LIFESTYLE
Top
5
Choosing ?ve favourite beers
from the ever-expanding menu
available in South Africa is a
tough challenge. Of course, that
being said, everyone has their
go-to beers – here are the top
choices for ?ve pleasing pints
around the country.
South African
Craft Beers
Devil’s
Peak King’s
Blockhouse
IPA
Boston
Breweries
Van Hunks
Pumpkin Ale
Darling Brew
Bone Crusher
Cockpit
Brewhouse
Black Forest
Cape Brewing Stout
thecockpitbrewhouse.co.za
Company
Amber Weiss
darlingbrew.co.za
capebrewing.co.za
OK, so this limited edition
beer – a robust stout with
added chocolate and
Hands-down the best
cherries – is not available
hefeweizen in the country is year-round, but it’s an
brewed on the Spice Route indicator of the liquid
Wine estate outside Paarl.
loveliness you’ll always
Full of the banana aromas
find on tap at the Cockpit
indicative of the style (but
Brewhouse in Cullinan.
no, there’s no banana
Brewer André de Beer likes
added), it’s a creamy pint
to experiment and there’s
that works just as well for
always a seasonal ‘big beer’
food-free afternoon sipping (something full flavoured
as it does with a light lunch and often potent) on tap
such as seafood or salad.
alongside his staple ales.
Although flavours can
vary from batch to batch,
when this spiced ale is on,
it’s really on. With added
butternut, cinnamon and
nutmeg, it’s like a liquid
pumpkin pie with a smack
of beer about it, but that
doesn’t mean Van Hunks
pairs only with sweet treats.
In fact, it’s a superlative
food beer whose best
match is perhaps the sweet
and spicy profile of Cape
Malay cuisine.
devilspeakbrewing.co.za
The prominent bitterness
of this highly-hopped beer
might not be to everyone’s
taste initially, but for the
seasoned beer drinker,
Cape Town-based Devil’s
Peak’s American-style India
Pale Ale is the holy grail of
South African brews. Sip it
with spicy food and strong
cheeses – stinky blue or
gruyere are two top picks.
By Lucy Corne –
The Brew Mistress and author of African Brew
With added coriander and
orange peel, this Belgianstyle witbier is full-flavoured
but utterly refreshing.
Don’t let people tell you
that beer for breakfast is
bad – a bottle of witbier
shared over scrambled
eggs and smoked salmon is
just as good of a breakfast
buddy as any bottle of
sparkling wine.
bostonbreweries.co.za
Lucy’s African Brew is available at bookstores nationwide, including Exclusive Books and Kalahari.com.
Also pick it up at micro-breweries countrywide. Check her blog at bit.ly/brewm.
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October 2013 | TechSmart