Food glossary

A pint of lager

Lager

A type of fizzy beer often light golden in colour. The terms lager and beer have become interchangeable although strictly speaking lager is distinct from other types of beer in that it is bottom-fermented. This means during the fermentation process the yeast cells drop to the base of the fermenting vat.

Waitrose stock a range of bottled and canned lager, including: Waitrose Cerveza Spanish Lager (a bottled lager, with 5 per cent alcohol content, brewed in Zaragova Northern Spain in an independent family owned brewery with its own maltings); Waitrose Danish Export Lager (a bottled lager brewed on the island of Fyn in the city of Odense using locally grown barley malt, maize and hops, it has an alcohol content of 5.2 per cent); Waitrose German Pilsner Lager (a bottled lager brewed in the St Pauli District of Hamburg whose brewing heritage extends back to the sixteenth century, it has an alcohol content of 4.9 per cent); Waitrose Lager (a canned lager with 4 per cent alcohol content, brewed in the UK) and Waitrose Strong Lager (a canned lager with 5 per cent alcohol content, brewed in the UK).

Uses: Chilled lager is a popular drink but it can also be used in cooking, it can be added to batter to makes a light and crisp coating for fish or included in casseroles and stews for a subtle flavour.

To store: Keep in a cool dark place or the fridge and consume by the best before date.

To serve: Serve well chilled straight from the fridge and pour into a tall glass held at an angle to avoid creating 'a head' on the beer.