OnTap Magazine

ON THE HOP our beer stash severely depleted by the requisite daily sundowners, I was excited at the idea of getting some new beer and hastily added e Maze Bar to our Sun City hit list. UNHAPPY ENDINGS e entrance to the Maze of the Lost City is probably the most grandiose gateway I’ve ever walked through in search of beer: an elaborate but wobbly suspension bridge that you could picture in an Indiana Jones sequel. e maze has a pretty cool concept. Working as a family, a couple, or indeed by yourself, you navigate through the faux Mayan ruins, your reward being a cold craft beer – or an ice cream for the little ones – when you reach the centre. It took us about 20 minutes to nd our way through, the chatter from the bar agonisingly close as we hit dead end after dead end and kept having to retrace our steps. Eventually we arrived and were presented with a taster tray of craft beer and an array of neon-hued draught spirit and mixers. And there it was, on the chalkboard and indeed on our taster tray – a beer simply called “Pilanesberg”. Sadly, the excitement didn’t last. e bar tender poured the tasters in a way that guaranteed they would be at – no tilting of the glass, foam lling two thirds of the space – and it seemed a similar lack of care was being taken with the draught lines. We asked if the beers were brewed on site, but were told they were not. Everything is sourced from a Gauteng microbrewery, although no-one was quite sure which one. It was a let-down, but not the biggest of the day. at evening as we drank the last of our beers from Agar’s and OC Brewery, President Ramaphosa announced the latest lockdown with, of course, immediate e ect. Booze was banned, pretty much everything would close and indeed Sun City would be abuzz the following morning with the mass exodus of guests as the resort shut down until restrictions lifted. We joined the checkout queue, changed our ights and made our way back to OR Tambo a few days early. Our plans to ll up on legendary eisbein and some equally legendary beers at Brauhaus Afrika en route to the airport were of course scuppered, but in these uncertain times, we were lucky to get a holiday at all. Once travel is a little more reliable we’ll head back and continue our NorthWest explorations. And who knows – by then maybe the Pilanesberg Craft Brewery will actually be fully up and running – a perfect centrepiece for South Africa’s ultimate playground for grownups. Thirsty? You'll have to navigate the maze before you can have a pint As well as self-drive safaris you can join guided drives, walks and hot air balloon rides in the Pilanesberg National Park Until late October, the park is fairly dry and animals are easier to spot Grabbing a pint at Buffels Brew's friendly taproom BIG FIVE: THE BREWERIES OF THE NORTH WEST Ale House Rustic brewpub in Broederstroom with rotating ales and wood fired pizza. Brauhaus Afrika Vast restaurant and brewery with award-winning German- style beers and Oktoberfest-worthy plates of food. Buffels Brew Friendly brewpub serving hearty pub food and a trio of easy drinking beers. Rockland Brewery Off the beaten track family-run brewpub in Hartbeespoort. Route 96 Brewery In the south of the province, the Potch brewery serves half a dozen different styles including pilsner, Weiss and stout. 52 | Spring 2021 | ontapmag.co.za