ST. LOUIS — Schlafly Beer, the largest independent and locally owned craft brewery in Missouri, announces the release of White Lager, available now through March 2016. The German-style beer offers an unfiltered twist on traditional lagers. The style dates back to the Middle Ages with a noticeably hazy, golden hue, hint of orange zest, and silky finish.
With 25 IBUs and a strong malt backbone of Europils and wheat, White Lager presents the drinker a smooth and zesty full-flavored beer that clocks in at 5.5% ABV, a welcome departure from the higher-alcohol winter warmers inundating the market this time of year. As another distinguishing characteristic, lagers are usually bright and clear with a clean maltiness and slight hoppiness, yet the Schlafly White Lager takes the focus away from those qualities by retaining its yeast. The result is the perfectly unclear, but clearly balanced beer.
Schlafly created the approachable White Lager to bolster its Lager Loop series, which also includes the popular Summer Lager and an additional upcoming release in Fall 2016.
“Coming off of our Summer Lager, we wanted to make a winter beer alternative for people who are looking for something a little easier to drink than the stouts, porters, and higher ABV beers that you typically see this time of year,” Schlafly Ambassador Brewer Stephen Hale says. “The White Lager has a higher malt bill and is unfiltered, but it’s noticeably fresh with a slight tartness and sweetness.”
Schlafly developed the White Lager as part of their Small Brews program, a weekly experimental brewing day at the Bottleworks location on the brewery’s 12-gallon system. After prototyping the recipe and playing around with the hop profile, the Schlafly brewers decided on adding a mild citrus component in the form of orange peel. White Lager debuted at Hop in the City, the annual fall beer festival at the Tap Room location. Of the 40 styles of Schlafly Beer showcased at the event, White Lager was the first to run out, cuing the company into the beer’s potential in the wider marketplace.
White Lager can be purchased in growlers at the Growler Bar at the Bottleworks location or in six-packs ($8.99 suggested retail) across the brewery’s distribution region. The beer can also be enjoyed on draft at the Schlafly Tap Room or Bottleworks brewery-restaurants as well as select on-premise locations. For more on Schlafly Beer’s distribution and White Lager, visit www.schlafly.com/beers/distribution.
About Schlafly Beer:
Founded in 1991 by Tom Schlafly in St. Louis, Schlafly Beer is the largest locally owned and independent craft brewery in Missouri, proudly offering more than 50 unique styles of craft beer. The celebrated brewing company continues to define craft with a dedication to sourcing the best ingredients, supporting local sustainability and community efforts whenever possible, and delivering a superior beer experience from year-round to limited-edition styles. In 2014, Schlafly Beer’s production of 60,000 barrels of beer took place between its two brewery-restaurants, Schlafly Tap Room (2100 Locust St.) in downtown St. Louis, and Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Ave.) located in Maplewood. The Schlafly Tap Room was the first new brewpub to open in Missouri since Prohibition and is housed in a restored wood and brick building on the National Historic Register. Schlafly Bottleworks offers free weekend tours every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 12-5 p.m. on the hour, and every half hour on Saturdays. Schlafly Tap Room offers free brewery tours every Sunday. For a full listing of Schlafly Beers and for more information on distribution, visit www.schlafly.com. Find Schlafly Beer on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.