JIM STRELAU, new head brewer at Oak Creek Brewing Co., left, and Fred Kraus, brewery owner and brew master, toast their award-winning Bavarian Wheat microbrew. The beer, which is available only on tap, won a gold medal at the National Brewers Association competition in Idaho Falls, Idaho, early this month.

We've been waiting a long time for this one. The timing just hasn't been right in the past." Fred Kraus, owner and brew master of the Oak Creek Brewing Company

Oak Creek Brewery award is easy to swallow; Hefeweizen takes home gold medal at recent brewers' competition

After a long battle with timing, Fred Kraus, owner and brew master of the Oak Creek Brewing Company, was finally able to enter his German Hefeweizen into a national competition.

The Hefeweizen, one of the brewery's most popular beers, took home the gold medal at the North American Brewers Association competition earlier this month.

Kraus said winning the award feels tremendous. "We've been waiting a long time for this one," Kraus said. "The timing just hasn't been right in the past. The Hefeweizen, which was once a seasonal beer, either wasn't available or fresh enough for Kraus's taste to enter into competitions. "This time we got it out of the chute fresh," he said.

Although the North American Brewers Association sent Kraus the gold medal for the beer, he said that the award was the result of a team effort. Jim Strelau, head brewer for the Oak Creek Brewing Company, and Carl Adam, a former brew master and director of brewing operations for Anheuser-Busch, were key players in the process and success of the beer, Kraus said.

The uniqueness of the brewery's Hefeweizen can be attributed to the ingredients and the process. "I have a very specific way of dealing with the temperatures and also the amount of oxygen the yeast gets," Kraus said, without giving away any of his brewing secrets.

A three-week brewing process produces 30 barrels or 965 gallons of Hefeweizen, with fermentation being the most difficult part of the process. "The fermentation of this beer is very rapid," Kraus said. "A 'normal beer' can be put to bed and not worked on for 24 hours, but the Hefeweizen can be doing things at three to four hours that you need to be watching."

Simply broken down, Hefe (yeast) Weizen (wheat) is of German origin and traditionally means an unfiltered wheat beer with yeast in it. It is traditionally enjoyed as the summer beer of choice in Bavaria. The beer is often crafted with more than 65-percent malted wheat. The addition of wheat is what gives this beverage a crisp and refreshing form.

Hefeweizens are usually highly carbonated brews and often appear cloudy when poured, due to their unfiltered nature. The brew's color can range from pale gold to a wide spectrum of amber. Long slender glasses, commonly referred to as "talls" by brewery patrons, are the glassware of choice for sipping a Hefeweizen. "Most people don't notice that you can get a different flavor and aroma depending on the diameter and depth of the glass," Kraus said.

The yeast in the beer contains much of a Hefeweizen's signature flavor, aroma and appearance. Sizing up German and American style Hefeweizens can be likened to a comparison of bratwurst and hot dogs each has distinctive differences. American wheat beers most often use a neutral American yeast strain, which will increase the emphasis of the malt character and produce a cleaner flavor.

Some of the other differences between the two involve the use of hops and malt. German Hefeweizens are barely touched with hops to maintain its delicate balance and the fermented wheat flavor.

In June 2002, Kraus won a gold medal for his Gold Lager in the Munich-Helles category and a bronze medal for the Nut Brown Ale in the English brown category in the North American National Brewers Association Competition. The Amber Ale, also another popular choice among local beer enthusiasts, won a silver medal in 2001.