Innis & Gunn launches lager aged for 12 months

Edinburgh-based brewery Innis & Gunn has released 12 Moons Lager, a new brew bottled in August 2022 under a full moon and aged for 12 months in 75cl bottles.

The 5.8% lager, which is bottle-conditioned and unpasteurised, is the fourth beer in Innis & Gunn’s limited edition range for 2023.

12 Moons Lager Beer has been stored and aged for a full year before being offered for purchase, undergoing an extended maturation which goes well beyond the normal timeline.

Dougal Gunn Sharp, founder and master brewer at Innis & Gunn, explained that the brewery’s fascination with “the effect time can have upon beer” began in 2003, with the launch of Innis & Gunn The Original, a beer unique for its lengthy maturation in single malt whisky casks.

“Since we like pushing the boundaries of brewing, it seemed fitting to create a long-matured lager in honour of the moon,” Gunn Sharp said. “We have brewed 12 Moons Lager with both lager and ale malts, and with naked oats for texture. And like most Innis & Gunn beers, we have brewed with Super Styrian hops with their special floral aromas of lemongrass and spice.”

Innis & Gunn 12 Moons Lager can be served in two ways. For a clear pour, the brewery says the beer should be poured gently into the glass in order to leave the hop and yeast sediment undisturbed.

To achieve a hazy pour, half the beer should be poured before giving the bottle a vigorous swirl and pouring the other half to produce a hazy colour and more textured mouthfeel.

In April Innis & Gunn collaborated with Beam Suntory’s Laphraoig distillery to create a 2023 iteration of its Islay Whisky Cask Beer. Read more on that story here.

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