Sunny days bring a Kiwi Beck's brew
BY GEOFF GRIGGS
Relevant offers
Beer
Now that the clocks have sprung forward and the warmest months are just around the corner, we're rapidly heading into the time of year when the majority of Kiwi beer drinkers turn their attention towards quenching golden brews.
Our largest brewers know this only too well and that's why a new tide of golden lagers is elbowing its way onto the already overcrowded shelves and chillers at liquor stores and supermarkets across the country.
While the recent arrival of Export 33 and Tui Blond suggests DB is putting its corporate muscle behind strong Kiwi brands this summer, Lion looks to be taking a different approach. Although Steinlager in its many guises is performing well (How many more incarnations of Steinlager can there possibly be?), New Zealand's largest brewer looks to be concentrating its efforts on big-name brands from overseas.
Recent press releases indicate that, in addition to Corona from Mexico and Kirin from Japan, Lion will soon also be importing Budweiser, the United State's big-selling, but ultra-mild golden brew, along with Staropramen, a decent Pilsner-style lager from Czech Republic.
More significantly, Lion is also introducing a locally brewed version of Beck's, one of Germany's most well-known and widely distributed golden lagers.
After extensive emulation testing at its Christchurch brewery, Lion has become the 14th brewery worldwide permitted to brew Beck's. How did Lion go about replicating the beer? The company's Christchurch brewing manager, Geoff Collie, told me that the brewers at Canterbury Brewery have been working with ABInBev (Beck's parent company) for over nine months to successfully emulate Beck's beer locally.
"Emulation involved adhering to the German purity law [Reinheitsgebot] and the use of the best-quality malt, Beck's yeast, German hops, and, of course, Canterbury water."
Thirteen trial brews were completed, with three consecutive successful brews needed in order to match the Bremen-produced Beck's and meet the demanding analytical and taste standards of the parent company. At that point, emulation was considered successful. Despite Lion's best efforts, there will probably be an outcry from those claiming to prefer the "real" thing. It's an unwinnable argument.
In the case of crisp, golden lagers and many other styles, freshness is everything and the fact is most of us will never have the opportunity to compare a fresh Kiwi-brewed Beck's side by side with an equally fresh imported sample. Given the choice I'll always take a fresh locally brewed beer over a tired import.
But aside from any differences in the beer itself, either perceived or preconceived, how will you be able to identify the new Kiwi-brewed Beck's from the imported version?
Changes to the packaging will be minimal, but Geoff Collie says there are a couple of clues: "The back label has been redesigned, and will include the local production address, so that is the best way to tell. The six-packs will now be in a barn-door pack giving better light protection, rather than the basket pack ex-Germany."
Despite any misgivings concerning authenticity there's the issue of ecological responsibility. The transportation of a bulky and perishable product like beer half way across the globe on a ship burning fossil fuel clearly doesn't make sense. Brewing the beer here in New Zealand, close to where it's going to be consumed, is altogether more responsible.
If you've never tried Beck's before, it's a fairly typical example of a north German pilsener.
While beers from the south of Germany are generally malt accented and sweetish, further north they tend to be drier and more bitter. From Bremen, on Germany's Baltic coastline in the far north, Beck's is typically lean, well-hopped and dryish.
Packaged in six, 12 packs and kegs, the new Kiwi-brewed Beck's will be phased in over the next few weeks. If you're a fan of crisp, dryish golden lagers with a decent smack of hops, you'll probably enjoy it.
- The Marlborough Express
