Beer and cheese: Local staples of life for almost two centuries

Almost two centuries of entrepreneurship: this building on the banks of the Nith River has housed a brewery and two cheese factories since the mid-1800s. Paul Knowles photo

By Paul Knowles

Historians suggest that humans have been drinking beer for anywhere from 7,000 to 13,000 years, and sources indicate that we’ve been chomping on cheese for somewhere between 4,000 and 7,000 years.

So, it’s rather pleasing to discover that a business still operating in New Hamburg has played its own historic role in the creation of these two consumables. The building that once housed the Rau Brewery, and today is home to Oak Grove Cheese, may not have been around for millennia, but it has done its duty since the 1840s, only about one decade after the founding of New Hamburg.

The brewery was founded on Bleams Road on the banks of the Nith River by Sylvester Frank in 1843. The official address is 29 Bleams Rd. E. An 1854 map of New Hamburg – then known as “Hamburgh” – shows the brewery directly across the road from a tannery. Nearby is a bridge – eventually known as the Rau Bridge – spanning the Nith. At that time, before Highway 7/8 bisected Bleams, it was one continuous roadway.

The tannery is long gone and the bridge was washed away by one of the many Nith River floods (though a footbridge is now located in roughly the same place), but the building remains as an important example of local architectural heritage.

Early in the 1860s, the brewery was purchased by Stephen Rau and it became the Rau Brewery. It remained in the Rau family – subsequently owned and operated by J&J Rau and then Jospeh F. Rau – until prohibition killed the business and it closed in 1916.

By 1928, a new business, Oak Grove Cheese, occupied the building. The popular local cheese factory and shop are still in operation today, and two years from now, will have the rare opportunity to celebrate its 100th birthday.

But back to beer for a moment. In 1908, the Berlin Daily News carried a somewhat florid article praising the people and the product of Rau Brewery (Berlin was the name, at that time, of the city we now call Kitchener, and that’s another and rather sordid, tale). One might conclude that the anonymous writer was provided with complimentary samples of the Rau products, for this was his assessment:

“To have been first is sometimes merely a sign of antiquity. It is so with the mummy whose lifeless body we view after the lapse of centuries. He is but a corpse. How vastly different with the business which, while its origin dates back a long period, yet still grows and flourishes, waxing stronger each year. Such a business is the Rau Brewery. It was founded in the early ‘50s by Sylvester Frank but has been in the Rau family most of the time since. From its founder it passed successively to Stephen Rau, to J. & J. Rau and then to the present proprietor, Jos. F. Rau. It has been under the present management since 1892 and it would seem that its celebrated Bavarian, Champagne, Export Lagers and Cream Porter grow more popular day by day. The firm undoubtedly enjoy an ever-widening circle of patrons, a fact which is not a mere accident – there are no trade accidents – but which must be ascribed to the fine quality of the beer. Mr. Rau is a practical brewer himself and pays close attention to every detail of manufacture which accounts in a large measure for the uniform excellence of the Rau Lager. The plant is an extensive one, located at the east end of the town. Pure artesian water pumped by the firm's own plant is used and the strictest cleanliness is observed through-out. Epicures should ask for Rau's beer. They'll find it right. Mr. Rau is a public-spirited gentleman and is chairman of the Public School Board at the present time.”

Joseph F. Rau was the son of John and Mary Rau, and nephew of John’s brother, also named Joseph. The brothers were partners in the brewery and were succeeded in ownership by Joseph F.

When the brewery closed, Joseph F. Rau stayed in New Hamburg, taking the role as local postmaster, a position he held until his death in June 1926. The June 11, 1926, edition of the New Hamburg Independent carried this rather detailed death notice:

“Throughout his life the last Mr. Rau took an active part in the affairs of the town. He was a Councilor (sic) for several years and a member of the Public School Board for over twenty years, and gave his assistance wherever he could for the welfare of the village. He was a member of the Library Board, and president of the New Hamburg Ring Co. at the time of his death. A lover of true sport, Mr. Rau took great interest in amateur sports and was an enthusiastic curler and bowler as long as his health permitted. He was a congenial companion and always showed a kindly spirit towards his fellowmen. A large circle of friends mourn his passing.

“The deceased was a faithful member of the Kitchener Knights of Columbus lodge. In politics he was a staunch Conservative and former Vice-President of the South Waterloo Liberal-Conservative Association.

“Mr. Rau's father, the late John Rau, died in 1881, and an only sister also passed away at the age of 7 years. His mother died in 1917 and since the death of his mother he made his home at the Commercial Hotel, where he passed away.”

Within a couple of years of his passing, his former brewery had been transformed into its second incarnation as Oak Grove Cheese.

Today, Oak Grove is owned and operated by Mark and Pat Langenegger. The couple is carrying on a long-held family tradition. Their cheese factory was founded in 1928 by Zito Baccarini. The business was soon under the ownership of Zito’s niece, Piera Langenegger, and her husband, Gottfried.

Their son, Tristano – always known in New Hamburg as “Tutti” – and his wife, Reta, took over from Tristano’s parents and operated the business for many decades. In fact, when Tristano passed away in 2014, his obituary included this simple history:

“Tristano and Reta along with their two sons Tony and Mark owned and operated Oak Grove Cheese Factory in New Hamburg for his lifetime.”

Tony passed away in 2012. Pat and Mark have owned and operated Oak Grove Cheese since Tristano’s passing.

The history of the name and local cheese-making enterprises is slightly more complicated. In the late 1800s and perhaps into the first years of the 20th century, there was a company called “The Oak Grove Cheese and Butter Company” owned by George Cousins and operating out of a factory further east on Bleams Road. As well, in the period between the closure of Rau Brewery (1916) and the opening of the new Oak Grove Cheese Factory (1928), Pat Langenegger says another owner named Roth made cheese for some years in the former Rau location which was bought by Zito Baccarini in 1928. But today’s Oak Grove Cheese owners do not believe there is any direct connection between Oak Grove and either of these historic cheesemaking companies.

The owners of Oak Grove Cheese are proud of their heritage and continue some of the cheesemaking traditions of their forebearers. For example, a Wikipedia article about Limburger cheese – a cheese you either love or abhor – notes that “Limburger was also manufactured in Canada, where it was a German-Canadian cultural marker, by the Oak Grove Cheese Company in New Hamburg.” That’s almost correct, except for the tense – Oak Grove still produces Limburger.

Another traditional product that inspires lineups outside the Oak Grove shop is “cook cheese.” In fact, a few years ago, CBC Radio thought this significant enough that they reported, “There is still cook cheese (koch kaese, made to preserve extra dairy) made at Oak Grove Cheese in New Hamburg.” Just one more detail in the history of a multi-faceted business that has operated on the banks of the Nith River for almost two centuries.