OnTap Magazine

Once upon a time virtually every brewery in SA offered a weissbier in some form or another. These days they’re tougher to come by and while I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not my favourite style, I really enjoyed this version from Woodstock Brewery. It ticks pretty much all the weissbier boxes – big whiffs of banana, vanilla and to a lesser extent, clove; a fat and fluffy body and a good old dose of banana bread when you swallow. It does lose a couple of points on head retention – it lacked that luscious pillowy crown, although the foam didn’t fall altogether. And the bitterness is a little high and long-lasting for a classic Weiss, but largely it’s a very enjoyable example of the style. Following Woodstock’s “sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll” theme, the beer is named for a catchy tune from Bavarian pop band LaBrassBanda (in case, like me, you were unfamiliar with them, this helpful line from Wikipedia should shed some light: “The name of the band is a portmanteau of the Italian words "la banda" and the English term "brass band", both meaning the same.” Inspired stuff). I’d recommend you don some neon leggings, whack the tune onto YouTube and settle into a couple of cans.– LC Woodstock Brewery DANZNWEISS (5%ABV) 3.6 Until recently, non-alcoholic beers in South Africa have largely been limited to pale lager, one notable exception being Devil’s Peak’s Hero range. Elsewhere in the world, breweries have been exploring non-alcoholic versions of other styles and I’m pleased to see Bavaria’s 0.0% IPA arrive in SA. But does it really taste like an IPA? Well, it does have that tell-tale worty character typical of many non-alcoholic beers, but there is also a background bitterness. In fact, you can tell the brewers weren’t shy with hops, which for me makes this a much more enjoyable non- alcoholic beer than most. It has a fresh, slightly grassy aroma with a hint of citrus fruit and while it’s a little sweet, it’s a much more flavourful non-alc than many. Am I going to ditch my favourite beers and convert to drinking Bavaria’s non-alcoholic IPA? No, but I could very easily see myself bringing two or three to a braai in order to pace myself, or swapping out my usual beers for a six-pack of these when I’m on DD duty. – LC Swinkels Family Brewers BAVARIA 0.0% IPA 3.5 ontapmag.co.za | Autumn 2022 | 59