Lager

Britain, once a stronghold of ale drinkers in a world that had long since gone lager, is slowly but steadily abandoning its traditional brew. Flat, dark and warmish ale has been the staple of pubs, the centerpiece of contemplative drinking, a subject of fiery British debate and an object of foreigners' bewilderment. But British beer-drinking fashions are changing, with more and more Britons thirsting for the lighter, gassy beer with 19th-century origins on the European continent.

My friend Ron begged me not to tell you about McNally's Tavern because, as he put it, "Then everyone would know about it and that would spoil things. " I thanked Ron for the implicit compliment, but reminded him that people outside of Chestnut Hill have a right to know about McNally's, too. On the surface, neighborhood taverns and Chestnut Hill would seem as odd a combo as espadrilles and Fishtown. But Chestnut Hill has two good ones, Campbell's and McNally's. Today we'll sample McNally's.

In Philadelphia, there are scores of historical markers commemorating churches and politicians and inventors and factories. But none for beer. As the voice of the beer-drinking public, I'd file an immediate complaint with the proper authorities if I weren't too lazy to slide off this barstool. So Joe Sixpack will simply lift a pint to toast Rich Wagner, the city's leading beer historian, who has made it his mission to promote Philadelphia's important role in the foundation of brewing in America.

SURE, THAT CUP of bathtub gin might be laced with deadly wood alcohol. But bouts of blindness, leg amputation and sudden death notwithstanding, boozing during the Prohibition - at least as depicted in the new Ken Burns three-part docu-film airing on PBS next week - sure looks fun. The dandies in tuxedos, the girls in flapper dresses dancing to the raucous music of jazz bands as gallons of lager sprays from speakeasy faucets - wow, the...

It is a mystery of history and beer. Beer, as we know it today, was introduced to America by a former Bavarian brewmaster named John Wagner in Philadelphia in 1840. But no one knows how Wagner solved the yeast problem that had prevented American brewmasters from making lager beer. No one else had. Wagner, George Esslinger, Fred Poth, Christian Schmidt and other local brewmasters of the past will be recalled today as the German Society opens its newest exhibit, "Brewed in Philadelphia - A 19th Century View.

A COUPLE of years ago at the World Beer Cup in Seattle, a contingent of judges from Germany found themselves scratching their heads at the evaluation guidelines for their country's most revered quaff, Oktoberfestbier. The biennial international competition, organized by the Brewers Association, lays out exacting criteria for 75 styles of ales and lagers, dictating everything from color and aroma to body and alcohol content. Even the most freewheeling brewers consult the standards as they design their recipes.

'You know what I had the other night, and it was really, really good?" said Joe, the man who holds the fate of my scalp in his hands. "A quart of Schaeffer. " I nodded politely, of course, and not just because he was flashing a sharpened object toward my ears. In Fishtown, the barbershop is the source of all authoritative information. It is here that you learn who's out of work and who's getting lucky. Still, this bit of news was distressing. Joe is a beer enthusiast, an industrial-lager convert who I presumed had given up the dreck.

IT'S JUST a coincidence, but there was a striking convergence of ale developments in the city this week. The new Budweiser American Ale hit the streets, and Yards - the city's British-style ale maker - finally began brewing at its new facility in Northern Liberties. Ale, for those who need the remedial, is one of the two main types of beer, distinguished from more commonplace lager by its yeast strain and temperature of fermentation. Ale is fermented at warm temps, which produces a fruitier, fuller flavor than that of the typical crisp, cold-brewed lager.

When Ed and Carol Stoudt launched Stoudt's Brewing Company more than 20 years ago, they were microbrew pioneers for the local beer scene, which is currently in full-celebration mode with Philly Beer Week until next Sunday. A taste of Stoudt's recently rereleased Smooth Hoperator, though, shows the Adamstown brewery is as current as ever. Created last year to mark the brewery's 20th anniversary, Smooth Hoperator is a cleverly Americanized rendition of a German doppelbock - thus the classic beer's billy-goat mascot dresses in suave hip-hop threads on the label.

Mike Leigh always begins his scathing commentaries on contemporary British life by choosing his actors and then handing them a character instead of a script. Months before rehearsals begin, Leigh and his cast hold long and argumentative work sessions and discussions. The actors build the characters from scratch, even devising diaries and sketching out family lives and relationships that will not be included on film. Life Is Sweet shows what rich rewards this unusual approach can yield.

YOU THINK WE have a pretty good beer scene now? You should've seen this town back in 1879. Every neighborhood had its own brewery, and every corner had a saloon. In the preceding 30 years, more than 250 breweries had opened — many of them closing quickly, but others becoming national powers. A census by Western Brewer magazine counted an astonishing 94 breweries up and running. The city's population was barely half of today's, and yet it had 12 times the number of breweries we boast of in 2012.

SURE, THAT CUP of bathtub gin might be laced with deadly wood alcohol. But bouts of blindness, leg amputation and sudden death notwithstanding, boozing during the Prohibition - at least as depicted in the new Ken Burns three-part docu-film airing on PBS next week - sure looks fun. The dandies in tuxedos, the girls in flapper dresses dancing to the raucous music of jazz bands as gallons of lager sprays from speakeasy faucets - wow, the...

Philly may be dubbed "The Best Beer-Drinking City in America," but our love of the fizzy stuff has also bubbled over into the way we eat. Walk into any gastropub and witness the inventiveness with which local chefs are incorporating beer into their cooking. "Beer appreciation was always a hobby for me, but working at the Taproom, I've learned much more about using it in cooking, having access to all these great products here," says Jesse Kimball, chef of Memphis Taproom in Port Richmond.

A COUPLE of years ago at the World Beer Cup in Seattle, a contingent of judges from Germany found themselves scratching their heads at the evaluation guidelines for their country's most revered quaff, Oktoberfestbier. The biennial international competition, organized by the Brewers Association, lays out exacting criteria for 75 styles of ales and lagers, dictating everything from color and aroma to body and alcohol content. Even the most freewheeling brewers consult the standards as they design their recipes.

IT'S JUST a coincidence, but there was a striking convergence of ale developments in the city this week. The new Budweiser American Ale hit the streets, and Yards - the city's British-style ale maker - finally began brewing at its new facility in Northern Liberties. Ale, for those who need the remedial, is one of the two main types of beer, distinguished from more commonplace lager by its yeast strain and temperature of fermentation. Ale is fermented at warm temps, which produces a fruitier, fuller flavor than that of the typical crisp, cold-brewed lager.

OVER THE LAST couple of weeks, I've been writing about oddball beer flavors - pizza, crème brulee, blueberry - some of it good, some not. The most frequent reaction I've gotten is a shrug of disbelief. I agree, it's hard to think of these flavors as anything more than a one-time gimmick, here today, in the recycling bin tomorrow. But be careful. One of them just might be the next Great Pumpkin. Yes, gourd help us, pumpkin beer - a style that, till 20 years ago, existed only in dusty history books.

When Ed and Carol Stoudt launched Stoudt's Brewing Company more than 20 years ago, they were microbrew pioneers for the local beer scene, which is currently in full-celebration mode with Philly Beer Week until next Sunday. A taste of Stoudt's recently rereleased Smooth Hoperator, though, shows the Adamstown brewery is as current as ever. Created last year to mark the brewery's 20th anniversary, Smooth Hoperator is a cleverly Americanized rendition of a German doppelbock - thus the classic beer's billy-goat mascot dresses in suave hip-hop threads on the label.

Organization and planning can trim a seemingly lengthy procedure to just a few minutes of actual preparation. In this case, beer is used to marinate the meat in advance, allowing you serve a flavorful meal in minutes after work. Stout-Glazed Steak (Makes 4 to 6 servings) - From The Best of American Beer & Food: Pairing & Cooking with Craft Beer by Lucy Saunders (Brewers Publications). Beer Pairing: American pilsener or dark lager  

Consider this formula: Y = 0.365 + 0.137 X1 + 0.116 X2. Chances are it does not make you think about beer, but yesterday in a presentation at Rutgers University-Camden, a group of graduate students used it to discuss just that. While most college students encounter beer from the business end of a bottle, Barbara Bickart's M.B.A. class has been taking a look at the business of getting new beer into a buyer's hand. Specifically, the students conducted a target-market study for Windhoek Lager, a beer made in Namibia.

At the borough carnival next month, organizers guarantee concession stands stocked with loaves of babka, Italian water ice and pizza. Whether revelers will be able to wash down their snacks with Coors or merely Coke has become a subject of some debate. "All the carnivals in the area have beer, wine and whiskey," Mayor Joe Pignoli said yesterday in defense of his efforts to organize a beer garden for the carnival, to run from Aug. 2 to 5. "And they make good money," he said.