OnTap Magazine

64 | Winter 2021 | ontapmag.co.za BREW REVIEWS REVIEWERS: Lucy Corne (LC), Marcel Harper (MH), Brian Leopold (BL) BREWNEWS Aegir has excelled yet again with this barrel aged sour. Brewer and owner Rory Lancellas has done some amazing things for the craft beer industry and just seems to get better with every new release he brings out. Aged for four years, this sour golden ale really wakes up the nose and palate. The aroma brings a hefty amount of sour citrus and apricot, and it’s hard to distinguish much else due to that delightful sour funk. The taste was so tart that my cheeks tingled with a sensation that can only be brought on by a great sour beer. The citrus pulls through on the palate but also brings in some other tropical-type fruits including melon, peach and mango. A fantastic sour that would be best enjoyed on a hot summer’s day but will also do nicely on a winter’s evening with a plate of aged cheese and a roaring fire. - BL Aegir Project Independent Brewery LITTLE ROGUE (6%ABV) 4.2 Enjoying craft beer means that you always seem to be searching for some form of uniqueness. Whether it’s a new brewery, a new style of beer or a crazy addition to a known beer style, craft beer lovers enjoy the search for something different. I feel like the Watermelon Wheat is exactly that. Watermelon beer? You must be joking right? Thankfully not. Watermelon is front and centre and engulfs the entire palate with its juicy, tart flavours. The aroma though is more what you would expect from a German weiss and not necessarily from an American wheat beer, with banana esters lending fruit salad vibes. Banana comes through in the aftertaste as well, but the watermelon really shines and makes for a very refreshing pint. - BL Naked Face Brewing WATERMELON WHEAT (5%ABV) 2.9 A dark beer in every sort of way. Jet black in colour, with a dark tan head, the beer gives off aromas of dark chocolate, black liquorice and roasted coffee, with much the same profile when tasting it. Wood-like aromas also line the nostrils, giving off a somewhat earthy smell. A very rich and surprisingly well-hidden alcohol warmth also gave this stout a luscious mouthfeel, with just the right amount of creaminess to line the palate and let the flavour sensation last well after the sip has been taken. This imperial stout is one of the best I have tasted in a very long time. - BL Soul Barrel x Kennel Brewery BLACK OIL IMPERIAL STOUT (13.5%ABV) 4.3 The decision to release a 6% ABV milk stout in a 600ml green bottle is not something that the Striped Horse team would have executed without plenty of strategising. It’s no coincidence that their latest beer is a style that is deeply familiar to most South African beer drinkers and no secret that the brand isn’t chasing the craft drinker with their close-to-quart sized bottles. But beer is for everyone and there has been plenty of buzz in craft circles about the new stout. And with good reason. Fuller bodied and fuller flavoured than Castle Milk Stout, it’s a very well made ale and a perfect winter beer. With waves of coffee and chocolate, it hits all the flavour notes for the style, although the sweetness level does inch towards cloying as you make your way down the bottle. If you’re really lucky you’ll find a place that pours it on nitro, but failing that a quart with your dinner or dessert will go down a treat. - LC Striped Horse MILK STOUT (6%ABV) 3.8