Lager is a type of beer, and the word describes how the beer is made, not how it looks. Many lagers are pale and golden, but some are amber or dark brown.
What lager yeast does
A lager is fermented with lager yeast, which works at cooler temperatures than the ale yeast used for most other beers. In the cold, the yeast works slowly and makes fewer of the fruity flavour compounds called esters. This is why a good lager tastes clean and lets you taste the malt and the hops clearly.
Cold storage and where the name comes from
After fermentation, the beer is stored cold, close to freezing, for several weeks. Brewers call this lagering, and it makes the beer smoother and clearer. The name comes from the German verb lagern, which means to store. Before refrigerators existed, brewers in Germany kept their beer cool through the summer in cellars and caves.
Where the pilsner comes from
The pilsner style began in 1842 in the city of Plzeň, in Bohemia, which is now part of the Czech Republic. A brewer from Bavaria, in Germany, made the first batch there with very pale malt and local hops, and the result was a clear, golden lager. The style took its name from the city, which is called Pilsen in German. Brewers across Europe copied it, and pale lager spread around the world.
Why a crisp lager is hard to brew well
A crisp pale lager is a difficult style to brew well. It has no roast, fruit or spice to cover a fault, so a small mistake with the malt, the hops or the fermentation is easy to taste. This matters even more in a non-alcoholic lager, because a beer with very little alcohol can taste thin and watery if the recipe is not right.
How SOMA makes Sundowner
SOMA Sundowner is a crisp lager in style. It is brewed with pale malt and noble hops, which are traditional European hop varieties known for their floral, spicy aroma. It is fermented with a maltose-negative yeast, which cannot eat maltose, the main sugar in wort (the sweet liquid that becomes beer), so the alcohol stays under 0.5% ABV. Sundowner pours a clear pale gold with a white head. It has a gentle malt sweetness, a crisp bite from the hops and a dry finish, and a 500ml can has an indicative 63 calories.
Sundowner is one of SOMA's five beers, and all five are under 0.5% ABV. Our guide to what non-alcoholic craft beer tastes like compares them style by style. SOMA is taking pre-orders now. Production starts after December 2026, and nothing ships before then.
Brewed bold. No hangovers.
Production starts after December 2026. The fifty people on our Founding Fifty list will taste the first batch before anyone else. Joining the list is free, and there is nothing to pay today.
18+ · Under 0.5% ABV, lab-tested every batch
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