibition American Lagers,” where he cited historical references by Wahl & Henius, Nugey, MBAA, and others. Jankowski wrote a nice story about Bushwick Pilsners describing famous beers from now-defunct breweries in that Brooklyn neighborhood. Renner wrote the “Reviving the Classic American Pilsner” article in 1995 that influenced many homebrewers, along with his subsequent talks at multiple homebrewer conferences.
As far as the roots of the style, the context is that large numbers of Germans immigrated to the U.S. in the 1840s. Between the 1820s and 1840s, about 90% of immigration to the U.S. was from Ireland, Germany, and England. Many Germans settled in the Midwest — some of the largest settlements being in Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and St. Louis — part of the corn belt. Germans, of course, brought their brewing knowledge and traditions with them and by 1870 lagers had achieved a dominant market position here in the U.S.
The ingredients available in the U.S. needed adaptation to produce European- style beers, though. The local 6-row barley had a higher protein content and needed to be diluted with adjuncts such as corn, rice, or sugar in order to produce clear beer. Beers were bittered with domestic hops like Cluster, but finished with imported German noble-type hops.
Germans, of course, brought their brewing knowledge and traditions with them and by 1870 lagers had achieved a dominant market position in the U.S.
The Prohibition era of 1920–1933, the Great Depression, and World War II ruined much of the American brewing industry and led to the growth of a few industrial brewers who pushed increasingly bland pale lagers. Pilsner-type beers survived Prohibition but at lower gravities and bitterness levels, similar to what was taking place in the British Empire at the same time.
Consolidation in the brewing industry continued as more and more regional breweries that made these styles disappeared. This was the situation at the dawn of the craft beer era, which was a revolt against the bland, adjunct lagers being pushed as the only option of beer.
Homebrewers would pick up on this theme of a “prevailing antipathy towards corn with little historical sense,” according to Dr. Fix. Yet despite adjunct use, this style was not what we think of as a modern lawnmower beer.
Sensory Profile
The style shares more similarity with the original Czech Pilsners (Czech premium pale lager style) than modern standard American lagers. It has the robust bitterness and hoppy character of the original, while bringing in a corn-y American adjunct quality. As an older style, it has more strength and bitterness than modern American lagers — up to 6% ABV and up to 40 IBUs.
Historical versions can be up to moderately grainy, but modern versions can be more neutral. The corn flavor can be noticeable and may add a rounded flavor with the impression of sweetness on the palate. Versions using rice can be neutral tasting and crisper. The body can be medium to medium-full, but fully attenuated and not sweet in the finish. It should drink easily, but give some weight on the palate.
The beers tend to be a little darker in color than modern American lagers, yellow to deep gold. Clarity is typically bright and the beer is often topped with a creamy white head with excellent retention.
The late-hop character is typically refined and elegant — floral, spicy, herbal — and moderate to moderately high in intensity. Noble-type hops are commonly used as finishing hops. The bitterness can be clean to slightly rustic, and at a medium to high level. The hops should definitely stand up to the malt in the balance, but the beer should not seem as intense as an IPA
in hoppiness.
The yeast character tends to be neutral to showing a light fermentation by-product character typical of many modern standard American lagers. As a lager, the beer will have a smooth mouthfeel and fermentation profile. It should be more robust than an international pale lager, not as crisp and dry as a German Pils, with a similar balance as Czech premium pale lagers.
Brewing Ingredients and Methods
There is no standard way of producing this style and there are many options that will yield good results. I’ll talk about the traditional and modern approaches, and provide some alternatives along the way. Choose what appeals to you and what you can execute on your brewing system.
As originally brewed by German immigrants in the 1800s, domestic American six-row pale brewing malt would have been used as well as indigenous hops for bittering. Imported hops were used for flavor and aroma, with German noble-type varieties common. American six-row malt is traditional as the base grain, but George Fix preferred the flavor of two-row malt and would use that (either German or American). I tend to use German Pilsner malt as an “upgrade” to this style. Some authors mention using up to 5% Munich or Carapils® malts in the grist, especially when using flaked corn, to increase body. I would avoid crystal-type malts because I don’t want that kind of sugary sweetness.
When the style was rediscovered in the 1990s, all the authors talked about brewing with flaked maize. Most seemed to use between 20–25%, although some historic references say up to 33% could be used. Rice is an alternative, which can produce a lighter, crisper beer with less flavor — I have judged these in competition and they rarely do as well as corn-based versions. Using flaked maize is a modern alternative technique that avoids the use of a double mash, at the possible expense of some corn flavor.
Cereal grains (most typically corn, as it was grown in most regions with major brewing centers in the U.S.) would have been used in a cereal (or double) mash. Mix a small portion of barley malt (perhaps 25% of the weight of maize) with cornmeal or grits, then heat to saccharification temperature before bringing to a boil for about half an hour. Then remix with the main mash (similar to how a decoction is combined) to raise from a beta amylase rest temperature (144–146 °F/62–63 °C) to an alpha amylase rest (158 °F/70 °C).
In later writings, Jeff Renner offered a pressure cooker alternative for maize. Process the maize along with the same amount of barley malt as used in the double mash, first cooking for 15 minutes at 150 °F (65 °C), and then 20 minutes at 15 psi (250 °F/121 °C). Those with an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker may consider this method.
George Fix liked to use a 50/60/70 step mash (30 minutes at 122 °F/50 °C; 15 minutes at 140 °F/60 °C; 30 minutes at 158 °F/70 °C) but his recipes used flaked maize. Jeff Renner liked to use the American double mash with cornmeal, particularly later in his career. My friend Curt Stock had a lot of success with flaked maize and a single infusion mash at 152 °F (67 °C). I tasted all of these versions, and I can state they were all memorable and delicious. Jeff Renner’s methods tended to emphasize the corn flavor, which may not be every brewer’s objective.
George Fix preferred the modern take on the style, which was to use German Pilsner malt, flaked maize, and German yeast. He would also make the style on the high end of bitterness and alcohol, and then dry hop it for good measure. Curt Stock took a similar approach, but didn’t dry hop it and used Czech yeast instead. Jeff Renner and Ben Jankowski used various American lager yeast strains, but sometimes Renner liked to use the German Bock yeast (as do I). So I think any of these yeast strains would work in this style.
Cluster is often mentioned as the bittering hop, but I’ve had good results with Magnum instead. I think Northern Brewer would also work. Classic continental European finishing hops seem to be the best choice for flavor and aroma, such as Hallertauer, Saaz, Tettnanger, Styrian Goldings, and Strisselspalt, or their American equivalents.
Hops are typically added in bittering, flavor, and aroma additions. George Fix liked to use first wort hopping in this style, but he was one of the people who helped re-introduce the technique. I don’t believe it is traditional, but it does produce great results in this beer.
Water gets little mention other than Renner saying it should be low in sulfate and low in alkalinity. A water profile suitable for brewing a pale lager, in other words. Personally, I use RO water with calcium chloride, but you probably know that by now.
Homebrew Example
I’m presenting a modern homebrew version of this recipe that uses flaked maize rather than a cereal mash, and has some upgraded malt and hops. I’m keeping the gravity and bitterness at moderate levels as well.
The base malt is mostly German Pils with a little Munich for extra flavor and body. Flaked maize means that we can mash the corn along with the rest of the grist. I’m using a step mash for a little extra dryness. If you want to brew this with a single infusion mash, use 152 °F (67 °C) for an hour.
The hop character is German, and I’m going straight Hallertauer for aroma and flavor. First wort hopping will give additional hop flavor with a smooth bitterness. Magnum hops for bittering will give a clean bitterness.
My yeast choice is American . . . Wyeast 2035 that is said to be descended from the Schaefer strain. Schell uses it in some of their beers, and has commented that it likes a slightly warmer fermentation temperature, so I’ve bumped up my typical temperature by a few degrees. If you use a different strain, drop back to 50 °F (10 °C) or whatever you typically use for your lagers.
If you want to explore variations of this recipe, here are my suggestions: Use American six-row as the base malt instead of Pils. Try a cereal mash or a pressure cooker mash with milled corn grits instead of the flaked maize. Use Cluster hops for bittering instead of Magnum. Any other noble-type hops would work instead of Hallertauer. Swap any American, German, or Czech lager yeast; it works well with the W-34/70 strain and also White Labs WLP833 German Bock yeast.
If you want a more robust version, raise the starting gravity to 1.060 and boost the bittering to 40 IBUs. Dry hop the beer with between a half-ounce and an ounce (14–28 g) of German noble hops. That version would be close to the way George Fix used to make it. I hope he would approve.
Pre-Prohibition Lager by the numbers
OG: 1.044–1.060
FG: 1.010–1.015
SRM: 3–6
IBU: 25–40
ABV: 4.5–6.0%
Pre-Prohibition Lager
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.053 FG = 1.012
IBU = 32 SRM = 3 ABV = 5.4%
Ingredients
7.75 lbs. (3.5 kg) Pilsner malt
8 oz. (227 g) Munich malt
2.5 lbs. (1.1 kg) flaked maize
2 AAU Hallertauer hops (first wort hop) (0.5 oz./14 g at 4% alpha acids)
6.5 AAU Magnum hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 13% alpha acids)
2 AAU Hallertauer hops (10 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 4% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Hallertauer hops (2 min.)
Wyeast 2035 (American Lager), White Labs WLP833 (German Bock), or SafLager W-34/70 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
This recipe uses reverse osmosis (RO) water. Adjust all brewing water to a pH of 5.5 using phosphoric acid. Add 1 tsp. of calcium chloride to the mash for mouthfeel.
This recipe uses a step mash. Use enough water to have a moderately thick mash (1.5 qts./lb or 3.1 L/kg). Mash in the malts and corn at 131 °F (55 °C) and hold for 15 minutes. Raise the temperature to 145 °F (63 °C) and hold for 45 minutes. Raise the temperature to 158 °F (70 °C) and hold for 15 minutes. Begin recirculating, raise the mash temperature to 169 °F (76 °C), and recirculate for 15 minutes.
Put the first wort hops in the boil kettle, then sparge slowly and collect 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of wort.
Boil the wort for 90 minutes, adding hops at the times indicated in the recipe.
Chill the wort to 54 °F (12 °C), pitch the yeast, and ferment until complete. Rack to secondary and lager for two months at 32 °F (0 °C).
Rack the beer, prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate to 2.6 volumes CO2.
Pre-Prohibition Lager
(5 gallons/19 L, extract only)
OG = 1.053 FG = 1.012
IBU = 32 SRM = 4 ABV = 5.4%
Ingredients
4.4 lbs. (1.9 kg) extra light or Pilsen dried malt extract
4 oz. (113 g) Munich dried malt extract
1.6 lbs. (726 g) rice syrup
2 AAU Hallertauer hops (first wort hop) (0.5 oz./14 g at 4% alpha acids)
6.5 AAU Magnum hops (60 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 13% alpha acids)
2 AAU Hallertauer hops (10 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 4% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Hallertauer hops (2 min.)
Wyeast 2035 (American Lager), White Labs WLP833 (German Bock), or SafLager W-34/70 yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
This version uses rice instead of corn but a corn syrup could also
be used.
Use 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of water in the brew kettle; heat to 158 °F (70 °C). Turn off the heat. Add the malt extracts and rice syrup and stir thoroughly to dissolve completely. Add the first wort hops to the kettle. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil.
Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding hops at the times indicated.
Chill the wort to 54 °F (12 °C), pitch the yeast, and ferment until complete. Rack to secondary and lager for two months at 32 °F (0 °C).
Rack the beer, prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate to 2.6 volumes CO2.
Tips For Success:
Be sure to give a little sniff and taste of the beer pre-lagering to make sure the diacetyl has been cleaned up. If not, give the yeast a couple days at slightly warmer temperatures to correct this.
