Comparison
American lager vs Dortmunder Export
What is the difference between American lager and Dortmunder Export?
The short answer
The main difference is bread & biscuit: Dortmunder Export has far more of it than American lager. Dortmunder Export also leads on malt intensity, bitterness and sweetness.
Generated from the two style records. No editor has written this comparison up, so it carries no verdict beyond what the data supports.
Where they overlap
These two have little in common beyond both being beer, which is worth saying plainly.
Side by side
| American lager | Dortmunder Export | |
|---|---|---|
| Family | Pale lager | Pale lager |
| Fermentation | Bottom-fermented (lager) | Bottom-fermented (lager) |
| Origin | United States | Germany |
| Category status | Established | Established |
| Strength | 3.5–5.2% ABV | 4.8–6% ABV |
| Bitterness (IBU) — IBU measures iso-alpha acids in the lab. It does not track perceived bitterness, which residual sweetness, body and roast all alter — compare the sensory rows below for how each actually tastes. | 5–15 IBU | 20–30 IBU |
| Colour | Very pale straw — 2–4 SRM, 4–8 EBC | Deep gold — 4–7 SRM, 8–14 EBC |
| Original gravity | 1.032–1.045 | 1.048–1.056 |
| Final gravity | 1.004–1.010 | 1.010–1.015 |
| Serving temperature | 2–5°C | 5–8°C |
| Carbonation | 2.5–2.9 vol CO₂ | 2–3 vol CO₂ |
| Glassware | Pilsner glass | Willi Becher |
| Clarity | brilliant | brilliant |
How they taste different
| Character | American lager | Dortmunder Export |
|---|---|---|
| Bread & biscuit | Not characteristic | Moderate |
| Malt intensity | Trace | Moderate |
| Bitterness | Trace | Low–Moderate |
| Sweetness | Trace | Low |
| Body | Trace | Low–Moderate |
| Hop spice | Not characteristic | Low |
| Hop aroma | None–Trace | Low |
| Dryness | High | Moderate |
| Carbonation | High | Moderate |
Which should you choose?
- You want more bread & biscuit → Dortmunder Export
- You want something more restrained — less bread & biscuit and malt intensity → American lager
Derived from where the two actually differ. Neither is better — this is a question of which difference you want.