Lager beer currently dominates the global beer market, making up over 90% of total sales. The catalyst for this supremacy stems from its crisp, clean, palatable taste and, most importantly, its product consistency. For global importers and supermarket chains, this dependability is a critical determinant, rendering lager the ideal product for industrial production and long distance shipping.
This article will offer a detailed explanation to what lager beer is, examine key commercial lager styles, clarify the industrial production process, and delineate the global export certifications that A&B Vietnam adheres to to export compliant products to 70 nations.
Understanding lager beer?
Lager beer is a category of beer crafted utilizing the bottom fermentation process with the particular yeast strain Saccharomyces pastorianus. This process requires rigorous temperature control methods. The primary fermentation occurs at low temperatures, generally spanning from 7 to 13°C.
Crucially, after fermentation, lager must pass through a cold conditioning phase called lagering (from the German term lagern, meaning to keep). This process lasts from 4 to 8 weeks at temperatures close to 0°C.
This cold lagering stage allows the yeast to settle fully, mitigates volatile byproducts (like esters and phenols), and stabilizes the flavor. The result is a beer with a characteristically limpid, pure, brisk, thirst quenching, and highly stable profile, ideal for export.
Comparing lager and ale
To appreciate the B2B potential of lager beer, importers need to clearly differentiate it from the second main beer category, ale. The primary differences lie in the yeast and temperature, which cause major variations in taste and intended markets.
| Attribute | Lager beer (Ideal for large scale export) | Ale (Suitable for specialty segments) |
|---|---|---|
| Yeast | Saccharomyces pastorianus | Saccharomyces cerevisiae |
| Fermenting method | Low fermenting | High fermenting |
| Temperature | Cold (7 to 13°C) | High (15 to 24°C) |
| Maturation time | Extended (Required cold lagering) | Typically shorter |
| Aroma character | Clear, crisp, light, stable | Diverse, fruity (esters), nuanced |
| Key segment | Global mass sector, MT channel | Craft beer market, on premise channel |
With its consistent profile, refreshing flavor, and suitability for mass production, lager is the product that rules the worldwide mainstream market. But, lager is not a uniform product; it is a broad family. For importers, understanding the main commercial lager types will assist you target the right key products to meet the unique demands of your target customer groups.
Leading commercial lager beer varieties
The lager beer market is highly varied. With our R&D expertise and state of the art production lines, A&B Vietnam can research, provide OEM solutions, and mass produce all lager styles that are in high demand on the international market.
Pale lager
This is the most popular beer type in the world, characterized by its signature light straw hue and a light, crisp, and refreshing taste.
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Alcohol by volume (ABV) 4% to 6% (Able to be modified per OEM requirements).
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Flavor balanced, mild, easy to drink, crisp aftertaste.
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Hue light clear straw.
This is a staple product, accounting for the majority of A&B Vietnam’s OEM and large volume export shipments. The thirst quenching nature of Pale Lager is ideally matched for hot climates, for example those in Asia, the Americas, and Europe.
Pilsner
Pilsner is a premium lager style first from the Czech Republic. This variety is known for its bright gold color, clarity, and the characteristic fragrance of noble hop varieties (often Saaz).
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Alcohol per content (ABV) 4.4% to 5.5%.
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Flavor (IBU) distinct but balanced bitterness, fragrant hop fragrance.
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Market Premium.
Pilsner targets a consumer group that demands a more sophisticated taste. Our R&D expertise allow us to create OEM Pilsner formulas using particular hop varieties as requested by our B2B clients.
Dark lager
This type uses darker malts to create a deep amber hue. Unlike different dark beers (like Stout or Porter), Dark Lager keeps the mellow, crisp aftertaste of a lager and is not overly heavy.
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ABV by volume (ABV) 4% to 6%.
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Flavor toasted maltiness, caramel, light chocolate.
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Bitterness Mild.
This is an great choice for importers looking to expand their portfolios. Dark Lager is especially in demand in temperate or cold regions, where consumers want somewhat more richer tastes.
Bock and doppelbock
These are potent, rich lagers originating from Germany, typically amber or dark brown in appearance. Both are distinguished by a extremely deep and robust malt character.
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Alcohol by volume (ABV) high, Bock (6.3% to 7.5% ABV) and Doppelbock (7.0% to 10% ABV).
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Taste very malty, sometimes with a slight sweetness.
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Market premium, specialty.
These types are ideal for specialty markets, high end placements, or as limited products, all of these A&B Vietnam can produce for OEM batch orders.
Non alcoholic lager
This is one of the fastest growing segments in the worldwide beverage market, addressing the wellness or well being trend. For importers, this is no longer a niche but an essential product. This style grants entry to a huge customer audience, such as people abstaining for health reasons, operators, and critically the whole Islamic market.
With A&B Vietnam’s R&D expertise, we create non alcoholic lager beer that keeps the complete crisp taste of traditional lager.
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Alcohol by content (ABV) 0% to a maximum of 0.5%
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Flavor keeps the characteristic lager taste but sans the ethanol.
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Essential certification HALAL
This offering is required when entering Islamic markets (like the Middle East) or retail partners focused on alcohol free consumers. A&B Vietnam’s ability to manufacture HALAL certified non alcoholic beer is a major competitive advantage for partners.
The export lager beer production process
Grasping the production process assists importers accurately assess a supplier’s capabilities. At A&B Vietnam, lager quality is ensured through a rigorous 6 step procedure, running on a mass production system at our 40,000m² factory.
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Mashing: Malt and adjuncts are milled and mixed with hot water. Natural enzymes in the malt break down starches into sugars (wort).
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Lautering: The wort (sweet solution) is filtered from the malt husks (spent grain).
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Boiling: The wort is heated along with hops. This stage sanitizes the wort, reduces it, and most importantly, releases bitterness and aroma from the hops.
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Primary fermentation: The wort is quickly chilled to 7 to 13°C and the Saccharomyces pastorianus yeast is added. The cold fermentation stage occurs slowly, turning sugars into alcohol and CO2.
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Lagering: This is the key step of a lager. The green beer is moved to conditioning tanks and chilled aged (near 0°C) for multiple weeks or months. This stabilizes the profile, clarifies the yeast, and develops its characteristic brightness.
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Filtering and canning: The ready beer is filtered, charged with CO2, and fed into an automated packaging system (cans, glass, or kegs) ready for export.
Why import lager beer from A&B Vietnam?
Selecting an (OEM/ODM) supplier on the international stage is based on something more than just the product. For importers and supermarket chains, the critical factors are reliability, regulatory adherence, and operational capacity. A&B Vietnam, with vast international experience dating to 1990, is the strategic supplier that fulfills these stringent requirements.
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Strict global standards compliance: We are experts in the technical requirements of every market. A&B Vietnam’s factory possesses all essential international accreditations, such as ISO 22000 & HACCP, FDA (US entry), and HALAL. This guarantees your customs entry procedure is always trouble free.
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Flexible R&D and OEM/ODM expertise: We do not only sell existing beer labels. A&B Vietnam’s specialist R&D team is ready to create white brand lager beer recipes based on a client's specifications for ABV per volume (ABV), hop level (IBU), hue, and specific taste profiles.
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Demonstrated consistent supply chain and logistics expertise: With a high capacity brewery and expertise managing over 1,500+ containers per month, we guarantee a stable supply of lager (regular and non alcoholic) and ale types of beer for large volume orders. A&B Vietnam has deep expertise in complex customs and shipping procedures, ensuring beer quality is preserved during international transit.
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Adaptable B2B canning solutions: We offer professional container solutions for various styles of beer in our portfolio appropriate for all your distribution channels, including cans (in standard sizes like 250ml – 330ml – 500ml).
A&B Vietnam is actively searching for strategic distributors, import partners, and retail chain clients worldwide. Reach out to us now to receive in depth consultation on OEM solutions, a cost quotation for lager beer, and details on our partner growth support policies.
A&B Vietnam
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