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Gathering all big kitchen pots and kettles, the brewing started with the careful mashing of their carefully transported Pilsner and wheat malts. Boiling was not as big of an issue as you’d imagine as the base is well insulated and temperature-regulated. Water was supplied directly from the “smelly”—an unappetising name for the outdoor ice smelter a hundred meters from the base. Each team member takes a shift in shovelling snow and ice into the “smelly” to provide water for the base. A proudly Antarctic beer was the result, using pure ice as their brewing water. ere was no shortage of scientists and engineers to give their input on how to pro le this water, I’m sure. eir hops would also no doubt have been frozen and perfectly preserved until the brewday. A Kölsch beer seems appropriate given the naturally cooler fermentation temperatures required. is is not to say that the beer was fermented at -50°C of course, but rather easily lagered in the colder areas of the base. One over-wintering team supposedly ran out of booze a few long months before the end of the expedition. is did not prove to be too much of a problem as they decided to ferment anything and everything they could get their hands on. Fresh fruits were much less so by the end of winter, so they were cleverly used to produce an overly- carbonated and slightly sour cider. e SANAE 38 team members have proudly praised their “Antappeltika” brew but ensured that the disclaimer read, “Best drunk when drunk already.” Any brewer would agree that there is something special about brew days: the anticipation, the hope that all your e orts pay o . e essence of home brewing, and in this case especially, is not so much about beer but rather the experience. ese dedicated scientists created a Kölsch (and a pretty dodgy cider) purely out of fun and the love for beer. I think this re ects well on the role that beer has in creativity, community and good old-fashioned fun. DREAMING OF MAKING A DIFFERENCE While the beer at the base was good, I couldn’t help notice a sad lack of variety and from that day it became a personal challenge of mine to see how I could change the lack of craft beer at the Sastrugi Inn. Not long after I returned from Antarctica, I decided to go all in and turn what small batch brewing e orts I had previously laboured in into something great. Shackleton Brewing Company was established in 2017. We are a small start-up with big dreams. We are a truly British-inspired brewery with many coming to know us for our cask ales. e beauty of cask ale is that care is given to the beer right up until it is poured fresh from the cask itself. With a limited shelf life, FEATURE quality and freshness are what we are really concerned about. We also aim to produce beers that tell a story—one of passion, excellence and adventure. e story of the great Sir Ernest Shackleton was the obvious reason for calling ourselves the Shackleton Brewing Company. Between data collection and my drinking a Windhoek at the bottom of the world, his survival story struck a chord with how I’d like to live: not scared to chance it for the dream of making a di erence. Since then we have been sending our beers down south to SANAE IV aboard the SA Agulhas II. e e orts of sending great beer to the far reaches of the world have also been seen in Drifter Brewing Company’s ‘Isolation Station’ being sent to Marion Island. For those dedicated, isolated and thirsty researchers on this remote island, this is a welcoming progression in the variety and quality of beer on o er. Only after being there and forcefully indulging in the cold and loneliness do you realise the comfort that great South African beer brings. CHEERS! Big thanks to Antarctic Legacy South Africa for all the insights and info which helped in writing this article. OUTPOST BREWING South Africa’s Antarctic base is not the only place on the continent with a homebrewing community. Homebrewing at the Australian base, Casey Station, dates back to the 1960s, with the resident scientists producing a range of styles on the base’s 19-litre homebrew rig. Homebrewing is prohibited at the American base, but you can be sure that there’s a solid selection of craft being brought in with the other essential supplies. The Koue Leeu Pilsner was brewed on the SANAE 52 expedition Have an ice day! 20 | Winter 2019 | ontapmag.co.za