lager

¹ American  

[lah-ger, law-] / ˈlɑ gər, ˈlɔ- /

noun

1. Also called lager beer.  a beer stored from six weeks to six months for aging before use.

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verb (used with object)

1. to age (beer) usually by storing in tanks at just-below freezing temperatures for several weeks or months.

lager ² American  

[lah-ger] / ˈlɑ gər /

noun

South African.

1. laager.

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lager ¹ British  

/ ˈlɑːɡə /

noun

1. a light-bodied effervescent beer, fermented in a closed vessel using yeasts that sink to the bottom of the brew Compare ale

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lager ² British  

/ ˈlɑːɡə /

noun

1. a variant spelling of laager

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Etymology

Origin of lager

1835–45; short for lager beer, half adoption, half translation of German Lagerbier. See lair ¹, beer

Explanation

Lager is a common type of beer. When someone in a movie bellies up to a bar and orders a well-known brand of beer, it's usually a lager. Brewers distinguish lagers from other beers by the yeast used to ferment it, as well as its light color and what's often described as the "crisp" taste of a lager. This type of beer was first invented in 15th-century Bavaria. The name lager comes from lager beer and its German source, Lagerbier, or "beer brewed for keeping," a reference to the practice of storing lager in cold places while it matures.

Example Sentences

In lager beers, foam stability is controlled by surface viscoelasticity.

From Science Daily • Nov. 29, 2025

If your people are beer people, think versatile: an amber ale or clean lager, plus a solid N/A counterpart.Athletic makes good ones, though many skew hoppy, so keep your audience in mind.

From Salon • Nov. 25, 2025

Seemingly nonstop construction has since turned Amazon workers and various contractors into regulars at the watering hole, where Speelman now stocks Texas-made Shiner Bock lager to appeal to transplants.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 4, 2025

“I’m more of a lager guy,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 27, 2025

Kaz must have nodded because Per Haskell leaned back in his chair and took a sip of lager.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

Related Words

• ale