OnTap Magazine

BREW REVIEWS REVIEWERS: Brian Leopold, Nicolas Burger & Craig Claassen Knowing that this beer has Fokofpolisiekar's stamp on it, I was expecting this to be robust and downright unapologetic, but it turned out to be rather pleasant just like some of their more mellow songs. This is an easy drinking dark lager that hits most of the right “notes,” such as the red-brown appearance with a slightly tanned head; the aroma giving a light roast, slightly floral with a touch of caramel; and the flavour giving me a lot of sweet malt initially, but then going large on the caramel and brown sugar which really envelops the palate. The one thing which brought my scoring down on this beer though, was its wax-type of taste that I couldn't quite shake. Although not easily noticeable, I tried 2 beers to be sure but it was the same for them both. This beer really seemed made for a rock festival, as it will go down a treat in a hot open space, listening to good beats and chilling with the crowd. FOKOF LAGER Fokof Heavy Dark Lager 5.5% ABV Froot Crush 3% ABV Stoned Vol. 3 - 6% ABV Red Ale (& American Amber) 5% ABV Cryo Pop Art 5% ABV Liefmans Kriek Brut 6% ABV 3.3 I'm not the biggest fan of low ABV beers as I usually find alcohol volume to give a beer more life and bring out more flavours. Fortunately, this was not the case with the Froot Crush. A solid aroma with lemongrass, peaches, and naartjies. The taste was similar to the aroma, but the beer needed to warm a touch to really shine. When the beer was too cold, straight out the fridge for example, it lacked a bit of flavour and bitterness. When the beer warmed slightly, the naartjie qualities became more prominent, and the bitterness started to show itself and balance the beer out fantastically. Flavourful, light on the tongue, and an easy drink made this very sessionable. Yeti Underground Movement (YUM) 3.7 The Stoned Vol. 3 is a part of Devils Peak's Afro Funk range which brings about new and exciting once-off beers that are usually barrel-aged. With Stoned Vol. 3. I was rather looking forward to this as I thoroughly enjoyed the previous versions. This beer lived up to these initial expectations. The beer is aged in a 2500L French oak barrel - also known as a foudre – and apricots for 18 months. They then transferred it to 225L French oak barrels, added additional stone fruits, and aged for a further 8 months. This is quite a process to assist in producing this beer and it really brought out a very drinkable and tasty beverage. It is rather vinous on the nose and palate, but the addition of apricot really shows off the stone fruit qualities that are picked out easily on the aroma and flavour. This initial taste is followed up by peaches, plums and oak. The only downside I had was that it was not sour enough and I was hoping – perhaps subjectively - that it would seriously strain my cheeks. Devil's Peak Beer Company 3.9 When you look at the can, you know this is a Kennel Brewery beer, it oozes creativity. The beer is labelled as a Hazy IPA, but there isn’t a massive amount of haze in the beer itself. The sweet to bitter ratio is fairly well balanced, leaning towards the bitterness, but this is very pleasant as it creates a crispness to the finish. Although the beer is 5%, it feels lighter and has definitely got some sessionable qualities. When you take it all into account, this is the sort of beer that you would hand a newbie to IPAs and get them hooked on hoppy beers. My first impression of this beer is the citrus-like hop aroma on the nose. It is reminiscent of the new world hops used in the beer and a slightly rough pour really brings those aromas up. This is followed by a medium caramel presence on the nose, which instantly balances the aroma. The beer is crystal clear and if you like a red beer, it is gorgeous. The combination of the medium carbonic mouthfeel, the balanced flavours of fruity hops and caramel notes, makes this a very drinkable and crisp beer. Letting the beer warm a little also pleasantly enhanced the aromas and flavour. This is a great version of the style; balanced and moreish. Agar's Brewery 4.0 Kennel Brewing Company 4.0 It is rare to get your hands on a Kriek in South Africa these days. This Liefmans, however, is a very good beer from which to explore the style and worth seeking out. It is brewed using mixed fermentation, where a batch of Belgian Brown is brewed using spontaneous fermentation and then matured on cherries, which itself has been aging in wooden barrels. The nose is complex, deep cherry and some wooden character that is probably derived from the aging process the cherries go through. This beer has a balance between sweet and sour, although the sour elements are very subdued an inoffensive. There is a touch of alcohol warmth, which definitely enhances the mouthfeel. A great Kriek and very good for the cooling temperatures of Autumn. LIEFMANS BREWERY 4.5 56 | Autumn 2023 | ontapmag.co.za