Named for one of South Africa’s earliest commerical brewers, Jacob Letterstedt, the pale ale from Newlands Spring is based on a 155-year-old recipe found in SAB’s archives.

There still aren’t many people producing English-style beers in South Africa, so I was happy to find a little UK hop character here. It’s no secret that I’m a fan of US hops, but sometimes you want something a little more subtle, and the peppery spice given off by the Fuggles and EKG used here makes this a great lunchtime pint. There’s toffee in the background when you inhale, and more of the same on sipping.

If you’re the kind of person that likes to keep tasting your beer long after the last sip, you’ll probably enjoy this – I found the Jacob’s Pale Ale (5% ABV) to have a particularly long finish, perfectly balanced between malt and hop bitterness.

It’s certainly a malt-forward beer, with plenty of toffee and toast, though does serve well as an intro to English hops as well. I could certainly see myself cosying up in a pub to a pint or two of this with a plate of pie and chips.