OnTap Magazine

The best way to evaluate a hop varietal is in a beer that features just one hop, and preferably quite a lot of it. That Brewing Company recently released four IPAs each brewed with a single hop. The featured hops are some of the classic American IPA heroes - Centennial, Simcoe, Citra, and Columbus. Each beer does a good job of showcasing the characteristics of the single hop in a classic West Coast IPA format. While Germany is known for its classic noble-type hop varietals they have produced a number of very exciting new hops in recent years. Two of these are Yellow Sub and Hallertau Blanc, both of which feature in Woodstock’s Slice of Life Session IPA. As the name hints, Hallertau Blanc is reminiscent of Sauvignon Blanc wine with gooseberry, grass, and tropical fruit flavours. Yellow Sub has a profile which includes apricot, orange and blueberries, complementing the orange and lemon additions to this beer. These hops make this IPA stand out as something quite different, sophisticated, yet highly smashable. Aegir Project is one of the most respected breweries in the country largely because of their well-considered approach to brewing experimentation. Good examples of this are the single hop beers they have brewed over the past year or so. Each has a style and recipe designed to work best with a particular hop. Their most recent at the time of writing was a milkshake IPA featuring Galaxy, a wonderful Australian hop full of berry flavours. Aegir Project has brewed a number of single hop beers with this hop, which is becoming quite rare on our shores, so do try it if you can. The origin of pilsner beer revolves around one hop – Saaz, produced for centuries in the modern day Czech Republic. Saaz is one of the original four noble hops (next to Hallertau, Spalt and Tettnang) and is known for its distinctive earthy, herbal and spicy notes. A good local example showcasing this hop (apart from the one kissed by it) is the Northside Pilsner by Agar’s Brewery – their take on a classic Bohemian pilsner. Sabro is relatively a new hop that is making its way into a number of local brews. Featuring some unusual flavours including coconut and mint along with more typical tropical fruit notes, Sabro works very well in hop-forward beers, on its own or as part of a blend. The Sabro Brut IPA from Saggy Stone shows off the unique flavours off this hop in a wonderfully approachable and refreshing beer. If you like your IPAs in the classic West Coast style then look no further than Jungle Paradise by Afro Caribbean Brewing Co. Packed with Columbus and Chinook – two icons of American IPA brewing – this beer is packed with layers of pine and citrus hop aroma and flavour. A regular award winner in local competitions, this beer is a brilliant example of how American hops revolutionised brewing. THAT BREWING COMPANY Single Hop IPA series WOODSTOCK BREWERY Slice of Life Session IPA AEGIR PROJECT Single Hop Special Brews AGAR’S BREWERY Northside Pilsner SAGGY STONE Sabro Brut IPA AFRO CARIBBEAN BREWING CO. Jungle Paradise 01 04 02 05 03 06 ontapmag.co.za | Autumn 2022 | 39