OnTap Magazine

It all started around 2001 with a friend of mine offering me a pint of beer that he had just poured from a brown plastic bottle. Being the trusting sort (read: foolish), I accepted and had my first sip of homemade suds. It wasn't great. In fact, it tasted very much like sparkling whiskey. Not whiskey diluted with soda, mind you. Actual, 80-proof whiskey, albeit with bubbles. Being both the trusting and diplomatic sort (read: barefaced liar), I couldn't quite bring myself to give an honest review. And besides, what did I know about making beer back then anyway? SPARKLING WHISKEY A LITTLE SHOP OF WONDERS THE OBSESSION Despite this somewhat inauspicious introduction to homebrewing, I was hooked on the idea of making beer at home. Not long after, I had the joy of sharing a few cold ones with Steve Gilroy of the famous Gilroy's Brewery (back when it was still a production brewery in a dodgy industrial neighborhood). I reckoned that he would know who to speak to about getting started. He did. Which is how I found my way to a weird little shop, tucked away in a quiet side avenue in Emmarentia, Johannesburg. For the uninitiated, it's the sort of suburb where you might still find a non-chain second-hand book store next to a killer curry take away that nobody knows about. When I first arrived at the door of National Food Products (henceforth NFP), it was like nothing I'd seen. Here was a place that was dedicated to three of my favorite things in the whole world: wine, cheese, and of course, beer. It also harked back to a more simple, wholesome time when everyday folks wanted to make their own stuff, rather than running off to the closest supermarket or shopping mall. Being the somewhat nostalgic, romantic sort, this notion appealed deeply to me. And the charm didn't just end at the doorstep. Inside was someone who was super keen on helping me brew beer and brew it well. I am forever in the debt of the then-owner, Liz Barrow, an expert in all things wine, cheese, and homebrew. Armed with na NFP liquid extract, Extra Special Bitter kit (or Formulation 3, as it was known by NFP insiders), a plastic fermentation bucket, racking cane, sanitiser, bottle caps and capper, and various other doohickeys ("What is this hydrometer thing? Looks cool, though"), I was ready to become the South African version of Sam Caligione. Or at least so I thought at the time. My first attempt at homebrewed beer was less Sam Caligione and more Mr Bean. I messed up the dilution rates. I forgot about half of what Liz had told me and neglected to read the rather handy instruction manual that came with the kit. The end result was certainly extra special, if not Extra Special: I had invented beer-flavoured tea (patent pending). So while it was drinkable (sort of), it sure wasn't something you'd want to brag about too much, or even talk about, come to think of it. Undeterred, I returned to the NFP shop in what would become one of countless visits to its comforting, craft-friendly confines. The advice was always on point and the ingredients fresh, which as far as I'm concerned, are the only meaningful criteria for a good homebrewing store. In time, I drifted to other homebrew stockists, got involved in pro brewing, and the rest, as they say, is history. But I always get a golden, glowing feeling whenever I find myself in Emmarentia, passing by that quiet little avenue where it all began. Less Sam Caligione and more Mr Bean A proud tradition: Dave Wood at the original NFP shop’s counter. The new guard: Dave Wood is handing over the running of NFP to George Newman. Liz and Chris Barrow imparting homebrew wisdom back in the early years of NFP A sight for sore homebrewer’s eyes: The original shopfront, tucked away in a quiet Jozi neighbourhood. 56 | Winter 2022 | ontapmag.co.za