SA Craft beers and where to get them

[chrisc]

Ultra in Wynberg no longer stock craft beers.  The reason is that there was insufficient turnover.  However, those shelves are still empty

Have tried the homebrew story.  Two essentials are scrupulously clean bottles and get the water from the spring in Springs Road (what else) in Newlands.  Its free

Not beer, but interesting:

Much easier and quicker is distilling liquor from apricots.  Seeing they are free for the taking in Montagu in summer, I thought I'd give it a go.  Got a still from a local farmer and soldered up some holes.  I notice the still has a S A Revenue Services sticker on it

Take 20kg (or so) apricots
Pour in a 100 litre plastic container
Add 10 litres water and crush the apricots so there is masses of pulp and nothing larger than the pips
Leave it to stand overnight in a cool place  (starts to smell interesting already)
Scoop out the liquid and sieve it through some muslin (I used 2 layers of orange bags)
Pour about 30 litres of the liquid into the still
Light the gas cooker and turn the flame to medium
After not more than 10 mins, a clear liquid starts coming out the pipe, into the funnel and clean 750ml bottles you have prepared
Allow it to cool before sampling
An alcohol meter showed between 13% (at first) rising to 40% (towards the end) alcohol
No driving a car or operating machinery after a glass or two of that

Oh yes, I cooled the condensor with a hose pipe attachment running slowly all the time

[colonel66]

Ultra in Wynberg no longer stock craft beers.  The reason is that there was insufficient turnover.  However, those shelves are still empty

Bullshit with a capital "B"

They stock a good selection of various Cape Town and surrounds craft brewers at good prices - especially compared to PnP liquor stores

They are located in a new aisle and not tucked in the corner anymore

Of course the alternative that my last purchase at Ultra is a fabrication of my imagination is a possibility. 

[BWS]

Bullshit with a capital "B"

They stock a good selection of various Cape Town and surrounds craft brewers at good prices - especially compared to PnP liquor stores

They are located in a new aisle and not tucked in the corner anymore

Of course the alternative that my last purchase at Ultra is a fabrication of my imagination is a possibility. 

Sho! did you post this on the tail end of a dozen or so of those same craft beers?

[colonel66]

Sho! did you post this on the tail end of a dozen or so of those same craft beers?

No enjoyed the Jack Blacks with a mate after the phone post

[stanhic]

There is a bottle store just across the road from Record Mad, they have a huge amount of craft bear. Even kegs.
Corner 4th and 8th street in Randburg

[Katji]

Paarl – Leading South African craft beer producer Cape Brewing Company (CBC) recently walked away with four medals from the Meiningers International Craft Beer Awards. The awards were announced in Neustadt, Germany in April.

CBC was awarded top honors with a platinum medal for their Cape of Good Hope Imperial IPA, and a gold medal for their seasonal CBC Harvest Lager. The CBC Lager and CBC Krystal Weiss were both awarded silver medals.

Out of the more than 700 craft beers from 22 different nations tasted and judged for the competition, only the best 281 beers were presented with medals. The jury consisted of 76 international expert beer sommeliers, brewers, beer trade and research experts, and beer journalists.

.....CBC is the only South African brewery awarded with medals this year, placing the country within the top 10 of the medal log.

http://capebrewing.co.za/cbc-wins-platinum-gold-silver-meiningers-international-craft-beer-awards/

[chrisc]

Was in Ultra Wynberg on Saturday.  There is a new manager and he has reserved two shelves to Craft Beers.  Prices range from R15 up to R55.  Next time I am there I will take some pictures.  There must have been at least 15 different labels

[colonel66]

Was in Ultra Wynberg on Saturday.  There is a new manager and he has reserved two shelves to Craft Beers.  Prices range from R15 up to R55.  Next time I am there I will take some pictures.  There must have been at least 15 different labels

Only because you posted it......now it must be true.......

[Katji]

CBC (Cape Brewing Company), such good online marketing, good website and Fb presentation, but...to find out retail outlets, instead of a list by province, there is only a map - pick Durban, Musgrave, Essenwood, Greyville, one by one - see where this is going? ...and you get a pile of little map tag goodies and you can only click on the top one. Useless! I gave up.
(ja. i should copy-paste this to their fb page.)

[Eben]

Natalie and Stephan Meyer, Clarens Brewery. Two of our oldest friends, both IT buffs, started this to get out of the rat-race (and they started a huge apple farm).






Truly worth a visit. Also see:

http://thediariesofavillageidiot.blogspot.co.za/2009/04/clarens-brewery.html

One of the events that Natalie has organised.

http://www.leagueofbeers.com/blog/2014/03/the-2014-clarens-craft-beer-festival-lucy-corne/

So, if you are in the area, go visit.

[BWS]

CBC (Cape Brewing Company), such good online marketing, good website and Fb presentation, but...to find out retail outlets, instead of a list by province, there is only a map - pick Durban, Musgrave, Essenwood, Greyville, one by one - see where this is going? ...and you get a pile of little map tag goodies and you can only click on the top one. Useless! I gave up.
(ja. i should copy-paste this to their fb page.)

Tops, Makro usually keep them in stock

[kamikazi]

Our local brewery is Triggerfish. Well worth a visit if you are near Strand Paardevlei (as is Flagstone Wines). Favourites are the Sweetlips blonde and the Ocean Potion.

[Trompie67]

Attended a(nother) horse show yesterday as our daughter was competing.

The headline sponsor of the show was generously kind enough to sponsor beers, ciders, G&T's and wine by the glass from 14h00 until about 16h30.  We need more sponsors like that!

Funny guy Dave Levinsohn was in attendance with his beer - Dave's Brew. He had an IPA & a Blonde on tap. I'm not fond of IPA's at all, but the Blonde was very very nice. It was still nice by the time I went home at 18h00 odd.........

It can be purchased here: http://www.davebrew.co.za/

He also has a VW Beetle that is fitted with a fridge & 2 kegs that he uses at functions/events. Add to it that he really is a funny ha-ha guy & it's a recipe for a great afternoon. Not that an afternoon of free beer would ever be a bad thing! 

[JonnyP]

Tops on Florida Rd in Durban has local and imported craft beers, and currently sitting in my office (part of a gift from my colleagues*) are 6 craft beers from Marriott Liquors two are Poison City, the other four are from the Clockwork Brewhouse in PMB (and have apparently won awards).  That's a few on the balcony at the weekend sorted...

*The other part of the gift is a selection of coffee beans from Bean Green, so I have coffee to last me a few months at work and some samplers of craft beer for the weekend.

[JohnnyIC]

I quite like the taste of this stuff: