Geipel Brewing

For many years, lagers in Britain have been dominated by global brands and industrial production methods. The focus has been on branding, not flavour. We are reinventing British lagers by returning to the traditional methods that originally made it the most popular beer style in the world. We will not compromise flavour and we will not be the official lager of the next major international sporting event.

Our 7 barrel (1,000 litre) brewery lives in a barn on a hillside in rural North Wales. The brewhouse itself was manufactured outside Munich and comes to us by way of a defunct brewpub in Japan.

WE DO... • Fire our kettle with steam. Steam creates a gentle heat and avoids caramelisation which is unsuitable for many lagers. • Use traditional brewing methods such as decoction mashing which preserve the delicate flavours in lager. • Carbonate naturally. Injecting it is simpler, but carbon dioxide produced by the fermentation process creates fine bubbles that enhance flavour and drinkability. • Condition for at least one month at near-freezing temperatures. This expensive "lagering" stage is what gave the style its name and must not be cut short.

WE DON'T... • Use "bittering" hops - industrial strength hops bred to cut costs. They lack the subtlety of noble varieties. • Filter, centrifuge, or "fine". Flavour will not be sacrificed for the sake of appearance or shelf-life. • Pasteurise. Ditto. • Use city water. Our water comes direct from our own borehole in the Welsh countryside. No need to add or remove chemicals; it's lovely as it is.

All this means our beers may not keep as long as your common supermarket lager. But like fresh baked bread, you can really taste the difference.