OnTap Magazine

8 | Spring 2020 | ontapmag.co.za Send it to lucy@ontapmag.co.za and you might just see your name in print. If your story is chosen for publication, you’ll get a year’s subscription to On Tap on us! LEIGH COOKE T he relationship I have with beer kicked o many years ago, not with the glorious taste and satisfaction you receive after the rst sip, but more a fascination with the process, the technology and the e ort put into creating this golden liquid. My father worked for SAB for as long as I can remember and this drove a small but consistent culture of beer in our household. My father would always share the stories of work and travels around the world during his tenure at SAB, but for me it was the visits to the SAB World of Beer that were fundamental. As this was free for all employees, my father frequently took friends and family to enjoy this incredible demonstration and every time we visited, I was in awe of the process. As I passed through my adolescent years, I forgot those beer-related times as young boy. Beer was re-introduced to me at the age of 18 and if I had to use one word to describe it, it would be disgusting! Perhaps not the word you would expect after all those years of fascination. As a student, ciders and mixers were the poison of choice but beer made a slow comeback largely due to the cost aspect – terrible, I know. Still, this is where I learnt to respect my now favourite beverage. At rst we were driven towards Tafel and Black Label due to cost, but the occasional Grolsch, Guinness or Duvel (a particular favourite of mine) would always be a welcome guest at a braai. Oh, the culture of setting up the braai, inviting every chom you know and exchanging stories while sipping a cold beer. How could one fault that? Fast forward a bit and we arrive at the next chapter: craft beer. My rst experience was tasting Jack Black on tap at a local restaurant. My mind was blown and simultaneously lled with questions. is and intrigue grew to a point where I made the conscious decision to turn beer into a hobby – not the brewing, but the “researching”. I was fortunately in a position where my job required me to work all over the country, where I embarked on a nationwide visit to all these breweries. From meeting the brewers or owners of 1000 Hills, Aegir Project, Agar’s, Clarens, Clockwork, Doctrine, Mad Giant, Old Potter’s, Stellies and at Brewing Company to name a few, I discovered the incredible personalities and enthusiasm this industry has to o er. Now in complete love (my ancée and I got engaged during Clarens Craft Beer Festival to give some perspective) and with experience earned from over 45 di erent brewery visits, I nally started homebrewing. Over the past year, with the wisdom and sage advice imparted by many of the KZN Craft Revolution members, I decided to purchase a 20-litre setup, develop my own recipes and commence full grain brewing. e feeling of creating your own special brew brings a new meaning to beer, where it is a natural t in the South African culture of friends, family and “kueiring”. To all the authors, editors, judges, farmers, cultivators, owners, risk takers, brewers and investors who are involved in this industry, I raise my glass and say thank- you for the incredible gift of beer. My fiancée and I got engaged during Clarens Craft Beer Festival GOT A BEERY TALE TO SHARE? WIN LOVE AFFAIR A LIFELONG