The greatest thing about beer trends is that if you bang on about one for long enough then chances are it’ll eventually come true. Like many of my beer-writing, peers I’ve been long stating that the time of the lager will soon dawn once more. Only this will not be another era of mass-produced, commodity Euro-lagers. These will be beers both rooted deeply in tradition and inspired by the cutting edge, from the nuanced and delicate to the boisterous and intense.
Keller Lager, from Brit newcomer Braybrooke, leans towards the more traditional aspects of the style, inspired by the Keller beers of Franconia, to the north of Bavaria, in Germany. And if you dig into the story of this brewery a little, that soon makes an awful lot of sense. Despite being based in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, the roots of this particular brewery can be found at Mahrs Bräu in Bamberg, Germany.
Originally founded in 1611, these days Mahrs Bräu is under the supervision of brewer Stephan Michel, who is also heavily involved in the production of beer at Braybrooke, holding the title of “resident brewing guru”. This means that Braybrooke gets to take advantage of Michel’s immense brewing knowledge as it attempts to bring the classic taste of Franconian lagers to UK drinkers. In fact, Braybrooke’s flagship Keller Lager is reportedly based directly on the recipe of Mahrs Bräu’s famous Ungespundet Naturtrüb, or aU (pronounced ‘ah-ooh’) for short - which, by coincidence, happens to be one of my favourite beers.
Does Braybrooke’s Keller Lager live up to its inspiration though? Absolutely. I’d go as far as to say it’s one of the most enjoyable beers I’ve tried from a new British brewery for some time. Something I love about Franconian-style lagers is the intricacy of the malt flavour, and how it supports the entire beer. In fact, it’s something I once described to fellow HB&B writer Claire Bullen in one of my more hyperbolic moments as a “crystalline lattice of pleasure”. And that’s kind of how I feel about this beer.
The malt, which is imported from Bamberg, provides a platform that is as delicate as it is bold, building pillars of biscuit and caramel on the palate which the peppery, herbal notes of noble hops seem to dance around like maypoles in spring...
Wait, I think that was another one of my moments. But in all seriousness, this is a very good lager. One that you’ll likely enjoy drinking without much thought as I did contemplating every delicious mouthful. I am already looking forward a great deal to the next time I get to enjoy this beer.
Find our beer writer Matthew Curtis on Twitter @totalcurtis.