What girl doesn’t like an ice cold beer while perching on a dangerous rooftop in Paris?

Okay so I’ve not much clue about beer – what’s the actual difference between an ale and a lager?

The main difference is the way it’s fermented. Ale uses a top fermenting yeast at a higher temperature and lager uses a bottom fermenting yeast at a colder temperature and takes a lot longer than ale to ferment. The word lager means “to store” in German so lagers are usually in tank undergoing fermentation for up to 3 weeks, whereas the fermentation process for an ale is much shorter. Lager is served out of a keg (as Draught beer) at a lower temperature and is force carbonated. Ale is served out of cask (via hand pump) its a little warmer than lager with natural fizz.

Blending heritage with modern technology is a big part of your brewing process, tell me what that means in idiot speak.

Yeast yeast and more yeast. In 2013 we discovered 8 strains of Lacons yeast laying dormant in the National Yeast Bank so we put in a call and asked them to reawaken our ancient yeast strains. We brew with these unique yeast strains to this day – this is what blends / bridges our heritage to our present. The equipment and technology we use is state of the art plus we use lots of local ingredients – including the traditional and locally farmed malting barley.

What are the new ingredients that give Lacons a modern twist?

Brewing has come along way since we started in the 18th century! When Lacons regained independence in 2013, we inherited an incredible archive of ancient recipes that dated back hundreds of years. We wanted to honour and remain loyal to our brewing forefathers by taking ancient recipes and putting our modern twist on them for today’s consumer, without compromising on the original recipe’s intentions. These are our Heritage Range and are all aged ales with stronger profiles based on iconic recipes.

The Encore ale has been voted best in the world, twice – that’s pretty cool!

Yes, we’re very proud. Everything from brewing to conditioning and packaging has to be spot on to win awards. We pride ourselves in consistency, innovation and quality. If someone falls in love with a beer the first time they try it – its hugely important to make sure that same experience is delivered every time they taste a beer. Our in-house lab and lab technician ensure consistency and quality with every batch we brew. This is crucial to us.

Read more about Lacons here.

What makes a world-class beer? We know!

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