The Czechs weren’t the only ones scheming on pale lager in the 1840s, it turns out. Anton Dreher debuted what became known as the Viennese (or Wiener) style of lager in 1841, and just like the folks in Plsen, our man Anton was putting English malting technology to use in the local brewing style. The result was a crisp, copper-hued lager that was remarkably pale and consistent. Ultimately overshadowed by the Helles from Munich, Vienna-style lager isn’t actually produced that much in Austria anymore, but it lives on in the US and has a strong presence in Mexican brewing tradition as well. 

The magic of Vienna Lager is that it can build bridges between many different styles, flavors, and beer drinkers. Maltier than what we typically think of as pale lager these days, it’s still squarely in the “beer flavored beer” category. Put it this way, if your wife’s grandfather comes to the brewery one day, it’ll probably be the only one he can really get behind (and yes, everyone called him Pops). Like many good lagers, though, it sits in that sweet spot – nuanced enough that you could sit and contemplate it for a while, but so quaffable that you don’t need to.