A Highland craft brewer has retraced centuries of history to bring a rare red lager to the Scottish market.
Inverness distilling and brewing company Uile-bheist is launching ‘Rare Bird’ Franconian Red Lager, today (10th October), joining only a handful of small-batch brewers in Scotland producing red lager, a Bavarian beer style originating in the Middle Ages.
The bottom-fermented lager is based on Nuremberg ‘Rotbier’ or ‘red beer’ which is reportedly enjoying a revival in Germany after declining in production following its zenith in the 15th and 16th Centuries.
It has also been a labour of love for Uile-bheist’s head brewer, Lukas Pretzer, who hails from the town of Bamberg in Upper Franconia, the region at the heart of the renaissance of red lager.
To signify the new product’s uncommon status in Scotland, the lager, with an ABV of 5.2%, depicts the Capercaillie in its branding – a bird now rarely seen in Caledonian woods.
Rare Bird is described as a ‘malt-forward lager with a deep red/orange hue and a caramel or biscuit sweetness and lightly hopped flavour’.
The distinctive red colouring comes from a mix of three malts; one base malt being one of the oldest certified German malting barleys for flavourful, unfiltered lagers.
The new lager will be available in the Uile-bheist tap room for visitors and tours from 10th October and will be kegged for Highland distribution as a seasonal Autumn edition.
“Red lagers are quite rare in Scotland – it is a connection to my roots in brewing,” said Pretzer. “It will be appealing to both ale and lager drinkers.
“Apart from being rare in Scotland it combines a malt driven flavour with the crispness and drinkability of a lager. This unique flavour profile targets craft lager fans as well as ale fans.
“What we wanted to do with this was create something new and Autumn-related for our customers,” he added. “The red, slightly orange hue fits that Autumnal feel perfectly. Its high drinkability is important in order to be approachable and reach a wide customer base.”
Rare Bird Franconian Red Lager joins the best-selling Uile-bheist Lager as this Autumn’s seasonal release, alongside Highland Storm Session Ale, Forest Dweller IPA, White Witch New England IPA and Dark Horse Highland Stout.
