From Pilsners to mass market Pale Lagers

Hello. Wrapping up this week of daily posts, let’s dive into the history of how European Pilsners gave rise to the Lagers we can find in the supermarkets today. I initially planned to bridge this topic as an introduction to reviewing "Mass Market Pale Lagers," but it was becoming too long (so grab a beer, some peanuts, and settle in). And yes, I believe this story deserves its own post. After all, it’s a recent history that shaped the beer industry and brought us the most consumed beers today. I can say that learning this history changed my perspective on the industry a bit. The one responsible for the "boom" of Lagers is undoubtedly Budweiser. I used to think that the creation of "American Lagers" like Budweiser was purely a business decision — finding ways to cut costs by using rice or other sugar sources instead of malt. However, history taught me that it was a bit more complex than that.

Let’s start with our first character of the day, Carl Conrad. He ran a beverage import business based in Germany and St. Louis, Missouri, USA. It’s worth noting that the Missouri region was flooded with German immigrants in the mid-1800s, bringing strong brewing traditions. Perhaps because of this, Carl Conrad noticed a beer market trend and wanted to recreate a beer he had tried in the Bohemia region, which he considered the best he had ever had. It’s believed he traveled through Europe around 1875, and it’s likely the beer he experienced was a Czech Lager. Since he was never a brewmaster, he hired a local brewery to develop and produce this beer. That local brewery was — and still is — Anheuser-Busch. Here enters our second character, Adolphus Busch.

Adolphus was a German immigrant managing the brewery alongside his father-in-law. After his father-in-law’s death in 1880, he became president. Today, if you visit the Anheuser-Busch website, you won’t see any reference to Carl Conrad. But the truth is, Conrad was the first to register the Budweiser name and sold the beer produced and bottled at Anheuser-Busch through his company for about six years. In 1883, however, he declared bankruptcy, and the rights to sell Budweiser were acquired by Anheuser-Busch, now with Adolphus as president. Adolphus’s entrepreneurial vision was critical to the expansion of the Budweiser brand, no doubt, but we won’t have the space to explore that today. Now let’s take a break from branding and talk about the development of Lagers in the United States.

In 1873, it’s believed that some American brewers attended the Viena International Exposition. This was one of many global trade fairs that showcased beer industry and even included awards for the best beers. The success of "Bohemian Lagers" was massive, and they won most of the prizes at the fair. Americans had been trying to replicate these beers for some time but faced technical issues. Czech Lagers were made with local malt and hops, but American malt had different characteristics. Even when following the same brewing processes, the beers weren’t clear and transparent and lacked the flavor profile familiar from Europe. European barley was indeed different from American barley. Specifically, American malt had a higher protein content, contributing to cloudiness that even the long "lagering" process (cold storage that usually make proteins and yeast to settle) couldn’t resolve. The high protein content also made the beer sourer and less durable.

At the same time, Lager consumption, initially limited to German immigrants, was gaining broader popularity. Local barley production couldn’t meet the growing demand for malt, driving up malt prices significantly. The situation worsened in the early 1870s due to climatic issues and crop pests. Keeping up beer production became a significant challenge for local breweries, leading to experiments with corn, rice, and other grains out of necessity. Now, let’s try to put ourselves in the shoes of American brewers at the time. They had malt with high protein content — much of which was made up of the enzymes that convert starch into fermentable sugars. Malt was scarce and expensive, and there was an abundance of other starchy grains at lower costs. Sorry, pure malt lovers, but I’d have done the same thing! In Budweiser’s case, it was rice that was mixed with the malt. Looking further into beer styles, we see that using adjuncts (non-malted sugar sources) appears in other brewing traditions, like Belgian and English beers.

We’ve covered the key characters and the technical challenges that brought innovation into brewing. What’s missing? The name Budweiser and all its controversies. Let’s remember that there’s a city in the Czech Republic called "České Budějovice." So what? In German, the language of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time, it was called "Budweis." If Pilsener was the beer from Pilsen, Budweiser would be the beer from Budweis, right? Indeed, there is a Budweiser brand in Budweis, of which the locals are very proud. They’ve even fought legal battles for years over the use of the name Budweiser. However,  American Budweiser came first, as the Czech Budweiser wasn’t founded until 1895. As I mentioned earlier, by 1883, the rights to American Budweiser had already been sold to Anheuser-Busch. Today, the American Budweiser is called that worldwide, except in Europe, where it’s sold as "Bud." Czech Budweiser uses the Budweiser name in Europe but sells as "Czechvar" in the US, Canada, and Brazil.

Who decided to name an American beer after a Czech city? Some say it was Carl Conrad, while others believe it was a collaboration with Adolphus Busch. Sources I’ve consulted lean toward Conrad. They say he was one of the pioneers of embossed glass bottles branded with the Budweiser name. Since the beer was developed at Anheuser-Busch, it wouldn’t be surprising if someone from the brewery had a hand in it. Some sources suggest Conrad specifically asked brewers to recreate the "Bohemian Lager" from Budweis — slightly paler than the one from Pilsner (and we confirm that here) and more carbonated, as you know it today.

Lastly, let’s talk about how Budweiser became the global phenomenon it is and paved the way for other "American Lagers." From the start, it was a hit. Over time, Americans seemed to prefer its sweeter taste to the sour, bitter profile of pure malt beers of the era. Other breweries adapted to this market demand, producing variations of this style nationwide, winning more consumers. Then came World War I (1914–1918) and Prohibition (1920–1933). Prohibition is a chapter of history worth its own story, but imagine a booming brewing industry with brands investing in factories and infrastructure. First, during the war, Americans boycotted German-origin products like beer. Then, alcohol was outright banned. It was a devastating blow to the fledgling American brewing industry. Anheuser-Busch survived by diversifying — using its facilities to produce non-alcoholic beverages while many competitors went bankrupt. When Prohibition ended, Anheuser-Busch and Budweiser were financially strong and well-positioned to dominate the American beer market.

I think this is a good summary and gives us a sense of how European Pilsners influenced and ended in the creation of "American Lagers." However, there are plenty of other interesting facts along this journey to explore in the future. Considering Budweiser was created around 1880, it took over 100 years for American tastes to rediscover pure malt beers and kickstart the craft beer movement. Still, in market share, nothing comes close to "American Lagers" and their variations — light-bodied, subtly flavored, highly carbonated. Some of us may frown upon the use of adjuncts, but sales show these beers are unrivaled thirst-killers. We will be evaluating them sooo, see you!