02/10/2022
On a recent visit to Walthamstow after a very long time, we managed to visit Pillars Brewery taproom - they are a specialist craft lager brewery established in 2016.
It started as a family business and remained a team of family and close friends; they were the first craft lager brewery in London 🌈
They aim to change the wrong perception of lagers and lager drinkers in the UK. And they are doing it without snobbery but with practice, knowledge, specialist equipment and quality ingredients. Good lagers are well balanced, full-flavoured and refreshing, a sophisticated and refined beer style 🎓
They combine contemporary brewing techniques with traditional brewing principles.
Their beer is created within a conventional Bavarian-style brewhouse, with its own lauter tun. They tailor the water profile for each brew using their onsite water treatment plant and complete the process with a minimum of four weeks of cold conditioning ❄️
When we approached Pillars taproom bar, and we saw the line-up, it was an easy choice.
We decided to take the Festbier - this style describes a golden coloured German-style of low fermentation beer, a robust (in alcohol and body) lager with slightly more hop flavour. It has a subtler character of lightly toasted bready dough, and light sweetness complements a grain bill built around pilsner malt 🌾
The Pillars version, at 6% ABV, was spot-on: malty and fragrant, with a floral aroma from the Rottenburger hops. We enjoyed the freshly baked bread flavour, which was well-balanced by a firm bitter finish 👌
