Cotswold Brewing is boosting its core range of lagers with some which have been matured past the craft industry standard of four weeks.
The beers will make their debut at this week’s Craft Beer Rising event, at the Old Truman Brewery, in London.
Lee Calnan, Cotswold Brewing’s sales director, said: “In February we will be launching an imperial pilsener that has been matured in tank for a staggering nine months, along with an eight-month Munich helles and a three-month dry bock. You just cannot get beers like this in the UK, and they are tasting exceptionally good.”
The basis behind the move to long maturation, which involves leaving the fermented lager in conditioning tanks at a constantly low temperature for months on end is, as the brewery claims, to create lagers of the highest quality and best flavours possible.
Focus on lager
Last year represented a turning point in the brewery’s history. Whereas hitherto the brand had diversified into cider, spirits and (albeit-fleetingly) cask ale, the decision was made early in 2018 to focus almost entirely on lager for the future development of the business.
Lee said: “Lager is what originally inspired [founder Rick Keene] to open the brewery, and it is what we do best. So it made clear sense to reposition the brand firmly back into the lager category. Even now, very few independent brewers in the UK really dedicate themselves to lager and the myriad styles that can be found within the category, and that is exactly what we are now in the process of doing.”
The brewery will also be showcasing its core range at Craft Beer Rising, including: 3.8 Pils, a sessionable lager hopped with five varieties; 22 Lager, a 2.2% ABV pilsner which is lower in calories; Premium Lager, Cotswolds’ original lager, a classic helles style brew; and Unfiltered Helles, naturally hazy, inspired by the helles of Munich.
