We’re super excited to announce a new Flagship at Steel & Oak, Roselle Wheat Ale!
At S&O we’re known for doing quite a few German-style beers, yet we’ve never had a year-round Hefeweizen. Well, I hate to disappoint but although it’s loaded with wheat malt Roselle isn’t a Hefeweizen. Roselle actually uses Belgian Ardennes yeast fermented at a cooler temperature in order to bring out those banana notes that you traditionally find in a German Hefe. You’ll also notice that Roselle pours a cloudy amber in colour. This is because we’ve used Hibiscus and Rose Hips to add floral and fruit notes as well as a slightly tart finish.
So while not a German brew when you do take your first sip of Roselle I can assure you that you’ll think “yes, this is definitely a Steel & Oak beer.”
Like many of our beers Roselle has been a long time in the making. In fact, I don’t think we’ve tweaked any beer as much behind the scenes as Roselle. We wanted to make sure that the Hibiscus and Rose Hips added the desired tartness and just enough aroma and flavour to balance out the banana notes. What we think we’ve achieved is a well-balanced refreshing wheat beer that will go great at the beach in the summer and will be a complex companion with the heavier meals of winter time.
Roselle joins Royal City Ale, Red Pilsner, West Coast ESB, and Dark Lager as the only beers available all year from S&O and will be available in Metro Vancouver this week, Vancouver Island next, and the Interior soon after.
Cheers,
Jorden
