Zealander Pilsner
A story about lager beer, friendship and deliciousness
When Mari Kemper, co-owner of Chuckanut Brewery and matriarch of PNW Lager Beer, approached Zeeks about brewing a beer together we were honored and humbled and couldn’t say YES fast enough!
Quick background on lager beer: Every beer is either an ale or a lager. The difference between the two is yeast and fermentation temperatures: lagers are brewed with lager yeast that bottom-ferments at a lower temperature, while ales are brewed with ale yeast that top-ferments at a higher temperature. Because of the lower temperature and longer fermentation process, lagers tend to have more clarification and are more full-bodied and well-rounded than ales. This makes for a great food companion — pizza for example.
One common misconception of lagers is they are all light and easy drinking (thanks Bud & Miller!). Lagers though can vary in flavor, alcohol, and color just as much as ales. Drink a Helles and a Doppelbock side-by-side, and you will experience the beautiful variety in lager beer.
Most of what American craft beer drinkers know and love are beers that fall into the ale category, like IPA (India Pale Ale), Pale Ale, Stout and Amber. Chuckanut brews lagers almost exclusively, and have been doing so for 12 years (about 120 years in brewer years as things move fast in craft beer).
Not only was Chuckanut one of the first craft breweries in the PNW, they were brewing lagers at a time in America when lagers were synonymous with that ‘industrial yellow beer’ from Coors, Miller and Budweiser, and so IPAs and other ales were instantly synonymous with craft beer. Bold indeed! Since then, they have become one of the most award-winning and decorated breweries in the PNW.
Zeeks has been pouring well-made lagers for over a decade, primarily featuring Chuckanut beers. But it wasn’t until about five years ago that we started to feature more lagers on our tap lists, not just local but also German Brewing pioneers like Ayinger and Weihenstephaner. Now, we typically feature as many lagers as we do hoppy beers on our seasonally rotating tap lists, including more and more local breweries making world-class lagers. Because these beers are so well-balanced and relatively lower in alcohol, they also offer the Zeeks culture benefit of being able to throw down a few together while hanging out and talking shop (most important decisions at Zeeks are made over beers).
I have known Mari for almost a decade, and have so much respect for what she and her husband Will have built at Chuckanut. Their beer is undeniably world-class, their quality standards are unmatched, and their connection to their community and local agriculture is inspiring. After Mari and I agreed to work on a beer together, we both thought pilsner would be a good starting point.
To put our own stamp on the beer and make it unique Mari suggested using Rakau and Wai-iti New Zealand hop varietals in the beer. These hops have characteristics of stone fruit, lemon, and lime. Combined with the classic German Pilsner graininess, we had an incredibly bright and aromatic pilsner perfect for our spring menus. So was born Zealander Pilsner!
While Mari and I would much rather be drinking glasses of Zealander on our patios and decks and in taprooms and restaurants, during the Coronavirus shutdown Zeeks is keeping the beer flowing by delivering fresh growlers of Zealander to people’s homes in greater Seattle and Tacoma.
Zealander will only be available for growler delivery (with pizza) at $12 for a 64oz growler or $8 for a 32oz growler (glass included) for the week or so. Get it while you can! Cheers to many more pints down the road and brighter days ahead!
