Ranking and Reviewing Europe’s Most Popular Macro Lagers
Photo by Marek Mucha/Unsplash
Prior to the craft beer explosion in the United States, most beer menus were broken into two categories: import or domestic. In most cases, the imported beers were macro-lagers from Mexico or Europe. With America’s beer scene still hamstrung by Prohibition-era policies, there was a safe assumption that a foreign option equated to a higher quality, especially in the case of European breweries, many of which had been brewing since before the United States existed.
Decades later, great beer has never been easier to find. Even most dive bars are embracing some craft options. This leaves the European macro lager in a liminal space for many American drinkers. They’re too eccentric for the undiscerning bar patron but too bland for the American craft beer lover. This begs the question: How good are they, really? And which are the best (and worst)?
For this list, I sought out one macro lager from each European country that I could source from. Whenever possible, I used the most-consumed beer from each country. For all selections, quantity comes before quality. None of these beers (with one possible exception) are the best that any of these countries have to offer, but they are what they sell the most of.
14. Denmark
Carlsberg Group — Carlsberg
Pilsner, 5%
Most European lagers are packaged in green bottles. Because green glass filters out fewer UV rays than brown glass, beers packaged in these bottles are more likely to become “lightstruck,” a process by which light gives beer a dank, “skunky” aroma. In the case of Carlsberg, opening the bottle was all it took to make the room reek of what we all suspect the Mystery Machine must have smelled like. The beer itself is light and pale in color. It’s light in flavor as well, leading to that skunk being one of the primary flavors, followed by a light grain sweetness. It’s crushable but not quite crisp.
13. Italy
Peroni — Nastro Azzuro
Pale Lager, 5.1%
In a country known for wine, Peroni is Italy’s most popular beer, edging out Birra Moretti. It’s also a victim of green bottle syndrome. In this case, the skunk was still present, though not quite as pronounced as in Carlsberg. Peroni is also very light in flavor. It has a sweet body, but in this case, corn is the most prominent grain. While several other beers on this list also incorporate corn to some degree, this was the only one that had a prominent “corny” note. While that made the beer sweeter, it took away from the crisp edge most seek in a pale lager.
12. Holland
Heineken — Heineken
Pale Lager, 5%
Behind Ab InBev, Heineken is the second-largest producer of beer in the world. Of all the beers on this list, this one may be the best (worst?) example of quantity over quality. It’s by far the most widely recognized brand among European lagers, perhaps because of its branding as a premium export or perhaps because of the brand’s aggressive sports marketing campaigns. As for the product, it’s skunked, and the lightness and the sweetness of the beer are at odds with each other, making it less than refreshing.
11. France
Kronenbourg — 1664
Pale Lager, 5.5%
While there may be more to French brewing culture than most would expect, as far as mass production goes, French wine quality far exceeds the quality of French beer. Kronenbourg is the default macro lager in France, and there’s not much to write home about. If anything, this beer’s most distinguishing feature is what it lacks. It’s less skunky than most of the other green-bottled beers and is relatively clean drinking. While not quite crisp, it has a cleaner finish than the other beers mentioned so far.
10. Portugal
Super Bock Group — Super Bock
Pale Lager, 5.2%
Don’t be fooled. This beer is neither a bock, nor is it super. To be fair, as a European macro lager, it doesn’t need to be. As one of the few beers on this list to be packaged in a brown bottle, it’s thankfully devoid of any lightstruck notes. The beer itself is slightly more malty than the options that come before it on this list, but overall, it doesn’t have much of a prominent flavor or lingering aftertaste. While this helps with crushability, it’s ultimately less refreshing than the other options here.
9. Poland
Okocim — O.K. Beer
Pale Lager, 5.6%
Ironically, the worse a beer is, the more persistently the label will try to argue otherwise. Calling a beer “Super Bock” is laying it on thick, and Carlsberg’s humble motto is “probably the best beer in the world.” As a result, there’s something refreshing about a cheap, macro brewery dubbing its flagship product “O.K. Beer.” What’s more refreshing is that fact that it really is just that. The beer features fantastic clarity and a light and crisp body. It’s also prominently more carbonated than most others and has a fluffy, stable head. It finishes light and clean, with a slight metallic note being the only off-flavor.
8. Belgium
Stella Artois — Stella Artois
Pilsner, 5%
Aside from Heineken, Stella Artois is by far the most popular beer on this list. There’s not much that sets it apart from the other brews on this list, aside from it being marginally cleaner and more easy-drinking. Stella has a faint sweetness to it and a crisp finish that is light but not flavorless. Still, the most notable feature about this beer might just be how different it is from most beers associated with Belgium, which is possibly why if you type “Is Stella Artois” into Google, “French” is one of the top autocomplete results.
7. Norway
Aass — Pilsner
Pilsner, 4.7%
While the most popular beer in Norway may be Ringnes (now owned by Carlsberg), Aass was the most popular macro-beer that I could source state-side. While several of the beers on this list are labeled as pilsners, this is the first listed to actually taste like one. This is thanks to a prominent but clean hop finish in the beer, which makes it much more refreshing than most options listed so far.
6. Greece
Athenian — Alfa
Pale Lager, 5%
Once again, Athenian is not quite the most popular beer in Greece; that title would go to Mythos. Still, Athenian is a large Greek macro-brewery that brews the nation’s supply of Heineken and Amstel, and Alfa is the most popular product sold under their name. Of all the beers on this list, Alfa is the darkest in color. It also has the most prominent malt profile, taking on faint notes of caramel. Despite this full and flavorful body, the beer is still light and clean enough to make for a suitable Aegean accoutrement.
5. Spain
Damm — Estrella Damm
Pale Lager, 5.4%
While Spain’s most popular beer brand is Mahou, Estrella Damm of Barcelona is another popular contender. This lager utilizes rice to bring out a cleaner and lighter flavor, like many American macro lagers. Unlike most American lagers, the beer also holds more depth and complexity. The sweetness is balanced out by a more prominent malt body and a trace of hop bitterness. It’s easily the best of the pale lagers on this list.
4. Turkey
Efes — Pilsner
Pilsner
While Turkey’s history with beer can be traced back over 10,000 years, Efes, the youngest brewery on this list, having been founded in 1969. Despite their recent start, Efes is responsible for around 80% of Turkey’s domestic beer market, by far the most locally dominant of any other brewery on this list. While relatively obscure outside of Turkey, Efes Pilsner is an incredibly easy-drinking beer. Also brewed with rice, it’s light, but not at the cost of complexity. Subtle floral notes in the aroma and a lingering, faintly sweet finish help this beer to stand out above its counterparts.
3. Austria
Stiegl — Stiegl-Hell
Helles Lager, 4.5%
With this beer comes a leap in quality. While in the states, Stiegl is primarily known for its grapefruit radler, it’s also Austria’s top producer of good old-fashioned lagers. The company’s most popular product is Stiegl Göldbrau, but Stigel-Hell is the closest thing I could access. As the only helles lager on this list, this beer is insanely crisp. The body has a light and clean sweetness that slowly dissipates after each sip. What really makes this beer stand out are the faint notes of apple and pear on the nose.
2. Germany
Krombacher — Pils
Pilsner, 4.8%
Most countries have a sharp divide between their mass-produced beers and their good ones. Germany stands out by asking, Why can’t the mass-produced beers taste good? While if you search long enough, you may be able to find a shitty macro lager brewed in Germany, the numbers don’t lie. Krombacher is Germany’s top-selling beer brand, and its pilsner is smooth and flavorful, but not at the cost of crushability. The aroma is sweet and floral, while the body is light and clean. Opting for any of Germany’s other large breweries would yield similar results. The people simply can’t stomach bad beer.
1. Czech Republic
Pilsner Urquell — Pilsner Urquell
Pilsner, 4.4%
Initially, I wondered if it was even fair to include this beer on the list, given the fact that Pilsner Urquell consistently tops lists of “best pilsner,” if not “best beer” in the world. Still, by the metrics established, it wouldn’t be fair to exclude it. It’s European, it’s a macro lager and it’s the best-selling beer in the Czech Republic. Hailing from Pilsen, this beer is the literal namesake of all pilsners. The body is light but with a clean and flavorful sweetness. Hops are prominent in the crisp finish but light enough to make this beer a sessionable and flavorful classic. Unlike other beers on this list, Pilsner Urqell is a serious contender for the best beer in the Czech Republic. The fact that it’s also the nation’s best-selling beer is only a testament to the Czech people’s love of beer and their refusal to settle for less.