OnTap Magazine

DARLING 4 X 4 BRAAIPA AND A “BABBELAS” MIX MIX IT UP PETRUS AGED PALE AND CLASSIC GEELVET BILTONG CHILLI BITES AND THE LA TRAPPE TRIPEL This hoppy beer, albeit relatively low in bitterness units (IBU) for ease of drinking, perfectly absorbs and balances the chilli from the “babbelas” mix. The biltong tames the caramel or sweeter malts and makes the hops pop further to the front. An absolutely brilliant combo to try. (With or without a “babbelas.”) Having tasted what the 4 x 4 did to the Babbelas mix, we paired it with the Wagyu droëwors, which brought out spicy layers from the wors, while taming the hops and pushing the sweeter notes from the malts to the front in the beer. The Wagyu, being the star of the biltong show and high in very pleasant fats, was just asking to be paired with the Petrus. Here, the beer brings more flavour from the droëwors, but the wors seems to have little affect on the beer, other than taming the sourness. As is expected the “geelvet” releases a rich explosion of flavour. The Petrus Aged Pale is soured beer, that on the first sip is tempered by the fat from the biltong, while immediately releasing a deeper layer of flavours from the beer. There is a sudden punch of herbaceous aromas and orange peel that rises from the glass. If you had to introduce soured beers to sceptics, this would be the combo that might work. The chilli, which is quite 2-dimensional at first, is instantly thrust into the senses with a peppery flavour coming to the fore. And, of course, the chilli brings many layers out of the beer, such as the yeast esters, sweetness and it cuts back the alcohol warmth. A very nice combo for those cooler spring nights, in front of an open fire. DARLING BREW PETRUS SOUR BEERS LA TRAPPE ontapmag.co.za | Spring 2023 | 55