Geipel Brewing

For many years, lagers in Britain have been dominated by global brands and industrial production methods. The focus has been on branding, money, and volume—not the quality of the product, its depth of flavor, or the experience of the drinker. Geipel brewing is here to undo all this!

They have reinvented lager by returning to the traditional methods that made lager the most popular beer style in the world. This Bala brewery is unrelenting in its dedication to the cause, even at the expense of popularity.

ABOUT GEIPEL’S BEER

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.