What happens when two breweries, two countries and a shared passion for hop-forward beers come together? For Birrificio Renton and Patoche, the answer is a new India Pale Lager designed to explore the interaction between modern hops and SafLager™ SH-45.
On August 20, brewers from Birrificio Renton and Patoche came together in Fano, Italy, to brew a 16 hl India Pale Lager (IPL). But the story behind the beer started long before brew day.
A brewing connection between France and Italy
Patoche is a craft brewery based in Paris, at the foot of Montmartre, known for its creative and community-driven approach to brewing.
Birrificio Renton, located in Fano in Italy’s Marche region, has built its reputation around a modern brewing philosophy and a particular passion for hop-forward beers.
The connection between them has a personal side.
Alex, brewer and owner of Patoche, has Italian roots: his grandparents come from Pesaro, just a short distance from Fano. During a visit to the area, he stopped by Renton’s taproom and met Elia, Renton’s brewer.
The connection was immediate — and soon turned into a brewing collaboration.
Its first chapter took place in Paris, where the two breweries brewed together at Patoche before celebrating the collaboration with a tap takeover the following day.
This summer, it was time for the return leg.
The destination: Fano.
The beer: a completely new recipe built around an India Pale Lager and one particularly interesting fermentation choice.
Why an India Pale Lager?
An IPL brings together two brewing worlds: the expressive hop character normally associated with modern IPAs and the fermentation profile and drinkability of a lager.
For Renton and Patoche, the style provided the perfect canvas to explore how yeast can contribute to hop expression rather than simply provide a clean fermentation background.
The recipe combines a premium malt base from leading European maltsters with modern hop varieties and Fermentis SafLager™ SH-45, a lager yeast selected for its particular ability to interact with hop-derived aromatic compounds.
Putting SafLager™ SH-45 at the heart of the recipe
In heavily hopped beers, aroma does not depend on hops alone.
Fermentation can also play an important role in shaping how hop compounds are expressed in the finished beer.
SafLager™ SH-45 is a Saccharomyces pastorianus strain specifically selected for its ability to release and esterify thiols — aromatic compounds and precursors naturally present in brewing raw materials, particularly hops.
This activity can help increase the expression of fruity aromas and intensify citrus and tropical notes.
That made SH-45 particularly relevant for this collaboration.
Rather than simply choosing a yeast once the recipe had been created, Renton and Patoche designed the beer specifically to explore the interaction between SH-45 and the selected hop varieties.
The aim is to combine an expressive, hop-forward aromatic profile with the refreshing character and drinkability expected from a modern lager.
Brewing solutions in action
For Mr. Malt, collaborations like this are about much more than supplying an ingredient.
They bring together what we believe modern brewing partnerships should be about: quality ingredients, technical knowledge, experimentation and connections within the brewing community.
Mr. Malt supported the project with SafLager™ SH-45 and joined Renton and Patoche on brew day in Fano, following the process firsthand as the next chapter of their collaboration took shape.
Because sometimes the best way to understand what an ingredient can do is not just to talk about its potential. It is to brew with it. And when brewers, ideas and the right solutions come together, new possibilities begin to ferment.
A World of Brewing Solutions.
Interested in exploring SafLager™ SH-45?
Discover how SafLager™ SH-45 can help enhance hop expression in modern lager styles and explore the brewing solutions available through Mr. Malt.
