History of lager brewing
While cold storage of beer, "lagering", in caves for example, was a common practice throughout the medieval period, lager yeast seems to have emerged as a spontaneous mutation or hybridization somewhere in the Holy Roman Empire.[citation needed]
As a new variety of beer, its production faced opposition from established brewers. Private brewers of lager were often required to produce their beer outside city walls; more traditional brewers produced beer which evolved into the Altbier and Kölsch styles.
While lagers have become the predominant form of beer in America, it was not until 1840 that they made their way to America. With the influx of German immigrants during the 19th century, it was only a matter of time until bottom-fermenting beers would be produced there. Lagering may have had its roots in Germany but it was John Wagner with his small brewery on St. John Street near Poplar, Philadelphia, who started the first lager-producing brewery in America using yeast strains which he brought with him from Bavaria, where he had been a brewmaster.
In 1953, New Zealander Morton W. Coutts developed a process known as continuous fermentation. Continuous fermentation allowed the production of lager at a much faster pace, albeit with a reduction in flavor development. This development made possible the mass production of lager beer at a rate competitive with ales. As this technology became widespread, the light lager style emerged, quickly becoming the most popular style of beer in much of the industrialized world.
Since 1950, pale lager has displaced ale as the type of beer most consumed in the United Kingdom, and also constitutes the overwhelming majority of beer produced and sold in the United States, China, Australia, India, Japan, France, Italy, Russia and most countries where beer is made and consumed.
Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lager
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