OnTap Magazine

BREW REVIEWS REVIEWERS: Lucy Corne, Brian Leopold Big beers are a specialty for Triggerfish, whose brews regularly reach double ABV digits, so it made sense that when they decided to collab with Honingklip it was the Botrivier brewery’s tripel the two breweries used as inspiration. This Belgian tripel IPA really works harmoniously when a blend of these two styles and breweries meet. Tripels usually have a bitterness to them, but the bitterness attained from this blend with an IPA is quite a lot higher – pleasingly so. As it warms up it brings out a lot more of the tripel character, with some sweet banana on the palate. But there are hops here too, manifesting as a perfume-like bouquet followed by a mixed medley of fruits. The carbonation faded a bit sooner than expected, but otherwise it’s a great beer that I'm very happy to have drunk and reviewed. Too bad it's limited edition. – BL Triggerfish Brewing x Honingklip Brewery KLIPVIS BELGIANTRIPEL IPA 8.5%ABV 4.1 I’ve had a West Coast IPA from Paternoster’s Lazarus Ruraca before and it was outstanding, so I was pretty excited when I saw what beer no. 11 in Tiny Keg’s limited edition range was going to be. And I wasn’t disappointed – it was my favourite in the box. This is the second year that Tiny Keg, the Cape Town-based mobile canning company, has put together a mixed box in time for the gifting season. All six beers were brewed at Valley Brewery in Kommetjie under the guidance of the six chosen brewers. Beer no. 11 comes in sexy packaging that just screams beach with its turquoise and yellow colour scheme. And the beer within is no less beautiful, pouring clear amber-gold with a healthy layer of white foam on top. It does lack the aromatic punch of the style, but hop aromas are definitely there, albeit in slightly muted stone fruit form. When you sip though, you can forgive the subdued aroma – assuming you, like me, are nostalgic for the days when IPAs were crisp and bitter. The stone fruit notes carry through from nose to palate, backed up by a subtle flavour of digestive biscuits. The beer finishes with an assertive bitterness that is vastly refreshing and moreish and I could see myself sitting somewhere along our West Coast and finishing more than a couple this summer. – LC Paternoster Brewery WEST COAST IPA 5.6%ABV 3.9 All across the South African craft beer industry brewers are aware of Danie Odendaal. He has supported quite a few brewers in perfecting their recipes and now has teamed up with OC Brewery’s Gavin Marais to create the Yeti Underground Movement series – better known as YUM. The plan is to release unique beers about every six weeks and so far their beers have all hit the spot in a good way. The Soothsayer is their third instalment, a beer derived of nine different hop additions and nine different grains. A dark amber colour with a long-lasting tan-coloured head, this beer looks great straight off the bat. A heavily hop-forward aroma gives off citrus notes – think tangerine and blood orange, as well as pine and papaya and a firm malty backbone. Flavour-wise, the balance between hops and malt is expertly done. There’s pine here, something I honestly love in IPAs, as well as grapefruit and a slight malty creaminess. – BL Yeti Underground Movement THE SOOTH SAYER AMBER IPA 6%ABV 3.7 Adding chamomile tea to a beer is something I would only picture two or three South African breweries doing, with one of them being Richmond Hill, and it has worked out rather brilliantly. Slightly hazy and dark gold in colour, the beer has instant appeal. The chamomile can be found in both the aroma and flavour of the beer but it isn't dominant in either department which assists in not breaking too far from the style’s boundaries. The aroma also brings along quite a heavy banana and bubblegum scent with just a slight sourness. The banana esters come through on the flavour as well, along with some noticeable but nicely balanced acidity. All in all it’s a very good beer with some light alcohol warmth, meaning that November Child can be enjoyed on both the warm days and the cold. – BL Richmond Hill Brewing Company NOVEMBER CHILD CHAM OMILE SAISON 6.2%ABV 3.6 64 | Summer 2021 | ontapmag.co.za