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FEATURE Fred” says Andy. “I called it Basset Bitter, and after printing a couple dozen labels on my old black and white inkjet and sticking them onto the bottles with sticky tape, I gave them away to friends and family. ey all loved the beer and thereafter referred to any beer I made as ‘that basset beer’.” e name stuck and in 2013 Basset Breweries launched in Pennington on the KZN South Coast. Alas, Fred passed away a year before the brewery opened, but he will be forever remembered on the brewery logo. Soon afterwards, Frankie arrived on the scene and it is her face that adorns the label of the popular winter beer. And the dog love isn’t restricted to the brewery. Despite having four dogs at home, Andy’s partner Natalie missed canine companionship while at work so late last year she left her job in media marketing and opened e Doghouse Craft Cafe, a dog-friendly garden restaurant with local food and local beer. SAM, RIZZLA, BABY, JESSIE, SMUDGE AND THE BARREL, ZWAKALA BREWERY Cynophobics be warned: there are a lot of dogs at Zwakala. Six to be precise, although some of them are so huge they basically count as two. Luckily, the dogs are all well behaved and incredibly friendly, used to welcoming guests to the farm. Fans of big breeds will love Sam, a Great Dane/Burmese mountain dog cross with paws the size of a lion’s. Along with Rizzla, an Argentinian Dogo, Sam is always around on brew days, sni ng the boil and making sure brewer Luca is on track. Zwakala is also the only brewery to have brew sheep – keep an eye out for the ock as they pass by the taproom, keeping the lawns trimmed (and occasionally fertilised…) Although some breweries don’t go the whole hog (or should that be the whole dog?!) and give their entire brewery a canine theme, there are plenty of local brews named for the brewer’s best friend. Here are a few: My Sweetie and The Bruno, Buchanan’s Brewery Rod Buchanan’s two Labradors are lovingly immortalised on the labels of his Belgian-style ales My Sweetie and The Bruno. Not everyone loves the names though. “There are a few of our burly local farmers who like the beer but there is no way they are going to ask for a “My Sweetie” so they say “Gee my ‘n hondjiebier asseblief”, translated as I’ll have a small dog beer please!” says Rod. White Dog Saison, Agar’s Brewery Agar’s saison is named after the family’s much-loved standard poodle, Gengis – also known as the White Walker. Veterans in the industry might remember Gengis from early editions of the Clarens Craft Beer Festival, though these days he skips the fests to enjoy his retirement. Black Dog Porter, Wild Clover Breweries One of the first South African beers to celebrate a canine companion, WildClover’s porter is named in honour of Zach, who was the brewery’s security detail in the early days. Legend Lager, Drifter Brewing Co. Named for the pit bull that Drifter owner Nick Bush helped to raise, the lager was quickly rebranded before its release to properly honour Legend after he was sadly hit by a car. Although cats tend to get overlooked in the beer scene, one new South African brewery has opted for a feline theme. Andrew Edwards, owner of My Grandfathers Cat Brewery inDeneysville, has fond memories of his grandfather’s homebrewing hobby and the curious name he gave his cat. “He was of German decent and had a passion for brewing beer,” says Andrew. “My father and uncles called it ‘the dreaded honey beer’. He was an atheist and his best friend was the local NG Kerk dominee. He also loved cats, one of which he called Dominee Albertyn, in honour of his friend.” In turn, Andrew has named his brewery in honour of his grandfather – or at least his precious pet. DOG BEERS FELINE INSPIRATION 24 | Winter 2019 | ontapmag.co.za