Rumours have been circulating for months, but it's now official: Soweto Gold has been bought by Heineken. I was flown up to Gauteng yesterday by Soweto Brewing Company (a subsidiary of Heineken) and thought I was in pursuit of another 'Heineken gains ground in the...
Has this ever happened to you: you go to a festival or a tasting room or a pairing evening, you trya beer, you love it and you buy a bottle or three to take home. Somehow, when you get it home it has turned from a life-altering drink into something fairly average...
Well I'll tell you one thing - it's been a fair while since I've used the four-and-a-half hop image in a review. This makes me both happy and sad - happy because, well, great beer makes me happy; sad because it's not a beer I can easily get in Cape Town. At last...
Sixty-four breweries, 199 beers, 22 gold medals, 62 silver, one massive party and countless hangovers. This is how the third annual South African National Beer Trophy panned out. The overall prize for best beer in show went to Stellenbosch Brewing Company for their...
After the last post I wrote, I thought it was about time for some good news. There is plenty of beery good news out there, and this is some of the best, I reckon. Three South African microbreweries have won medals at the 2017 International Beer Challenge (IBC),...
Damnation Brewing Co. began life at the Brewers Co-op and have since branched out into brewing larger batches under contract in Cape Town. As one fellow Twittererer put it, "They win at labels" - but how is the beer behind the slightly scary face(s)? I must say I...
I recently attended the marvellous Beer Boot Camp in Cape Town. As you're probably aware, the one-day conference had an all-star cast, kicking off with the magnificent Michael Ferguson. He's a master brewer, TV presenter and the kind of public speaker that can hold...
Everyone pairs IPA with blue cheese or curry or Gruyere but a few weeks ago I stumbled upon a marvellous pairing - IPA with candied orange peel. It's incredibly easy to make but somehow has the illusion of being something a bit special. So here, especially for IPA...
It's a big week for those who need an excuse to drink beer - IPA Day on Thursday and International Beer Day on Friday (check the calendar for event info). This means special events, one-off brews and general beery festivities. So what better time to unleash this...
