I heard through the grapevine that Steel & Oak make a fine brew. I found one at the Town Hall LIQ (love that place), so let’s see how much the grapevine knows about good beer. Stupid know-it-all grapevine with his stupid glasses and that stupid hair.
This comes from a New Westminster brewery that’s generating some buzz. The label is boring, a giant S, giant ampersand, and a giant O on a plain grey background. Not exactly ‘eye catching’. I’d have passed over this easily if I had not previously been tipped off about these guys.
It pours a beautiful, rich, light brown with minimal head and carbonation. It smells like a sweet campfire, in a really good way. It tastes much like the aroma, with smoky banana as the main flavor but it’s not overwhelming. Mild, fruity flavors with a tiny hit of grassy hop. Leaves a nice malt wheat and citrus aftertaste. This beer is very low in bitter, but very big in flavor and i’m loving every drop of this!
I wouldn’t want to drink this all night, as I suspect that the smoke would start to wear thin on me. However, as far as Hefeweizen goes, this is a new favorite. An absolutely delightful experience, in big bottle form.
“And the beer I had for breakfast wasn’t bad,
So I had one more, for dessert.” – Johnny Cash ‘Sunday morning coming down’
4.5/5 An exquisite Hefeweizen with a bold unique flavor, this is a big win here. I’ll be trying more of Steel & Oaks brews, for certain.
The Vanbrewverite 