#153 | A Love of Lager

Brewers Journal Podcast

When it comes to the world of beer, Lager is big business.

Recent research from Heineken in its 2024 Beer Report shows that Lager’s share of the on-trade market by value stands at 70%. In short, two out of every three pints poured in the UK is a Lager.

And when we talk about Lager, there is really something for everyone. In the UK we’ve had a wealth of fantastic lager-focused breweries open in the last decade from Lost and Grounded to Utopian, Orbit, Braybrooke and beyond.

And if you head to Walthamstow, East London, and you’ll not only find a range of fantastic pubs, bars and restaurants, but leading breweries, too.

Established in 2016, Pillars Brewery started as a family business and remain a team of family and close friends, driven by a mutual love of Lager.

Proud to combine contemporary brewing techniques with traditional brewing principles, their beers are created within a traditional Bavarian-style brewhouse, complete 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. And as 2024 draws to a close, the brewery has just released the latest iterations of its award-winning Icebock.

It’s beer brewed at the beginning of the year and conditioned for nine whole months, using freeze-concentration to produce unparalleled, rich flavours.

So with that in mind, we caught up with Pillars co-founder Gavin Litton and head of sales Peter Kennelly to discuss the opportunities and challenges that face a lager-focused brewery, their commitment to sustainability and why above all else, everything comes down to the quality of the liquid.