OnTap Magazine

BREW REVIEWS REVIEWERS: Lucy Corne, Brian Leopold & Marcel Harper That Brewing Company’s Alpha Hopper special release four-pack features four single- hop IPAs: same base beer but each showcasing a different hop. This series was a fantastic way to highlight individual hop flavours. First up, Citra (4/5). As you would expect, citrus and pine came through on flavour and aroma with a high level of bitterness that assisted the beer brilliantly. The Simcoe version (4/5) was a lot more malt-forward than the Citra, but that’s not to say there weren’t notable hop characteristics – as well as bread-like malt, there was pine and subtle notes of naartjie, peach and plum. The Centennial (3.7/5) had an odd, slightly dust-like aroma up front, followed by hop-derived lemon, grapefruit and stone fruit notes. On the flavour side, a bitter stone fruit flavour envelopes the palate straight away and goes through the motions of bitter into sweet and then back to bitter again. There is some tropical fruit hiding in the background but the bitterness made it very hard to pick out unless searched for. And finally, Columbus: the dominant aroma was grapefruit with some pine and grass-like notes. On sipping, there was a sweet orange note and less bitterness than I expected. The pine aroma follows through on flavour as well but the sweet orange and bitter aftertaste takes precedence here. My favourite of the lot with a score of 4.1/5.– BL That Brewing Company THAT ALPHA HOPPER SINGLE-HOP IPA SERIES (5.8%ABV) 3.9 If you were worried about the retirement of Anvil’s founding brewer, Theo de Beer, you can rest easy. New brewer at the helm, Christo Holtzhausen, is doing things right. And I don't think it gets any more right than Bookoo, Anvil's strange, brilliant, and highly addictive light ale flavoured with buchu and honey. If you don't know already, buchu is an indigenous herb that has been used for centuries as a medicinal plant. I'm generally not a fan of adding buchu to beverages, so it was with some scepticism that I sampled Anvil's buchu-infused beer. Happily, I was proven wrong. This ale's aroma hints at hay bale freshness (probably due to the unmalted wheat), followed by a herbaceous intrigue. But in it is in flavour that the beer truly sings – mint tea meets blond ale with a side-helping of fresh blackberries. Bookoo is a bonkers beer that somehow works for both beer nerds and non-beer drinkers alike. Beer nerds will celebrate its resemblance to a fine Belgian gruit (a beer with added herbs in lieu of hops). Non-beer drinkers will simply love it for what it is: a minty, palate-cleaning and refreshing beverage. I think this beer should be on tap in every local in South Africa. Sadly, it's not. But get yourself to Dullstroom where it is at least on tap at the brewery. – MH Anvil Brewhouse BOOKOO (4%ABV) 4.2 I've always loved the Saggy Stone Brewer’s Small Batch cans. There is so much information on there, it's like you’re getting a little beer education class while you sip. One glance at the sleek silver can tells you which malt, hops and yeast were used, gives vital statistics like IBUs, and OG and even informs you which Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) style category the beer fits into, should you wish to taste with the BJCP app open. Sure it might be a little nerdy for some drinkers, but most will take something new away from it. This is the ninth beer in the small batch series, a collab with Lallemand to test out their new farmhouse saison yeast. It’s a hazy, orange-gold beer with a rocky white head. A first sniff gives an aroma of black pepper and grains of paradise, with a fresh citrus note and a faint whiff of lemongrass. It’s not an altogether typical saison, although in truth there is really no such thing. It does have the fruit and spice and it does end dry, though not as dry as most. There’s a fairly prominent banana ester that lends sweetness and the body is a little fuller than is usual for a saison, but overall it’s a highly quaffable beer with lots of depth and complexity. Plan a food pairing around it or just drink it in the autumn afternoon sun.– LC Saggy Stone Brewing Co FARMHOUSE SAISON (5.2%) 3.8 58 | Autumn 2022 | ontapmag.co.za