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International Lager / 2B

International Amber Lager

Unfiltered BJCP Styles Style Profile

This BJCP record is outside the Certified Cicerone® Level 2 beer-style list and is included for Advanced Cicerone® review.

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

Overall Impression

A smooth, easily-drinkable, malty amber lager with a flavorful caramel or toast character. Usually fairly well-attenuated, often with an adjunct quality and restrained bitterness.

Aroma

Low to moderate grainy malt aroma often with very low to moderate caramel or toasty malt accents. Occasionally, nutty or biscuity, but never roasty. Low, unobtrusive floral or spicy hop aroma. Clean fermentation profile.

Appearance

Golden-amber to reddish-copper color. Bright clarity. White to off-white foam stand which may not last.

Flavor

Low to moderate malt flavor, often with caramel or toasty-bready flavors. Low to medium-low corny sweetness optional. Low to moderate bitterness, giving the beer a malty to fairly even balance. Low to moderate spicy, herbal, or floral hop flavor. Clean fermentation profile. The finish is moderately dry with a moderately malty aftertaste. The beer may seem a touch sweet if the bitterness level is low.

Mouthfeel

Light to medium body. Medium to high carbonation. Smooth. Some examples can be slightly creamy.

Comments

A wide spectrum of mass-market amber lagers either developed independently in various countries, or describing rather generic amber beers with more historical relevance that eventually changed into indistinguishable products in modern times.

Characteristic Ingredients

Two-row or six-row base malt. Color malts such as Victory, amber, or roast. May be all malt or use adjuncts. Sugars or coloring agents possible. Caramel malt. European or American hops.

Style Comparison

Less well-developed malt flavor than a Vienna Lager, often with an adjunct taste. Less robust flavor and bitterness than Altbier.

Vital Statistics

IBU
8 - 25
SRM
6 - 14
OG
1.042 - 1.055
FG
1.008 - 1.014
ABV
4.5% - 6%

Commercial Examples

  • Abita Amber Lager
  • Brooklyn Lager
  • Capital Wisconsin Amber Lager
  • Dos Equis Amber
  • Grain Belt NordEast
  • Yuengling Lager

Style Attributes

amber-color amber-lager-family bottom-fermented lagered malty standard-strength traditional-style

Similar Styles: How to Tell Them Apart

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

These clear amber-to-copper beers can combine toast, bread, caramel, and restrained continental hops at moderate strength. International Amber Lager is the lightest and least developed, Vienna Lager is clean and elegantly toasty, Czech Amber Lager is richer and more variable with Czech hops, and Altbier is the driest and most firmly bitter.

Compare with: 3C. Czech Amber Lager; 7A. Vienna Lager; 7B. Altbier

By aroma

  • International Amber Lager has low to moderate grainy malt with caramel or toast, less developed than Vienna Lager's quality base-malt richness or Czech Amber Lager's complex malt.
  • Its low unobtrusive floral or spicy hops are gentler than the potentially significant Czech hops or Altbier's complementary spicy, peppery, or floral hops.
  • A possible adjunct-like or corny quality separates it from the richer all-malt impressions of the other three.

By taste

  • International Amber Lager is light to medium-bodied with low to moderate bitterness, making it smoother and less robust than Altbier.
  • Caramel, toast, or bread can be present, but the malt lacks Vienna Lager's elegant depth and Czech Amber Lager's richer Maillard or caramel complexity.
  • The moderately dry finish can seem slightly sweet when bitterness is low, unlike the firmer dry balance of Vienna Lager or Altbier.

Quick tell: Light body, modest caramel-toast, and an adjunct-like simplicity favor International Amber Lager.

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