OnTap Magazine

South African hops are all the rage internationally, but few local brewers have truly cracked how to get the best out of these varietals. Onewho certainly has is Soul Barrel Brewing Co. with their Cape Cone IPA. Brewed using all South African hops – including Southern Passion, African Queen and Southern Tropic – if you have any doubt about how great our homegrown hops are then I urge you to try this beer. One of the great innovations in modern craft brewing has been adding interesting hop character to traditionally unhoppy beers. Most of this is done by dry-hopping (adding the hops post-fermentation to maximise aroma and flavour extraction without bitterness) so as not to overwhelm the base beer. A good local example of this is Long Claw from Darling Brew, a classic saison-style beer dry-hopped with Citra. The bold citrus fruitiness of this hop complements the spicy yeast character and dry crisp finish of the beer perfectly. Juicy Lucy has become a firm favourite of the SA craft beer scene and remains one of the best local interpretations of the modern hazy IPA. While not showcasing one particular hop, this beer makes great use of both old and new school American hops to produce a complex hop experience. You get all the tropical and citrus fruit flavours from Citra and Mosaic, with some classic piney resinous notes from Cascade and Amarillo, all coming together to demonstrate exactly what hops do to a beer when expertly used. Another single hop IPA which does a great job of showcasing an interesting hop is the Mandarina Bavaria IPA from CBC. As the name suggests, the German- grown Mandarina Bavaria hop contributes pronounced sweet citrus flavours to beer. As a single hop IPA this beer from CBC delivers bold IPA flavours with a slightly unusual marmalade-like twist from this special hop. Many modern English pale ales or bitters have adopted American hops in their recipes to produce beers more appealing to the modern beer drinker’s palate. However, there is still something very special about classic English hop character in these beers. The English Best Bitter from Clockwork Brewhouse is a good example, using the classic English hop East Kent Goldings. EKG imparts some subtle fruit flavours but mostly exhibits earthy and herbal notes in this simple yet sophisticated beer. DARLING BREW Long Claw Saison (Citra Dry Hop) DEVIL'S PEAK BEER CO. Juicy Lucy IPA CLOCKWORK BREWHOUSE English Best Bitter SOUL BARREL BREWING CO. Cape Cone IPA 07 10 08 CAPE BREWING COMPANY Mandarina Bavaria IPA 09 12 California Common as a style is largely defined by the use of Northern Brewer hops with their distinctive woody, minty, and resinous profile. A number of South African breweries make versions of California Common – some more classic than others. The version brewed by Friar’s Habit makes liberal use of Northern Brewer so give it a try if you want to get a feel for this hop. FRIAR’S HABIT California Common 11 40 | Autumn 2022 | ontapmag.co.za