Helles into the wild

We made Old Lager with the wonderful Mills Brewery. Our very own Tim and Jonny from Mills met at brewing school in 2011, bonding over a love of early Kernel releases and XX Bitter.

The collaboration provided an opportunity to break Mills’ golden rule of solely using yeast and bacteria from spontaneous fermentation. We made a wort with a nod to the Czech style using pilsner malt and a large doses of Saaz hops during the boil. The wort was then transferred to a coolship and we waited 24 hours until the temperature was low enough to pitch a monoculture of lager yeast, at 10 degrees Celsius.

The coolship lacks the temperature-control of modern fermentation vessels, so we had to wait for the cold of winter to brew, allowing the ambient air to keep the fermentation temperature from rising above the desired 10 degrees Celsius. After ten days the “green” beer was transferred to small oak barrels to lager and mature for a year, during which time the wild yeast and bacteria got to work, adding a touch of acidity and increasing the complexity of the aromatics.

The beer matured in bottle for six months before release, during which it went through a period known as “sickness.” This prolongs the time required in bottle, but leaves a wonderful texture, offsetting the dryness of the beer. The finished beer is highly carbonated, bone dry, and assertively bitter from the armfuls of fresh Saaz

Vegan friendly.

Allergy information – contains: Barley, Rye & Oats.

1 x 750ml bottle ABV 7.2%