South African National Homebrew Champs
With the second annual Craft Brewers Championship underway, I've had a few folks asking 'but what about me, I'm a homebrewer - can I enter?'. The answer is no, you can't. But why would you need to enter? You have your own competition to participate in. This year...
Beer review: Old Main Brewery Honey Badger Imperial Stout
I think my main problem with this beer is the name. Not the honey badger bit - they're kind of vicious, but I don't have any major issues with them. But for Old Main Brewery to call this 3.5% ABV beer an imperial stout is a bit of a stretch. Well, OK - it's...
Beer cocktail: Blockhouse Beertini
I'm not much of a cocktail-drinker. I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to spirits and to be honest, I've never really given beer cocktails a chance. Until we went to Mauritius that is. We were lucky enough to spend a couple of nights at the uber-luxurious...
Lambic Restaurant & Beer Shop, Mauritius
Most people, when they travel, have a' must-see' list. It might feature an ancient temple, a world-class national park or an oft-photographed natural site. When we arrived in Mauritius, we of course had the Black River Gorges National Park on our list, plus the...
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...
