OnTap Magazine

LESOTHO ESWATINI NORTHERN CAPE WESTERN CAPE EASTERN CAPE KWAZULU-NATAL FREE STATE NORTH WEST LIMPOPO MPUMALANGA GAUTENG Sabie Dullstroom Cape Town Bloemfontein Kimberley Pretoria Johannesburg Polokwane Gqeberha Jeffreys Bay East London Plettenberg Bay Mossel Bay Hermanus Durban Clarens Mbombela Makhanda SUMMER INMZANSI ALE TRAIL CRAIG CLAASSEN S ummer is coming fast and we all know that the most effective way to cool off under this southern sun is by drinking an ice-cold beer. (I suspect there are other ways too, but I can’t think of anything quite as delicious.) Before we start, though, what exactly is a summer beer? Well for starters, it is almost always a response to your instinctive craving for an ice-cold beverage to quench your thirst. Just imagine the glistening condensation on the outside of a glass in the sweltering heat. Of course, some beer styles are synonymous with summer drinking due to lower alcohol levels, lighter body and a dry finish. We are probably all familiar with lagers, pilsners and various types of blonde ale, but what about a good saison or a Belgian witbier? These are two styles very well suited to South African summers and that are actually quite well represented throughout South Africa’s craft beer scene. Let’s have a quick look at the styles: Saison Saison (literallymeaning “season” in French) was traditionally brewed in the cooler months of the year, then cellared for the seasonal farm workers to consume during the warmer summer months. It originated during the early 19th century in the Wallonia region, which is in the southeast of Belgium, bordering on France and Germany. The early versions of the style were lower in alcohol levels, but the modern interpretations popularised by Belgium’s Saison Dupont in the 1920s have pushed the alcohol levels up somewhat. The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) 2021 style guidelines list three versions by alcohol strengths; table (3.5-5% ABV), standard (5%-7% ABV) and super (7% -9.5% ABV). Saisons are also classified as pale or dark and as a result of these variations in alcohol strength and colour, the flavour can vary quite drastically. A saison can be defined as having a dry 62 | Summer 2022 | ontapmag.co.za