OnTap Magazine

Noon Gun Brewery THE GENERAL (0,5%) 4.1 It’s billed as an IPA, but don’t expect a hop bomb: this General definitely hails from England rather than America. Provenance aside, this is one of the best non- alcoholic beers available in South Africa at the moment. There’s actually quite a lot of malt complexity in the aroma – toast, toffee and just a suggestion of gingerbread biscuits. The aroma prepares you for yet another overly sweet non- alcoholic beverage, but what the beer lacks in hop aroma is certainly makes up for in hop bitterness. I tend to find most non-alcoholic beverages too sweet - that's why I generally drink tea, coffee or water when I'm not enjoying a beer or a glass of Shiraz. But The General is actually plenty bitter enough for me and perhaps even too bitter for some drinkers. I found it surprisingly moreish and finished the bottle long before I finished writing this review. Devil's Peak Brewing Co. HERO TWIST OF CITRUS (0,5%) 4.0 For me, the latest addition to Devil’s Peak’s non-alcoholic range is the best of the bunch and one of the most drinkable non-alc beers available in South Africa right now. I absent-mindedly sipped on a pint of it while chatting at a Cape Town bar one lovely lockdown day and for a moment I even forgot it wasn’t an actual beer. The Twist of Citrus uses the same natural flavouring as Grapefruit King’s Blockhouse, so if you’re a fan of that, then you’ll likely enjoy this – just remember that, like many non-alcoholic beers, it lacks the malt body you might be used to. Twist of Citrus is the third in the Hero range, after the original Zero to Hero – a heavily dry-hopped pale ale – and the lemon version. The latter will appeal more to those who aren’t big fans of ale. The lemon overpowers any beery flavours, although it offers a much more bitter and refreshing alternative to a soda. SUBSCRIBE TODAY. Packed with features on latest beer trends, brewing, beer, brew news, tech talk and much more On Tap beer magazine is published four times a year. Get it in print, delivered directly to your door and on your favourite digital device. Sign up via ontapmag.co.za ontapmag.co.za | Spring 2020 | 53