Bierstradt Lagerhaus in Denver, Colorado has been preaching the good word of lager for years now, with their flagship Slow Pour Pils. Their commitment to traditional lager brewing methods has been a big inspiration for our Propagator lager program, and we were excited to have them come out to LA to brew a classic pils with us in Venice.

We decided to start with our mutual favorite German maltster, Weyermann, and use their Premium Extra Pale Pilsner malt for the entirety of the grain bill. We also chose to acidify the wort with a special product from Weyermann called Sauergut, which is a lacto-soured malt extract that replicates the German method of acidifying the mash and wort to proper pH targets with naturally derived lactic acid. This was something we had never tried before, and it adds another authentic layer of German lager flavor to the beer.

For hops, we decided to look closer to home and selected some fantastic smelling Sterling from Goshie Farms in Oregon.

A cold, slow fermentation with our 34/70 lager yeast from Germany (the same strain that Bierstadt uses), followed by an extended lagering period makes for a crisp and clean pils with a deep malt and hop expression and heightened drinkability.

Weyermann Extra Pale Premium Pils, Weyermann Sauergut