OnTap Magazine

NEWS NEW BREWS Richmond Hill Gimme Shelter (6% ABV) When booze was banned but brewing was not, PE- based Richmond Hill offered sanctuary to the members of the local homebrew club, the Yeastern Cape. The result is this smooth and delicately spicy elderflower saison, available in 500ml cans and on tap at the brewery. Soul Barrel Fresh Nectar (5.2%ABV) Soul Barrel’s Nick Smith promises a “juicy, hazy pale ale with explosive hop flavours of candied clementine, apricot, pineapple and guava”. Grab a pint at the brewery or find it in bottle from mid- September. Saggy Stone Summer Ale (3% ABV) Saggy Stone have ventured into light beer for the first time with this low-ABV blonde ale. The beer is available in cans and on tap at select outlets around the Cape. Fraser’s Folly Wild Berry & Basil (4% ABV) The latest in Fraser’s Folly’s small batch series is a “blended sour beer” with blueberries and fresh basil. It’s currently available by the case from the brewery’s online store. Nobleman Brewing launched a new taproom in Ilovo, Johannesburg in early August. It’s the brewery’s second venue, with the original Magaliesberg location still operating. Mad Giant are also about to open a second location, this time in Blairgowrie. The taproom is due to open at the start of October. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In Cape Town, Lakeside Brewer y is finally opening a taproom after many years operating as a distribution- only brewery. The new space will open at Imhoff Farm in Kommetjie in late September. TAPROOM OPENINGS Brewers seem to enjoy a little job-hopping and lately there have been several moves. Little Wolf founder Stefan Wiswedel is taking over as head brewer at Cape Town brewpub Patiala, stepping into the shoes of Murray Stephenson. Murray, who has previously brewed at Jack Black and Woodstock, will be heading to northern Botswana to work at the brand new Okavango Craft Brewery in Maun. Back in South Africa, Michael Biljon, formerly of Gilroy Brewery, is now brewery manager at Brewhogs. And in the southern Cape, American- born Ross Eaton, who moved to South Africa last year to brew at Drifter Brewing Company, is now manning the kettles at Barrington’s in Plettenberg Bay. His first order of business was to add a bock to the existing line-up of lager, weiss and pale ale. BREWER MOVES The 650-litre brewhouse formerly installed at Fraser’s Folly in the Overberg will soon be taking up residence at Rwanda’s first microbrewery, Kweza Craft Brewery. The brewery, plus tanks, bottling line and other equipment will be shipped and installed at Kweza’s brewpub in Kigali. There’s still a long way to go before the brewpub is fully up and running with licencing hurdles to tackle before the brewery can be commissioned. Kweza’s managing director Jessi Flynn hopes to have the brewery up and running by mid-2021. KWEZA CRAFT BREWERY BUYS FRASER’S FOLLY EQUIPMENT ontapmag.co.za | Spring 2020 | 13