February 2012
4 posts
2012 Brewers Association Style Guidelines
Tasting and identifying styles of beers is something that I devote much of my time to. Like all craft enthusiasts, I am continuously on the hunt for beers to taste and enjoy. I sometimes even review them! Relatively uneducated palates such as mine require some guidance when we are getting acquainted with the fine ales, lagers, stouts and porters that we come across. For such guidance, I...
5 tags
Draft new liquor legislation potentially damaging...
The Department of Economic Development in Gauteng published a draft Gauteng Liquor Bill for public comment on the 24th of January. The Bill, if approved, will replace the Gauteng Liquor Act.
According to Danie Cronjé, the Director of Liquor Law Services at Cluver Markotter Incorporated, the Bill contains some provisions which will be detrimental to the alcoholic beverage industry. These...
Three Skulls Brew Works - Official Launch at...
Here’s some exciting news for us Gauteng craft beer fans! The magnificently named Three Skulls Brew Works will be officially launching at the 2nd annual Clarens Craft Beer Festival, which is being held in Clarens on 25 February 2012. I cannot wait to check out what they have on offer.
I’ll be tweeting live from the festival on the 25th, so hopefully I can get to taste some of their...
Cockpit Craft Brewhouse - Helles Belles Blonde Ale
Cockpit Craft Brewhouse Craft Brewery and Eatery is situated in Cullinan; the very same place where the famous stones of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom were stolen from. Its illustrious history of gems is somewhat continued with the existence of a true blue craft brewery.
I have just tasted the Helles Belles Blonde Ale, a wonderful concoction that has masses of caramel and fruit on...
December 2011
2 posts
8 tags
Darling Brew @ Wolves Cafe
Darling Brew recently launched their range of beers at Wolves Cafe in Illovo. Wolves is fast becoming a hotbed of real beer appreciation as they also stock the full range of Brewers & Union craft beers. Jason, the local Darling distributor was on hand to assist the patrons and beer novices to identify which brews were their favourites, giving tastings to all who wanted to savour...
5 tags
Hanson to brew and market MMMHop IPA - What?
Firstly, I must state that I am a firm believer in the power of the free market. I enjoy the concept of liberty and self-preservation as much as the next person. But for the life of me, I cannot fathom who would even consider drinking a beer named after a song by a has-been 90’s-era boy band. Hanson, that saccharine, yet impossibly photogenic pop bad from the late 90s are planning to...
November 2011
7 posts
Announced: The results of the South African...
The Wort Hog Brewers have announced the winners and overall results of the South African National Homebrew Comeptition for 2011. You can view these here.
I have recently begun my own brewing efforts and will be trying to cover the meetings, festivals and competitions organised by the club during 2012 and beyond.
The winning entries sound absolutely amazing! 1st place when to Christoff Marais...
4 tags
Darling Brew tasting at Wolves in Illovo - 25...
We’ve all said it on a Friday afternoon. It’s Beer O’Clock! Now the crew at Wolves in Illovo have made it an official, weekly event!
This week sees them hosting a great tasting event where Darling Brew will be served to the thirsty revelers at Wolves for the first time. It is probably the best thing you could do this Friday, so come and join other beer fans for a great...
6 tags
East versus West
Before any of you think that I am going to launch into a diatribe about the shifting roles of world superpowers and the utterly fascinating status of global realpolitik; how the East, lead by China, India, Russia and South Korea has become the global growth catalyst and as a result has dominated our African politics as they compete with the West, namely the USA, United Kingdom, France and Germany;...
Gardening with beer
For some of us, spending a Saturday afternoon lugging 3 tons of homemade compost from one place to another is actually considered fun. The fact that it provides beer fans with a great precursor to the devouring of a pint or two of the good stuff makes it even more rewarding!
Yesterday was such a day for this beer fan. In fact, the preparation was well advanced before the garden fork was picked...
9 tags
Mitchell's craft beer and cider on tap at Hogshead...
In Jozi, we don’t get very much Mitchell’s on tap. Yes, a few spots like the Radium, Hooters and few others have Forester’s and Bosun’s by the keg, but if you are looking for something a bit newer from the Mitchell’s brewhouse, you’d usually be hard pressed!
Luckily, Hogshead has opened up in Douglasdale. Even luckier for me, it is a mere 2km from my house! ...
Darling Brew announces its "Christmas Limited...
One of my favourite South African brewers, Darling Brew, today announced that they have begun brewing 4000 litres of their “Christmas Limited Edition Slow Beer”. This is great news for Darling lovers.
The brewing of limited edition beers for special times of the year is not an uncommon event for Southern African microbreweries, with Camelthorn Brewing Company in Namibia brewing...
4 tags
The beerific journey begins...
As a recent addition to the growing legion of craft beer enthusiasts in South Africa, I thought that it would be great to chronicle my experiences with beer and interact with other people who share this passion for good quality drink.
What will follow here is a series of beer-related posts including craft beer reviews, industry news, home-brewing experiences and advice and general threads...