Old Portland

Kells Irish Pub is a Portland institution. The downtown bar encompasses almost an entire city block with all sorts of banquet rooms and drinking nooks. It’s an Irish themed pub on the edge of the weekend “entertainment district.” You get a mix of tourists, step dancers, rowdy townies, bachelor parties, and drunks.

About four years ago, in a stroke of genius, they opened a brewery uptown, to supply Celtic brews with a more reasonable margin.  That’s where we spent our Saturday afternoon, raising money for BonZeb, Inc -- creators of sustainable charcoal in Haiti -- and sipping pints on the patio. 

The beer selection is surprisingly varied. Though they serve three IPAs -- as all Portland bars must -- the menu includes two lagers and five beers under five percent alcohol. 

I started the afternoon with the nutty Irish Red Ale. It’s only four and a half percent, which might add to it’s flavor. When you imperialize a red ale, you lose some of that subtle flavor. Still, it tastes more American than European, but I thought it was a nice intro to the brewery.

Somehow, the Irish Style Lager is a traditional Bohemian style beer. Unless you weren’t sure: yes Bohemia is not part of Ireland. It’s a clean beer, crisp. But tastes more Bavarian than Bohemian to me. It has a weird fruitiness. Is that a banana? Huh.

Kells, being the largest Irish pub in the city, is a huge purveyor of Guinness. When they opened a brewery, it was both inevitable they would make an Irish stout, and understandable that they wouldn’t want to undercut their best selling product. Kells Irish Stout isn’t an exact clone, but it could make a Dubliner do a  double take. It’s got that roasted, vegetative flavor you expect. And that nitrogen infused creaminess.

Atwater Free Parking, Hoppy Charm, On the Clock and Safe Space - Since we were visiting places we likely weren’t going to be back to I bent my no samplers rule a few times.  Especially at Atwater where they had an absolutely huge taplist, but the reviews I’d read didn’t reveal a clear must-try.  I went with 4 session strength hoppy beers.  All of which ended up being somewhere between ok and eh. 

For the better part of a decade, beer got loud.

Hazy IPAs stacked on hazy IPAs. Double-dry-hopped everything. Flavor profiles so intense they needed paragraphs to explain. Craft beer became an arms race—bigger hops, higher ABV, bolder everything.

And then something unexpected happened.

People started craving beer that tastes like beer again.

Welcome to the lager renaissance—and if the current momentum holds, 2026 will be remembered as the year drinkers officially fell back in love with crisp, classic lagers.

The Great IPA Burnout (Yes, It’s Real)

This isn’t an anti-IPA manifesto. IPAs changed beer culture for the better. They pushed creativity, revived independent brewing, and taught drinkers to explore flavor.

But even revolutions get tiring.

Across taprooms and retail shelves, a quiet shift is happening:

Drinkers want balance instead of intensity

Sessionability over spectacle

One more beer… not one and done

After years of palate fatigue, many beer fans are rediscovering what made them fall in love with beer in the first place—clean malt character, subtle hops, and a finish that invites another sip.

That’s a lager.

What “Beer-Flavored Beer” Really Means

“Beer-flavored beer” isn’t nostalgia—it’s clarity.

It means:

Crisp, cold refreshment

Precision brewing over gimmicks

Flavor that doesn’t shout, but lasts

Modern lagers aren’t boring. They’re technical. Every flaw shows. There’s nowhere to hide. And that challenge is exactly why today’s brewers are embracing them again.

Pilsners, helles lagers, Vienna lagers, dunkel styles—these beers reward skill, patience, and restraint.

In 2026, that craftsmanship is finally getting its moment.

Why Lagers Are Winning Right Now

1. They Fit Modern Drinking Habits

People are drinking more intentionally. Lower ABV, longer sessions, social settings that don’t revolve around getting wrecked.

Lagers fit real life.

2. They Pair With Everything

Pizza. Wings. Tacos. Burgers. Tailgates. Backyard grills.

You don’t need to “prepare” your palate for a lager—it just works.

3. Brewers Are Getting Better at Them

As craft brewing matures, brewers are leaning into styles that show mastery instead of muscle. Lager fermentation, conditioning, and balance are no longer afterthoughts—they’re center stage.

What We’re Seeing on the Ground in New York

Industry trends are one thing. What people actually buy is another.

Across Beer Universe’s 11 locations in New York, something telling has happened: Local lager sales are up more than 20%.

Not hype beers. Not one-off releases.

Clean, well-made lagers from New York breweries—moving fast, staying cold, and getting restocked constantly.

This isn’t driven by marketing. It’s driven by repeat purchases.

People try one. Then they come back for more.

The New Lager Drinker Isn’t Who You Think

This isn’t just longtime beer drinkers “going back.”

The lager revival is being fueled by:

Younger drinkers who skipped early IPA culture

Wine and cocktail fans crossing over

Craft fans who still love IPAs—but don’t want them every time

Lagers have become the gateway beer again, but with modern quality and local identity.

Lagers Aren’t the Opposite of Craft—They’re the Proof of It

For years, “craft” meant loud. Now it means refined.

A great lager:

Takes longer to make

Requires tighter quality control

Shows exactly how good (or bad) a brewery really is

That’s why many of today’s most respected breweries are leading with lagers—not as side projects, but as flagships.

Why 2026 Is the Tipping Point

This shift didn’t start overnight—but 2026 feels different.

Retail trends, taproom menus, and consumer behavior are aligning. Lagers aren’t just “back”—they’re becoming the default choice for everyday drinking.

IPAs will always have their place. But the center of gravity is moving.

From extremes back to essentials. From novelty back to pleasure. From trends back to tradition—done right.

Final Sip

Beer doesn’t need to be complicated to be interesting.

Sometimes the most exciting thing is a cold lager, brewed with care, shared without ceremony, and enjoyed without explanation.

That’s not a step backward. That’s a renaissance.