Flying Dodo Brewing Company
Mauritius is best-known for its beaches, so it made perfect sense that the morning after our arrival, we found ourselves in the island's only microbrewery, sitting on the edge of a mall that's far enough inland to mean that you can't actually see the ocean. I've...
Beer review: Mad Giant Punk Hop Pale Ale
When I first saw Mad Giant's labels (and their beer names...and brewery name for that matter) I had high hopes. These are labels that could easily be found on an American liquor store shelf. So does the beer live up? The new Mpumalanga-based brewery's pale...
Restaurant review: Unity Bar & Brasserie, Durban
Silvervause Centre, 117 Silverton Road, Durban. Tel: 031 201 3470. unitybar.co.za. Mains R60-115. Pint of local draft craft beer around R25 Tucked away in a small mall in Musgrave, Unity Bar has a pretty unassuming position, but this is a real suburban gem. It's...
Bottled beers: post script
When I set out to write about the issues with bottled beer last month, I had a point to make. You wouldn't necessarily know it from what turned out to be the world's longest blog post, but I did start out with a point. You see, there was so much to say that I kind...
Brewsters, alewives and wenches
Once upon a time, the art of brewing was a task strictly for a woman’s hands. Over the years though, the men muscled in, pushing the brewsters – female brewers – away from their kettles and fermenters. Luckily though, ladies are taking back their beer. So, let’s...
Beer review: Castle Milk Stout Chocolate
I know I'm a bit slow off the mark with this review, but there's just so much going on the the beer world in South Africa - plus IPA Day/week got in the way. But better late than never and all that. There was a lot of buzz a couple of weeks back regarding...
Second annual South African Craft Brewers Championship
Last year saw the country's first BJCP-accredited national beer competition take place. Smaller events happen around the country - mostly at festivals - but this was the first time that craft brewers around the country could all compete to have their beer crowned...
Beer Review: Devil’s Peak King’s Blockhouse IPA
It's no secret that I quite like this beer. When I mentioned to a friend that the grand finale of my IPA week was to be a Blockhouse review, he commented that there were already 48478383 reviews out there. So I claimed mine would be better than them...
15 IPAs to try in South Africa
Two years ago, Banana Jam Cafe hosted its first IPA Day celebration. In fact, I'm fairly sure it was South Africa's first as well. I remember the preparations and what a struggle it was to get enough IPAs on tap to fill a taster tray. A taster tray at Banana Jam...