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International Lager / 2A

International Pale Lager

Certified Beer Server Candidate Style Profile

Official BJCP guideline sections attached for full style exploration.

Certification exam alignment
Certified Beer Server Certified Cicerone® Advanced Cicerone® BJCP Beer Judge Entrance Exam
Source
BJCP 2021 Beer Style Guidelines

Overall Impression

A highly-attenuated pale lager without strong flavors, typically well-balanced and highly carbonated. Served cold, it is refreshing and thirst-quenching.

Aroma

Low to medium-low grainy-malty or slightly corny-sweet malt aroma. Very low to medium spicy, floral, or herbal hop aroma. Clean fermentation profile.

Appearance

Pale straw to gold color. White, frothy head may not be long lasting. Very clear.

Flavor

Low to moderate levels of grainy-malt flavor, medium-low to medium bitterness, with a crisp, dry, well-attenuated finish. The grain character can be somewhat neutral, or show a light bready-crackery quality. Moderate corny or malty sweetness optional. Medium floral, spicy, or herbal hop flavor optional. Balance may vary from slightly malty to slightly bitter, but is usually relatively close to even. Neutral aftertaste with light malt and sometimes hop flavors.

Mouthfeel

Light to medium body. Moderately high to highly carbonated. Can have a slight carbonic bite on the tongue.

Vital Statistics

IBU
18 - 25
SRM
2 - 6
ABV
4.5% - 6%

Commercial Examples

  • Asahi Super Dry
  • Birra Moretti

Similar Styles: How to Tell Them Apart

Use these guideline-based sensory contrasts to organize comparative tasting practice.

These pale, highly attenuated lagers can all be light-bodied, clean, crisp, and refreshing. Separate them by intensity rather than color: American Light Lager is the least flavorful and thinnest, American Lager adds modest body, International Pale Lager adds more flavor and bitterness, and German Leichtbier combines low strength with distinctly German malt and hop character.

Compare with: 1A. American Light Lager; 1B. American Lager; 5A. German Leichtbier

By aroma

  • International Pale Lager shows low to medium-low grainy-malty or slightly corny-sweet aroma, generally more evident than either American lager.
  • Its very low to medium spicy, floral, or herbal hops can be more noticeable than those in American Light Lager or American Lager.
  • German Leichtbier can be similarly hoppy but is lower in alcohol and more specifically grainy-sweet or crackery in its German lager profile.

By taste

  • International Pale Lager is more filling, flavorful, and bitter than American Lager, with medium-low to medium bitterness and low to moderate grainy malt.
  • It may show light bready-crackery malt, moderate corny sweetness, or medium hop flavor while retaining a crisp, dry finish.
  • German Leichtbier is lighter in body and alcohol but keeps a similarly noticeable bitter, malty, and hoppy profile.

Quick tell: Standard strength with clearer grain, hops, and bitterness than an American Lager points to International Pale Lager.

Open official BJCP source