The following 7 beers are listed under 5 different styles. Brauhaus Altenkunstadt Leikeim Steinbier Original Brauerei Leikeim | Altenkunstadt, Germany (listed as Kellerbier/Zwickelbier) Retired - Steinbier Queen City Brewery | Burlington, Vermont (listed as Smoked Beer) Steinbier Brauerei Gusswerk GmbH | Salzburg, Austria (listed as Vienna Lager) Steinbier Sweet Mullets Brewing Co. | Oconomowoc, Wisconsin (listed as Saison/Farmhouse Ale) Steinbier Smylie Brothers Brewing Co. | Evanston, Illinois (listed as Vienna Lager) Retired - Altenmünster Steinbier Allgäuer Brauhaus AG | Kempten, Germany (listed as Rauchbier) Retired - Rocky Mountain Steinbier Equinox Brewing Company | Fort Collins, Colorado (listed as Rauchbier) " Steinbier is an ancient style in which hot rocks are heated over a beechwood fire, and then lowered into the wort to bring it to a boil. The resulting unique flavors of smoke and caramel with mineral notes cannot be achieved in any other way." - quoted from bottle of Queen City Brewery "Steinbier." So, my question is should it be a style of beer?
Yes it is a style, but the issue arrises that it is defined by it's brewing process, rather than by ingredients.
It is a brewing technique, but not a true style unto it's own. Libertine Brewing makes all of its beers with the steinbeer method, but they fit into many different styles
Yeah, it's pretty much like rauchbier or kellerbier in the sense that the base beer can be of differing styles.
