Brewing a Sustainable Kölsch with Lakedown Brewery

Crisp Malt, Lakedown Brewery & Charles Faram Join Forces for Sustainable Kölsch Collaboration

Great beer starts with great ingredients, and more sustainable brewing starts with considering how ingredients, energy, and processes can work together to reduce environmental impact without compromising on quality.

This summer, we’ve partnered with Lakedown Brewery, a craft brewery in East Sussex in the south of England, and our UK hop merchant friends at Charles Faram to put sustainable brewing practices into action with a collaborative brew that also celebrates quality and innovation. The result is Kölab – a crisp, refreshing Kölsch beer brewed with our pioneering Clear Choice Malt, alongside Vienna Malt, and Torrefied Wheat, and carefully selected hops supplied by Charles Faram.

Kölsch is a pale, highly drinkable beer style originating in Cologne, Germany, known for its delicate malt character, subtle fruitiness, and crisp finish.

The beer collaboration brought together Crisp’s malt expertise with Lakedown Brewery’s existing commitment to sustainability, exploring how thoughtful ingredient selection and brewing processes can help produce great beer more efficiently.

Sustainable Brewing Practices in Action

The collaboration was built around one key ingredient: Clear Choice Pale Malt.

For brewers exploring sustainability in brewing, ingredient selection can play a role alongside energy use, water management and other improvements within the brewhouse. Clear Choice Pale Malt is part of our wider range of base malts for brewing and was developed to help brewers reduce their environmental impact without compromising on performance. It is designed to enable a shorter boil time, helping breweries save energy during production.

For Lakedown Brewery, where sustainability is already central to the brewing process, the collaboration provided an opportunity to put the malt through its paces in a commercial brew and explore how ingredient choice can complement the brewery’s wider sustainable brewing practices.

Why a Kölsch?

The team chose to brew a Kölsch, a beautifully balanced beer style that combines the clean, crisp character of a lager with the delicate fruitiness of an ale.

The idea for the collaboration began last year, when Crisp Malt’s Sales Representative Rob Crane met the Lakedown team, and the conversation turned to brewing together.

“It would be great to do a collaboration,” was the shared sentiment, and when the opportunity arose to showcase Clear Choice Malt, a Kölsch felt like the perfect fit. Its light color, subtle malt profile, and refreshing finish provide an ideal canvas for highlighting both malt and hop character.

Sustainable Brewing at Lakedown Brewery

Lakedown has incorporated a number of sustainable brewing practices across its brewery and wider estate. Nestled on Roger Daltrey’s estate in the heart of rural East Sussex, Lakedown Brewery is as committed to sustainability as it is to producing outstanding beer.

The brewery uses natural spring water in every brew, while spent grain is fed to cattle on the estate. Around 70% of the brewery’s electricity is generated by its solar array, with surplus energy stored in batteries that help power its picturesque lakeside taproom. The estate is also home to a trout fishery, making it a truly unique brewing destination where the surrounding landscape plays an important role in the brewery’s story.

On brew day

The collaboration brew was a success from start to finish, with the brewing process showcasing Clear Choice Malt’s performance.

Rob Crane commented:

“Great day at the collab brew with Lakedown and Charles Faram. It was a very smooth brew! Run-off was smooth and transfer simple. Wort looked nice and pale, reasonably bright.”

The Lakedown team were equally enthusiastic about the project:

“It’s super exciting to be working together with two amazing suppliers, Crisp and Charles Faram.”

Raising a glass to collaboration

Kölab is more than just a collaboration beer – it’s an example of how sustainable craft brewing can bring brewers, maltsters and hop merchants together to explore practical ways to reduce environmental impact while continuing to prioritize flavor, quality and brewing performance.

We can’t wait to taste the finished beer and see how Clear Choice Malt performs in the glass. Here’s to great partnerships, great ingredients and great beer.

You can learn more about Crisp’s work across the supply chain, from malting barley through to brewing and distilling, in our Sustainability Hub.