OnTap Magazine

cold chain to ensure the beer is well- traveled for such a distance. Second, you need carbon dioxide to dispense the beer, and all the right equipment, spare parts and so on. Lastly, is the cost incurred when paying a daily rental fee for a carbon dioxide cylinder that may be sitting empty once used, possibly for months on end. When they approached a few “big brand guys” for their beer supply, the above is essentially what they were told. But, when they mentioned their plan to Lance's "beer guy," Ashwyn Julies, he made a rather crucial suggestion: why not try craft beer? In fact, considering the logistical difficulties they would face and their unique set-up, Ashwyn said he knew just the guy to bring on board, for both the beer, and the technical know-how: Stephen Peel of Shackleton Brewing Company. This is where the story gets interesting. The Scipios had done their digging and had unearthed a possible solution to their problem, or rather, they’d solved one-third of it, and it had to do with using a specific kind of keg. They were then faced with a ‘parts’ problem, which lo- and-behold, Ashwyn was able to solve. They were now left with one final obstacle: beer supply and a rather particular filling process. In Stephen’s words: “When Ashwyn approached me and said, ‘Look, we have a complicated problem we need help solving, my response was: ‘This is a lovely idea. These guys are doing some cool stuff and I am keen to get involved.’” “It was a match made in heaven!” Paul and Craig crow to me over the phone. And to be clear, it wasn’t just that Stephen provided a technical assist. When Ashwyn walked the two – who were joined by Paul’s brother who lives in Simon’s Town – over to Shackleton’s tap room conveniently also located on Paarden Eiland, all three Scipios were amazed. “It was about the taste,” Paul tells me. After trying the various beers available on tap at the brewery: “We were just blown away.” Stephen recalls how immediately excited and engaged Paul and Craig were. They had fallen in love with the product and they wanted to learn everything about it. They ended up spending whatever spare time they had, while not busy kitting out their three trailers, sampling the beers and learning what it would take to ensure that their new-fangled set-up would work. The group ran a series of trials and managed to fill a couple of the kegs with Stephen’s new process. They got the taps set up in the trailer and ran some kegged beer through them. “It worked seamlessly,” Stephen says. This was all done in one week. “It was a hustle because they needed to head back,” Stephen explains. “The ship was leaving!” HOWDY GOVERNOR “So, how are things going?” I ask Paul and Craig, who are seated at a desk with shotguns for clay pigeon shooting mounted on the wall behind them (yet another Scipio business). There is a pregnant pause while the two men look at each other, grinning. “Absolutely brilliant!” comes Paul’s eventual reply, as both men laugh in a way that sounds almost incredulous. They set up their colourfully decorated trailers – with the words “Established in 1969” along the sides so as to “make reference to the oldman” – in Jamestown, right at the waterfront. When ships pull in, those on board have no choice but to amble by. They put artificial grass mats down in front of the trailers, along with covered tables and chairs, all of which look out towards the harbour. They have been quite overwhelmed, they tell me, by the positive response from residents, visitors, and tourists alike. Their beer trailer serves Shackleton’s Kolsch, Red Ale, Golden Ale, Pale Ale and the Stout, and they also offer a vodka iced tea in two different flavours, which has been a big hit as well. Local coverage of their opening back in early December was effusive, with residents expressing their delight at access to delicious draught beer. In fact, they recently had a visitor of note. Saint Helena has an appointed- by-the-crown Governor who lives in a big “50 or 60-room house,” along with his wife, and who gets driven around in a fancy vehicle, all of which to Paul has a very “colonial” feel to it. The Governor has “status,” he assures me. On a recent Friday, that Governor “rocked up down here, outside of our beer truck, and had a pint. And he had a good ol’ chin wag with Craig. It was brilliant!” A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP Stephen estimates that they are providing the Scipios with upwards of 50 kegs a month, which they are more than View of the port from the trailer It was all about the taste Overwhelmed by the positive response to delicious draught beer Photos courtesy of Paul and Craig Scipio 24 | Autumn 2024 | ontapmag.co.za