Not a German fan? Weizen up
New Westminster’s Steel & Oak shows just how deep the country’s beer culture goes
When it comes to culture and tradition, no other country is more wrapped up in beer than Germany.
Yet the craftbeer explosion of the past decade or two has left German beer buried in the rubble. Today’s experimental brewers chafe at the constraints of the Reinheitsgebot, the German purity law of 1516 that dictates that beer only contain malted barley, hops, water and yeast (and wheat, sometimes).
As a result, many believe German beer is staid, outdated and all tastes the same. However, go to Germany and you’ll discover that lagers and Pilsners can be full-flavoured and satisfying. You’ll also discover that a range of older German styles are making a comeback.
Dark lagers, strong bocks and various forms of hefeweizen pepper supermarket shelves amid the Pilsner, a growing response to the craftbeer consumer’s demand for variety — for there is variety in German beer, and thankfully many craft breweries in B.C. are discovering this, too.
One of the first was Steel & Oak, which opened with a German-Canadian brewmaster, Peter Schulz, and a portfolio that featured a dark lager, a smoked hefeweizen and a red Pilsner. What followed was an output of northwest styles and German-inspired recipes.
Schulz’s skill with German styles made it seem the natural way for the New Westminster brewery to go, despite the popularity of more hop-forward American styles, Steel & Oak co-owner Jorden Foss says.
“When we first opened the brewery, we went that route because that was what our brewer was good at. You can’t put handcuffs on an artist,” Foss says. “No one was doing (German styles) on that same scale at the time.”
Foss admits some beers were a hard sell at first, recalling some confusion among customers about how a lager could be dark. But that soon changed when Steel & Oak’s beers began winning awards.
Schulz left the brewery last year, but his high standards, including long conditioning times, remain under head brewer Eric Moutal.
“Our German-style beers will always be the ones that move the most. That’s our notoriety, what we’re known for,” Foss says.
Currently available is this distinctive weizenbock, effectively a strong hefeweizen. It’s a traditional style I’ve thought of as being the most Belgian of German beers. Much of its flavour comes from the distinctive hefeweizen yeast and rich specialty malts, making for a feast of an aroma and flavour profile.
Appearance: A glowing, opaque tangerine colour with a thick, luxurious foam. 3/3
Aroma: A mélange of fruit, with candied apricot and mango purée prominent, and banana and dark berries supporting. There’s also an alluring spiciness featuring clove, white pepper and vanilla, with some herbal notes, too. Underneath is some rich, toasty and lightly caramelized malt. 10/12
Flavour: A chewy, bready malt base like sourdough marries with apricot, banana and a lovely lilting spice and herbal note. It makes for a curious but delicious light licorice note toward the finish. 16/20
Mouth feel: Smooth, rich, chewy, medium-full body, medium-high carbonation. 5/5
Final thoughts: Everything in this beer is in great harmony. 8/10 Final score: 42/50 Food pairing: There’s something almost supernatural about how well German styles go with pork. But you can spread out your pairings further with this versatile beer, especially generously spiced dishes — it’ll take on most anything savoury from a Chinese, Malaysian or Thai recipe book.
Buy: From $8 (650 mL, tax included) at private liquor stores in Metro Vancouver and on Vancouver Island.
Jan Zeschky is a certified cicerone and BJCP-certified beer judge.