Among all the various craft beer trends over the past several years, one of my favorites is the rising prevalence of lagers. Heater Allen Brewing deserves much credit for being an early pioneer in “craft lager” and it’s great to see many more options these days from breweries like Zoiglhaus, Wayfinder, Crux Fermentation Project, and others.

Of course this segues into my review of a couple of such beers I enjoyed this summer, both of which that I would describe as “robust” lagers, from Zoiglhaus Brewing out of Portland and Yachats Brewing on the Oregon coast. Let’s dive in.

Zoiglhaus/Zupan’s Farm to Market Lager

This was the latest collaboration beer in the Farm to Market series from Zupan’s Markets, with the Portland-based store chain teaming up with Zoiglhaus Brewing on this German-styled lager. Zupan’s sent me a six-pack to sample and I enjoyed it.

It’s 4.7% ABV and 22 IBUs, and brewed with German malts and hops (as I would expect from Zoiglhaus).

Appearance: Off-white, effervescent head, slick-looking, over an unfiltered, golden-orange colored body.

Smell: Earth, spicy hops, with a touch of DMS in a corny note (this is not a fault). Otherwise clean with a bready malt character.

Taste: Grassy hops with a grainy malt flavor showcasing a touch of bread crust and biscuit. Toasty, comforting flavors with a nicely mellow earthiness from the hops. Nicely robust compared to other standard lagers.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with a crisp, grainy finish.

Overall: Quite nicely drinkable, a solid standard German lager with some really nice character malts and subtle hops.

Yachats See See Lager

Yachats Brewing is located on the Oregon coast in the small town of Yachats, and offers up a local coast flavor to the beer scene. I’ve visited twice, and my impression overall is of an environmentally conscious brewery that likes to play with fermentation—both in the beers and in the foods with lots of fermented foods (think pickles, sauerkraut, etc.) and probiotic drinks (kombucha). That extends into the beer even though the brewery offers plenty of “regular” options like IPAs and the like; I always think of the sours, saisons, mixed/spontaneously-fermented beers.

While stopping in over the summer I enjoyed a pint of the Pilsner on the patio and picked up a four-pack of the See See Lager to go. I believe it’s classified as a standard American lager but I can’t find much else descriptive about it, other than it’s 4.2% ABV and 12 IBUs.

Appearance: Golden yellow, fairly clear, good carbonation with bubbles streaming up to feed a white, fizzy-crisp head. Good lacing.

Smell: Spicy, floral, grassy hops that have a rustic character. Hay? A corn-like note of DMS, and grainy.

Taste: Rustic, corny grain with zesty, earthy hops and a bit of forest floor. There’s a spicy(ish) character I can’t quite identify, maybe yeast phenolics or even a warmer-than-lager fermentation ester? But tasty.

Mouthfeel: Light, crisp, corny grain finish.

Overall: Because this is from Yachats—which I associate with unusual and mixed fermentation—that spicy, rustic character makes me think there’s some sort of fermentation thing going on, or even a local/foraged flavor addition. It’s not bad and I’m not confident to call it a flaw but it’s interesting (it’s possible there’s just enough DMS to go this direction?). I enjoyed the beer overall.