419: Jean-Phillippe Lalonde of Silo Finds Fullness and Expression in Continental-Style Lagers and Kölsch

Jun 20, 2025

Jean-Phillippe Lalonde, the inventive lager brewer and owner of Silo Brewing in Montreal, has been perfecting continental-style lagers for nearly 15 years. He shares his journey of opening a brewery during the pandemic and his vision for crafting flavorful, traditional lagers. Lalonde discusses innovative techniques like pseudo-decoction and the balance of sweetness and bitterness, while playfully challenging the norms of dry hopping. His approach seamlessly blends North American hops with classic European styles, showcasing the rich craft beer culture flourishing in Montreal.

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ANECDOTE

Early Brewing Journey

Jean-Phillippe Lalonde started brewing in his mom's basement at 17 and worked in breweries since 2005.
He opened his first brewpub in 2011 focusing on simple German-style lagers ahead of the trend.

INSIGHT

Philosophy of European Lagers

European beers are about tradition, consistency, and social bonding, not constant innovation.
Lalonde believes in brewing beers repeatedly with small tweaks rather than new beers every two weeks.

ADVICE

Building Fullness in Lagers

Build fullness in lagers through protein, hot mashes, and residual sugars balanced by bitterness.
Use local malt and North American hops like Crystal while maintaining traditional yeast to reflect style.

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Don’t tell Jean-Phillippe Lalonde of Silo that craft lager is a “new” trend—he’s been brewing small batches for Montreal drinkers for nearly 15 years.

Opened two weeks before COVID shutdowns in 2020, Silo is the second manifestation of Lalonde’s brewing vision. Designed with packaging in mind, Silo also includes some thoughtful choices (such as a direct-fire kettle) that are budget-friendly while supporting the kinds of lagers he loves to make and drink—expressive ones with fullness and flavor.

With lagers inspired by Franconia and Plzeň, altbier and Kölsch inspired by Köln and Düsseldorf, and a mindest that doesn’t fear regional tweaks such as North American hops and grain, Lalonde views innovation within the broad confines of tradition. For him, late hopping a Czech-style pale lager is okay... but dry hopping is a bridge too far.

In this episode, Lalonde discusses:

the dream of building a brewery with just one beer
building fullness with protein, hot mashes, long boils, and a little bit of help from specialty malt
incorporating North American hops such as Crystal into traditional lager
using a pseudo-decoction technique to build additional body
balancing sweetness and bitterness in fulsome lagers
using low-alpha hops across multiple points in the boil, from 75 minutes to zero
managing sulfur production

And more.

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