OnTap Magazine

AEGIR, AEGIR PROJECT “He’s certainly more famous than me,” laughs Aegir Project’s brewer/owner Rory Lancellas, referring to his ever-present sidekick. Aegir the dog and Aegir the brewery are impossible to separate. e puppy became a part of the family just a few days before the tap room opened back in 2015 and the ridgeback-bull masti mix is a permanent xture at what is one of the country’s most canine-friendly breweries. Known for his calm temperament and his docile manner around kids of all ages, Aegir is loved by all who pop in for a pint. If he’s not there when you arrive, you can guarantee that Rory isn’t either, but it seems that most patrons ask about the dog before they ask about his owner. “It was really important to us to have a dog-friendly brewery,” says Rory. “People who own dogs consider them a part of the family, and why leave part of the family behind when you’re heading out to a family- friendly brewery?!” GIBSON, KENNEL BREWERY Although Aegir is one of the more famous brew dogs in the industry, there is one brewery that really owns the canine theme. Kennel Brewery, based in Paarl, launched in 2014 with a range of puntastically doggy- themed beer names. “I came up with most of the names one late night while drinking macro stout and staring into the eyes of my parents’ border collie for inspiration,” says Kennel founder Paul Freysen. “ at’s how ‘Porter Collie’ and the rest of the names were born.” Other beers in the range include St Beernard, Alesation, Lagerdor and Maltyeast Poodle. “My old man later asked ‘what are you going to call your brewery – these dogs must go somewhere!’, so the simplest answer was...Where do dogs go?!” Kennel of course has a resident brew dog, Gibson, an American Sta ordshire terrier. “Gibson joins on brew day during the week,” says Paul, “but he’s pretty lazy and doesn’t help much except for licking up the odd grain that falls on the oor.” RILEY, SHULA AND MR T, AFRO CARIBBEAN BREWING COMPANY e relationship between ACBC and Boston terriers is a close one and the brewery has released more than one beer in support of Cape Town-based Boston Terrier Rescue. Shula and Mr T saw Greg Casey through the early days of his brewing career and while they’re not here to keep an eye on the mash anymore, there is a new brew dog in town. Enter Riley, the adorable Sta y/pit bull cross who has become the latest addition to the ACBC brewing team. ACBC brewer Rochelle Dunlop grew up with dogs but hadn’t had one in her life since the age of 15 until Riley came along. “I want her to get used to my workplace as a puppy,” says Rochelle. “She’s too little to stay home alone and her breed requires a lot of attention and training at this age. e real reason I bring her to work though is to distract Greg so that I can get on with my work!” ere are plans to dedicate a beer to the new brew dog, just as soon as Rochelle can take enough time out from midnight walkies to come up with a recipe… FRANKIE AND FRED, BASSET BREWERIES Boondog Saints pale ale, Reservoir Dog American brown ale, a winter special called e Dogfather, and a brewery logo that memorialises brewer Andy Turner’s beloved basset hound: this is canine love at its very best. It all began a decade ago when Andy was still home-brewing. “I made an English bitter and knocked up a label in MS Paint, using a picture of my old basset hound, You wouldn’t go to a brewery with your human best friend and not buy them a drink would you? Well two local breweries are making sure that the canine in your life is also catered for when you visit their taprooms. Hey Joe Brewery prides itself on catering for every member of the family and has launched two variants of Hond Bier on offer – a “witbier” (chicken broth) and a “lager” (beef broth). Kennel Brewery likewise offers beef and chicken flavoured brews for dogs: IPALot (beef) and Dorshond (chicken), and will soon be serving spent grain dog treats at the taproom. “The dog beers contain no hops,CO2, alcohol or artificial sugars, which are all bad for dogs,” says Paul. PINTS FOR YOUR POOCH Gibson, Kennel Brewery Rizzla, Zwakala Brewery Mr T, Afro Caribbean Brewing Company Aegir, Aegir Project ontapmag.co.za | Winter 2019 | 23