For the love of (craft) lager…

You’ll have heard a lot about craft lager (it is the fastest growing beer category after all!). But what is it?! And why is it so much better than mainstream lager?

There are many misconceptions about craft lager – small batch, produced by independent breweries, higher quality ingredients. All of these are true, but there’s much more to it (when it’s done properly)…

Here’s what makes our craft lager truly crafty!

NO ADDITIVES, NO GIMMICKS!

There are 4 ingredients in our lager – malt, hops, yeast and water. And nothing else. Nada.

All natural – no compounds, no chemical additives, no substitutes. Absolutely no compromise on quality.

LONG FERMENTATION

Fermentation is the step in which yeast is added to our wort, which metabolises sugar from the malt into alcohol.

We like to take our time at this stage, fermenting at cold temperatures for 14 days, allowing for fully developed, well-rounded flavours. Naturally occurring CO2 creates carbonation, delivering a champagne-like bubble.

PROPERLY LAGERED

Ever wondered where the name ‘lager’ comes from?! Quite simply, from the process of ‘lagering’…

Lagering is the step at which beer is matured at cold temperatures. At Freedom, we believe that everything gets better with age (well, almost everything!), so we mature our lagers at -1°C for a minimum of 28 days to deliver layers of soft, rounded flavour.

VEGAN FRIENDLY FILTRATION, UNPASTEURISED & STERILE FILTERED

We chill filter our beer through Diatomite, which is fossilised shell flour, to deliver a bright beer without the need for yucky fish bladders!

To prolong shelf life we sterile filter our beers, while many breweries pasteurise their beers, meaning it is heated and cooled at speed to prolong shelf-life (think UHT milk!). By not pasteurising, we retain flavour, freshness and quality resulting in a better beer!

So our lager is as fresh in the keg/bottle/can as it is in the brewery!

(By the way – not all craft lager is made equal! So stay diligent!)