KEY POINTS:
If you ask for a Heineken in West Auckland bar Hallertau, you'll find you're out of luck. Nor do they stock Steinlager, Speights, Mac or any of the other standard pub beers.
What you can get at Hallertau are beers you won't find anywhere else. Brewed on the premises by owner Stephen Plowman, they are unpasteurised, unfiltered and taste like beer is supposed to.
"You can think of beer like fish,' says Plowman. "Fresh fish is always much better. If you freeze it then it has a longer shelf life but it doesn't taste as good. Our beer is in its purest form. None of it is bottled, it's only served on tap.'
Plowman and his wife Hayley set up Hallertau two years ago when they returned to New Zealand after living overseas.
"We thought the bar and pub scene in Auckland was really tedious,' he explains. "So many places borrow other people's culture. There are Irish, English and Belgian places. We wanted to create something that reflected the local area.'
Trained as a brewer in Australia, one of Plowman's first jobs was to come up with the four very distinctive beers that are always on tap at Hallertau. All are made from New Zealand-grown hops and Plowman says they're aimed more at wine lovers than diehard beer drinkers.
"Beer drinkers in New Zealand tend to suffer really badly from brand loyalty.
"They will go and buy the same box of beer every week. But very few wine drinkers stick to the same wine week after week. They're always trying different types and are aware of the flavours.'
Hallertau's biggest selling brew is Luxe. It's a light, golden ale based on a German beer called Kolsch, fresh and grassy with a hint of tropical fruit. Plowman says it's a beer for sauvignon blanc drinkers.
Then there's the Statesman, an American-style, pale ale with a floral, citrus character. "It's a very hoppy beer and quite challenging,' says Plowman.
"Once you get into it there's really nothing else you can drink. You become what is called 'a hophead' and the hop character on the palate becomes almost addictive.'
Copper Tart is an Irish Red beer with chocolate and caramel flavours and Deception is a light German-style black beer that is sweet and rich with a mocha flavour.
"We always have a seasonal beer too,' says Plowman. "Last year we did a strawberry wheat beer using a 100 kilos of strawberries from a guy up the road.'
Beer is also incorporated into some of the dishes served in the restaurant. The Luxe is used for the beer-battered fish and a Henderson butcher makes up special sausages using the Deception.
It's fair to say that Plowman drinks an awful lot of beer. Over the past five years he's swallowed more than 2000 different brews, meticulously keeping tasting notes.
So how does a professional taste a beer?
"Fundamentally, it's the same as wine tasting,' says Plowman. "There are three aspects to it. Appearance; so you check the colour and the clarity. Aroma; so you have a good sniff and see what you're getting from it, whether it is hoppy or more malty or there's a yeast character there. And then you taste it and look for the flavour, fullness and texture.
"With beer you have to swallow at least a small amount because quite a large part of the flavour profile is the bitterness which is perceived down the back palate.'
At the end of a long day making, smelling and tasting beers, a man tends to need a break from the stuff. Fortunately Hallertau also has a solid list of local wines.
"And a glass of chardonnay always makes a pleasant change,' says Plowman.
NEED TO KNOW
Hallertau is at 1171 Coatesville, Riverhead Highway, West Auckland. For more information visit www.hallertau.co.nz or call (09) 412 5555.
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WELSH RAREBIT WITH BEER
Stephen's chef uses Copper Tart in this recipe but as an alternative he suggests any dark beer.
1 tbsp butter
1lb sharp cheddar cheese
Three quarters of a cup of beer
Dash of cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce
1 tsp mustard powder
Half teaspoon salt
Half teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp cornflour
Melt the butter in the top of a double boiler.
Add the cheese and all but one tablespoon of beer.
Cook over hot, not boiling, water until the cheese melts.
Combine the seasonings with the remaining tablespoon of beer and stir into the cheese.
Combine the slightly beaten egg with the cornflour, stir into the cheese mixture and let it thicken slightly.
Serve immediately over toast or grilled tomato halves.
Serves four.
- Detours, HoS
