OnTap Magazine

ontapmag.co.za | Summer 2025 | 59 AEGIR PROJECT A GIANT TRIBUTE | 7.5% DOUBLE IPA BREW REVIEWS PANELISTS: Megan Gemmell, Brian Leopold, Troye May, Chris Roth, Olga de Smidt, Dion Van Huyssteen, Chantell Van Niekerk, and Puleng Zacharia. 4.2 Rory at Aegir Project and Eben from Mad Giant once created "the greatest beer in the world" – their words not mine – but that collab was indeed truly epic and one of the best IPAs I have tasted! Alas, the recipe was lost, Mad Giant, as we know, closed down, and it seemed that that beer would be gone forever. Thankfully however, Rory and Eben fused their respective IPAs together to bring us another epic collab! Enter "A Giant Tribute". A lightly hazed double IPA filled with tropical fruit notes such as guava, passion fruit, and mango. Other notes of naartjie and pine are also in the mix albeit not as prominent. These notes are more on the nose than on the palate as the palate brings on much more of a malt-forward flavour profile. This is an easy drinking beer with a good bit of bitterness and a fruity sweetness that really balances this beer out beautifully. A panel consisting of eight experienced individuals review beers for themagazine. Panel members do not necessarily review a beer for every issue, but all names are listed. PLEASE NOTE: if any brewery would like a beer of theirs to be reviewed, they will need to contact On Tap editors directly (editor@ontapmagazine.com ). TRIGGERFISH MONSTERFISH | 11.5% 4.1 This is a beer best described as malt-forward and rich. Triggerfish have been brewing this beauty for quite some time now, and have most certainly got damn near close to having a perfect Imperial stout. From the olfactory senses detecting notes of raspberries, aged vanilla, dark chocolate, and light roasted coffee beans - to the palate picking up the same as the aroma but with plums in place of the raspberries detected, this beer is a delicious and somewhat delicate take on a very well-brewed stout. The dark chocolate attributes gain a bit of sweetness on the flavour side due to that vanilla addition, and for an 11.5% ABV, the alcohol warmth is well hidden. If I have one gripe though, it would be that I recall the viscosity being a bit thicker and creamier, but nonetheless, this is a great beer with a lot of taste sensations that will enthrall many a palate. YETI UNDERGROUND MOVEMENT YUM DAS SCHUNKEL BIER | 4.702% FESTBIER 4.3 Sticking with the Yeti theme of going above and beyond within their unique limited release beers, the second edition of the Das Schunkel Bier has done just that. For the 1000L batch, 21kg of Black Forest Bakery pretzels were used to bring on additional Germanic oomph and boy did it work! The aroma is malt-forward and gives a nice doughy and light salt-like scent which smells very inviting. The flavour is where the magic truly happens though, as my palate was dancing with the malty richness caressing it. Malty sweetness initially lingers and then turns into a creamy Graham cracker and pretzel finish. This beer hits all the right notes and is extremely moreish! This is an easy everyday drinking beer and one that many will enjoy, whether you are at Oktoberfest or not. 3.8 AFRO CARIBBEAN X CAPITAL CRAFT THE BEER THAT STOLE CHRISTMAS | 11% 4 1 When you judge a beer with fruit or spice, there are two things to consider. Is the base beer a good example of the style, and do the additions marry well with it. The fruit and spice should enhance and elevate the base beer, not overpower or clash. And in the case of The Beer That Stole Christmas, a special edition collab between Capital Craft and Afro Caribbean, the marriage is as strong as that of Santa and Mrs Claus. It’s a beautiful plum-coloured beer, with a massive crown of foam that lasts like a Canadian snowfall. A hint of festive spice and a note of red berries meld perfectly with the quad’s caramel, plum and phenolic spice aromas and flavours, while the luscious, velvety mouthfeel make this very much feel like a special Christmas treat. There’s an up-front sweetness that’s enhanced by that rich, full body, but the beer finishes off-dry and is surprisingly drinkable for an 11% beer. This beer will have you wishing for wintry weather this Christmas, though I have no doubt you’ll polish off a bottle with friends fairly easily even around the braai.