The 3 Must-Get-Beers

She won't understand!

2008-06-03T09:10:00.001+02:00

SOLSTICE MICRO BREWERS FESTIVAL

2008-06-02T07:59:00.004+02:00

Where: @ The Irish Ale House, Broederstroom, Harties
see: http://www.irishpub.co.za/ for directions.
When: Sat 21 June 2008
What time: Gates open at 9 am for everyone
Organizer: Dirk van Tonder : 083 453 4125
Event Co-ordinator: Moritz Kallmeyer : 082 787 9136

What's on ?*
What is Solstice? The Solstice celebration explained by Sean Watts*

Micro Breweries (confirmed) :

Draymans Brewery & Distillery

Gilroy's Brewery

Nottingham Road Brewery

Clarence Brewery

De Garve Brouwerij

Candican Road Brewery

Hops Hollow Brewery

Home brewing Section:

Madship BreweryHolme Brew

Southern Socialist Brewing Collective

Madship Brewing

(please contact Dirk or Moritz if you wish to add your Brewery to this list)

Help us to make this a glorius event for everyone. Take part and have a fun-filled day......come on ! there is still plenty of time to brew.

Plenty stalls to browse*
The following Stalls are confirmed for the day:

Cafe Landucci - Italian Coffee Kiosk

Big L Knives - Hand Crafted Knives

Cardibelos - Long Bow Hunting / Sport Bows

The Potted Herb - assorted plants

Tichos Candles - Designer Wax Products

Venter Skilderye - Paintings by local artists

Ina Jewels - Assorted Jewelry

Biltong by Kobus - say no more..

Boekhoek - Historical and secondhand Books

Die Krap wa - Second Hand Tools & Equipment.

Coopers Brewing Kits

Pancake Stall-Chillies and Things-pickles and chilli sauces

Real Estate by Greta-buy a piece of Harties........

...please contact us asap if you would like to have a stall...082 464 9387*

Live entertainment by one man band JANUS.
Live Folk Music by renowned guitarist Mervyn Davies and members of the Ale House Folk Club.
Traditional Afrikaans dancing by Westrand Volkspele Laer ( rock around the ossewa..here we come !)

Costs ?Entrance:

Beer Drinkers, R 12 includes glass with logo and beer menu.

Non-Beer Drinkers and kids FreeGive Aways / Prizes !

Your entrance enters you in the raffle to win one of the 2 following great prizes! 6 litres of Belgian Leffe Abby Beer bottled in huge 3 litre bottles.
The grand prize for the day is a stay for 4 persons in a luxury Chalet at Benlize Lodge (located on top of a mountain overlooking the entire Harties Dam). Rated as one of the best lodges in the area.
More Prizes to be announced.....

Weekly Toast

2008-04-18T09:04:00.001+02:00

Here's to cheating, stealing, fighting, and drinking.
If you cheat, may you cheat death
If you steal, may you steal a woman's heart.
If you fight, may you fight for a brother
And if you drink, may you drink with me.

Daily Quote

2008-04-16T13:39:00.001+02:00

We are here to drink beer ... and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us. -- Charles Bukowski

Toast of the Week

2008-04-11T07:40:00.001+02:00

Here's to the lasses we've loved, my lad,
Here's to the lips we've pressed;
For of kisses and lasses,
Like liquor in glasses,
The last is always the best.

Cartoon

2008-04-11T07:36:00.003+02:00

Back soon...

2008-04-09T21:46:00.001+02:00

Quick update...The beer fest was a success. Hic.

We will be back after this short hangover break.

Babalaaaasssssssss...

National Cleavage Day!

2008-04-04T06:39:00.003+02:00

On this national cleavage day, make sure your local barmaid gets the respect she deserves!

Its been a pleasure collecting these for you!

Daily Quote

2008-04-03T10:52:00.003+02:00

Bart: "Can I get you a beer, Dad?"
Lisa: "No, I want to get him a beer!"
Homer: "Kids, kids. You can BOTH get me a beer."
- The Simpsons

Daily Quote

2008-03-31T07:42:00.001+02:00

Always remember that I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me. - Winston Churchill

Cartoon

2008-03-28T06:50:00.001+02:00

Daily Quote

2008-03-28T06:12:00.000+02:00

"I have made an important discovery that alcohol, taken in sufficient quantities, produces all the effects of intoxication." - Oscar Wilde

Cartoon

2008-03-27T07:19:00.002+02:00

Beer Making Is Marvel of Industrial Chemistry (Jun, 1933)

2008-03-27T07:07:00.001+02:00

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/03/14/beer-making-is-marvel-of-industrial-chemistry/

Daily Quote

2008-03-26T11:34:00.000+02:00

“In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.” - David Auerbach

Update...

2008-03-25T13:08:00.000+02:00

I kegged for the first time this past weekend, 18 litres of Bitter are quietly settling now! We managed to get our hands on a few kegs, I decided this weekend that my latest Bitter should be kegged instead of bottled, although I did get 4 quarts into bottles. The most challenging part of this was cleaning the kegs! They are second hand and had been sitting on a shelf for several years, which meant that they were covered in a severe layer of dust, add to this the fact that they were not cleaned out before being placed on the shelf…scary. Elbow grease eventually won the day though!

So on Sunday I tapped the Bitter into its first keg for settling and I’ll move it to another keg for carbonation this weekend. I won’t be force carbonating the beer, as I will use the “natural” option of adding sugars, so I am a little nervous as to how it will turn out. The likelihood it that I will only crack the keg in 3 months or so…which means it could be a long wait to see if the process was successful, which is a little scary. Hopefully I’ll have it on tap at the next beer fest!

With that done I had a fermenter going unused and that would be a cardinal sin, so I cleaned everything out and now have The Home Brew Shop’s lager bubbling away. I’ll also be kegging that once it is done…I will have enough for a few bottle’s so I will get to try it within the next month, which I am really looking forward to. After that I have effectively run out of kegs which means that my next brew will be bottled again…I think I shall have to remedy that situation very soon – time to acquire a few more kegs.

Brewshop.co.za is under new management. They seem to be expanding their offering, which includes some pretty advanced brewing kits from Belgium and they have a locally made kit coming in June – something which I think is going to be very interesting. I want to step up to partial mash brewing, this may be the “easy” ticket as it removes the need for a lot of DIY in setting up the required equipment.

On Thursday last week HarryV and myself discovered a pub up the road from the office that serves Gilroy’s Favourite, we managed to escape the office early and head off to Stables for short outing. The venue is a pretty typical “country” pub, the beer was maybe served a little too cold – but it was still really good.

Speaking of offices this is my last week in this job, from here I am moving into a contract position for a few months. From there I will be moving to the UK where I will be doing more contracting. I will also be the international correspondent for The 3 Must Get Beers and hope to get my home brewery really well kitted, and I will be blogging the progress. I’ll also be blogging about my experiences with beer in the UK and Europe…

…so little time…

PROST!

Cartoon

2008-03-25T06:20:00.004+02:00

Daily Quote

2008-03-25T06:20:00.001+02:00

"Time is never wasted when you're wasted all the time." - Catherine Zandonella

Drinking songs downloaded for beerfest

2008-03-21T12:50:00.004+02:00

Add drinking songs you have or download to this list and bring them along to the beerfest:

- The drunken Scotsman
- Black Velvet Band
- Beer, Beer, Beer
- Schutzenliesel
- Ziga Zaga Polka
- Bayerische Polka Yodel
- Theme from Boondock Saints
- Drink and Fight
- Everybody's Irish on St. Patrick's Day
- The unicorn Song
- In heaven there is no beer
- 99 bottles of beer on the wall
- If youre Irish
- drink, drink, drink
- The night Pat Murphy died
- The Irish Rover
- The pub with no beer
- 3 drunken maidens
- The wild rover
- Seven drunken nights
- Drity old town
- Whiskey in the jar
- Lily the Pink

Blessing of the beer

2008-03-20T07:32:00.001+02:00

From Wikipedia:

Latin: Bene dic, Domine, creaturam istam cerevisae, quam ex adipe frumenti producere dignatus es: ut sit remedium salutare humano generi: et praesta per invocationem nominis tui sancti, ut, quicumque ex ea biberint, sanitatem corporis, et animae tutelam percipiant. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

English: Bless, O Lord, this creature beer, that Thou hast been pleased to bring forth from the sweetness of the grain: that it might be a salutary remedy for the human race: and grant by the invocation of Thy holy name, that, whosoever drinks of it may obtain health of body and a sure safeguard for the soul. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

When The Saints Go Malting In

2008-03-20T07:30:00.001+02:00

Article on the different Saints associated with beer or brewing...

Daily Quote

2008-03-20T07:11:00.004+02:00

Daily Quote

2008-03-19T15:08:00.000+02:00

"From man’s sweat and God’s love, beer came into the world." - Saint Arnold of Metz, The patron Saint of Brewers

More things to do in London...

2008-03-19T13:46:00.000+02:00

http://www.belgo-restaurants.co.uk/

Daily Quote

2008-03-17T07:12:00.000+02:00

"Brewers enjoy working to make beer as much as drinking beer instead of working." - Harold Rudolph

Gilroy's Favourite

2008-03-16T11:37:00.003+02:00

We spent Saturday at Gilroy's Brew Pub and it did not take me a lot of samples to realise that Gilroy's Favourite is quite convincingly the best beer I ever had.

From the Gilroys website:

Favourite is Gilroy's pale ale.

A superb light ale brewed with paler - golden and amber - malts, and Gilroy's own yeast. The Gilroy Favourite has 4% alcohol by volume, earning its place as the preferred light ale.

This beer is well bodied and extremely easy to drink. Underlying flavours of round sumer fruits and slightly caramelised honey;It is a session beer with a well-balanced finish which makes you want to open another straight away.

I cannot agree more. BJ Lankwarden of the SA Beer drinkers guide rated this beer as a 7, below the Traditional(8) and the Serious(9). Surely he took many other factors into consideration, but to me and from a drinkability perspective, the Favourite is definitely number one.

The day at Gilroys was definitely one of the best experiences I had and I cannot wait for the next oppertunity to go there.

Gilroy's Brew Pub is situated at Ngwenya Glass Village on the R114 off Beyers Naude. Whatever you do this year, make sure you take one Saturday to visit Gilroy's Brew Pub

Gesondheid!

Virtual International Pub Crawl : 31 May 2008

2008-03-15T09:49:00.002+02:00

Message sent to Worthog Brewers Club Members:

Howdy brewers !

A virtual pub crawl ... as the world rotates so the pubs open in New Zealand, then a while later in Australia and Asia, India opens, Africa joins in, Europe wakes up and takes notice and by the end of 24 hours the pubs in Los Angeles close.

And if we all have a beer in honour of the same event, on the same day, then we have an international, virtual pub crawl going around the world.

Neat idea and one which our crazy friends in Australia have managed to organise for the last few years.

Last year they even had pubs participating in Antarctica & Afghanistan ... so how about joining us this year ?

Last year Africa came close to being the number one participating continent. And you don't have to run a formal pub crawl to participate. All you need to do is to register one pub that you will have a beer at on the day of the crawl and you will become registered and Africa will have another entry.

So how about we help Africa take the number one spot this year for total venues registered ?!?!

The current list of venues for 2008 is currently here :
http://www.pyssedas.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=271

... and you will see its really early days compared to the extensive list of last year. So far I have registered The Dros in Moreleta Park and Andy Tasker has registered his brewery in Jo'burg ... but I'm sure we have many more venues just waiting to be registered.

The date for this year's International Pub Crawl is Saturday 31 May 2008.

Should you be interested in participating on behalf of Africa, please do the following :-

- Send an email to the organisers at : pyssedas@yahoo.com

- Give them 3 things : the name of your pub + the city / town + your country.

And check back to the above link a couple days later to check you have been correctly registered.

Folks, 2008 is our year ... let's run riot !!

Get registering now !!!!!

Regards,

Jeremy.
WHB Webmaster & Interntional Pub Crawl Liaison Officer.

BlankBottle...

2008-03-14T09:25:00.004+02:00

The wine, Moment of Silence, has been released, goto BlankBottle and order some!

Turns out I paid exactly the right price for it...and would've gladly paid more to be honest - but I tried to keep to the ethos of BlankBottle, i.e. good wine at a good price. I really recommend that you try some of Pieter's wines!!!

I'll start focusing on beer again now!

Daily Quote

2008-03-14T07:54:00.001+02:00

Daily Quote

2008-03-13T09:12:00.000+02:00

Abstainer: a weak person who yields to the temptation of denying himself a pleasure. - Ambrose Bierce

Daily Quote

2008-03-12T09:26:00.001+02:00

"Life, alas, is very drear. Up with the glass! Down with the beer!" - Louis Untermeyer

UPDATE!

2008-03-12T07:49:00.012+02:00

So...I thought it was time for a little update...

The wine tasting exercise is complete and was a pretty challenging yet highly enjoyable experience! I can't tell you much about it until BlankBottle releases the wine, but I have to say that Moment of Silence is an excellent wine - watch for it and news about it at BlankBottle.

This weekend I finally managed to put some time aside to go past The Home Brew Shop and have a look-see. I also wanted to try their hopped extracts (all we have tried so far are the Coopers hopped extracts) - so I have purchased a lager and will brew that once I have brewed my next Coopers bitter. I have to say that it works out better in financial terms buying from them, not to mention that they carry sufficient stock of the required ingredients...also they are effectively the only local home brew shop and so they kind of deserve our support...

Once I have done their lager I hope to do my first proper extract brew (using one of their recipes) - i.e. boil it up and do all the hopping at the right intervals and such like, which should be an interesting experience. Once that is fermented I'll be conditioning it in corny kegs! HarryV and myself eventually managed to get hold of 3 kegs each this week, they need a serious clean before use but I am looking forward to using them and improving my brew process a bit. Small steps...eventually I plan to have a setup similar to these: Pensans Brewery, Madship Brewing, Llew's Brewery, Paul's.

The inaugural beer fest is approaching! We have managed to attract another home brewer who has pledged beer too. The food plan is to do a potjie, beef based with Coopers Bitter thrown in for good measure, with rice and a beer bread to go with it all, the drinks plan should be fairly obvious...so it should be a really good day!

Today is Buy-HarryV a beerday! Happy Beerday HarryV!

Don't forget St. Patricks day is next week Monday...

PROST!

Daily Quote

2008-03-11T06:03:00.001+02:00

"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer." - Abraham Lincoln

Daily Quote

2008-03-10T09:30:00.001+02:00

I drink to make other people interesting. - George Jean Nathan

Daily Quote

2008-03-07T06:23:00.001+02:00

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." - Benjamin Franklin

Toast and be Toasted

2008-03-07T05:25:00.004+02:00

One of the great traditions that we, especially in South Africa, lost somewhere along the line is that of toasting.

Toasting is the unselfish act of honouring someone or something by having a drink with or dedicating a drink to that someone or something.

We are so used to running from one place to another, living in our cocoons and drinking for the sake of drinking, that we no longer stop to think what those drinking with us, or those no longer with us, or those we haven’t seen in a while, actually means or meant to us. We are too self centred to be bothered by those around us. Instead of celebrating live and all that is good at every occasion we have, we sit around complaining about what could or should have been.

In my opinion, the simple act of proposing a toast could change all this. Once you propose a toast you will get people thinking about the good, and the beautiful and the funny – who know what an impact you might make.

There are many different kinds of toasts, from the formal toast we still get at some weddings or funerals, through the casual “Gesondheid!” before we down our beer, to the downright funny at the end of a long evening.

I’d like you to send me any toasts or poems or tongue twisters that you know and used to say before knocking back you drink. I will them publish these on this blog once a week in an effort to

get this tradition going again.

“Here’s to a long life and a merry one.

A quick death and an easy one.

A pretty girl and an honest one.

A cold beer — and another one!"

Toast from the dictionary:
– Noun:

a salutation or a few words of congratulation, good wishes, appreciation, remembrance, etc., uttered immediately before drinking to a person, event, etc.
a person, event, sentiment, or the like, in honor of whom another or others raise their glasses in salutation and then drink.
a call on another or others to drink to some person or thing.
a person who is celebrated as with the spirited homage of a toast: She was the toast of five continents.

–verb (used with object)

to drink to the health of or in honor of; propose a toast to or in honor of.
to propose as a toast.

–verb (used without object)

to propose or drink a toast.

Daily Quote

2008-03-06T05:15:00.000+02:00

"Bart, a woman is like a beer. They look good, they smell good, and you'd step over your own mother just to get one." - Homer Simpson

Things to do in London...

2008-03-05T12:41:00.001+02:00

http://www.bavarian-beerhouse.co.uk/index.shtml

Daily Quote

2008-03-05T07:15:00.000+02:00

"Sir, you're drunk!"
"Yes, Madam, I am. But in the morning, I will be sober and you will still be ugly."
(Lady Astor and Winston Churchill)

Daily Quote

2008-03-04T06:59:00.002+02:00

"I would kill everyone in this room for a drop of sweet beer." -Homer Simpson as quoted by HarryV

Yesterday..

2008-03-03T15:11:00.002+02:00

Was spent at the Gilroys Brewpub...great beer, great food.

We got a mention as the leading beer drinking table of the day. Not the first time, either.

Today...
Wondering how wise that was...

Daily Quote

2008-03-03T10:13:00.001+02:00

"In my opinion, most of the great men of the past were only there for the beer."
-A.J.P. Taylor, British historian

Yeastie Beasties of a different sort!

2008-02-29T12:56:00.003+02:00

Along with beer drinking I really enjoy whiskey and have a fairly good collection of single malts and some excellent blends.

My interest doesn't end with things malty! I really enjoy a good wine. This lead to the discovery of BlankBottle. So far I have consumed a fair amount of their wines. Read more about them by following the link...

Anyway - I subscribe to the BlankBottle mailing list and really enjoy the updates and look forward to new wine releases. This morning I received the latest update and it brought with it the news that a new white blend was being released - but with a twist - we the customers get to decide the price! Well, more specifically 20 of the customers will get to test 6 bottles and contribute towards the price that the wine will go to market at. I am going to be one of the lucky 20! My box of (consignment) wine is on the way - I then have a week to rate it and pay the price that I deem fair. The prices paid by the people who receive the wine on consignment will assist in determining the final pricing.

I think this is very interesting concept and an incredibly innovative way to involve customers in your business. I have to admit that I am a little intimidated...

More to follow...

Daily Quote

2008-02-29T07:39:00.002+02:00

"Everybody has to believe in something.....I believe I'll have another drink."-W.C. Fields

World of Beer

2008-02-28T09:43:00.002+02:00

I think we should organise a trip to the SAB world of beer sometime. It has recently been changed and enhanced a little, so there should be something new for those who have been before...

Who is in and what dates suit everyone? Drop a comment and we'll see what we can arrange!

Daily Quote

2008-02-28T09:04:00.000+02:00

You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline - it helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer. - Frank Zappa

Priming Sugar Calculator

2008-02-27T12:56:00.003+02:00

Dont let a lack of carbonation drops prevent you from bottling ever again...

Bulk Priming Calculator

Cheers...the Buffalo theory...

2008-02-27T07:13:00.002+02:00

"Well ya see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo can only move asfast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers."

Daily Quote

2008-02-27T06:46:00.001+02:00

All right, brain, I don't like you and you don't like me - so let's just do this and I'll get back to killing you with beer. - Homer Simpson

Calendar Added

2008-02-26T16:33:00.001+02:00

I added a calendar to the blog.

Please feel free to add any Worty Events to it.

Who knows when we'll need a reason for a beer...

Brew Witches Beware!

2008-02-26T11:58:00.004+02:00

" For many centuries, brewers have invoked the names of patron saints to bless and protect their beers. Since the early brewing process was not well understood, often times the batch of beer was not fit for drinking. The poor quality was mystically blamed on evil spirits and specifically on "brew witches" or "beer witches." The last known burning of a beer witch was in the late 1500s. " - extract from Patron Saints of Beer

Think I might start burning myself some witches if that ale of mine don't turn out right...

Daily Quote

2008-02-26T06:08:00.000+02:00

"A woman drove me to drink and I didn't even have the decency to thank her." -W.C. Fields

Daily Quote

2008-02-25T08:58:00.000+02:00

"Good God, if our civilization were to sober up for a couple of days it'd die of remorse on the third . . . " — Malcolm Lowry

Home Brewing in SA...the hazards!

2008-02-23T11:29:00.007+02:00

I am getting ready to bottle a Coopers Lager and on checking my supplies I realised I was out of brewing sugar and carbonation drops - so I have nothing to prime my bottles with. And because I am new to this I haven't got round to figuring out how to prime the bottles with new wort...so that wasn't an option.

Bugger.

So, just go to the brew shop and buy some, I hear you say. Not so easy in my neck of the woods. Firstly, I have only two options and both aren't really "just down the road". Secondly the cheaper of the 2 spots doesn't carry great stock, so there are no guarantees that I will find what I need, the other spot may have what I need but it is actually a little over the top in terms of pricing - they are in a so-called "up-market" area and for some reason that makes them think they can add 30% to their pricing. If that is what living in an up-market area is about then you can keep it... Interestingly enough both shops belong to the same chain.

Anyway, I realised that my Piss-Poor-Planning (PPP) has created this issue and that I couldn't possibly waste 23l of lager I set out to track down the required ingredient. Now I usually stay far away from shops and malls, particularly on weekends, so I wasn't looking forward to the outing. For some reason everyone in this town goes shopping on a Saturday morning and this results in roads that seem to be in a constant state of madness. Anyway, off to Roodepoort to locate my carbonation drops my daughter and I went, after much idiot dodging on the highway we arrived at the shop and to my dismay they were out of stock, I briefly considered taking some brewing sugar out of one of the kits they had there...but that would result in a rather frustrated future home-brewer, something best avoided - we need more home-brewers.

Time to move onto Fourways - practically the other side of town. It is also the heart of retail madness and due to this it seems to suffer from constant grid-lock. But my mission was critical and failure was not an option. Describing the trip there, through the madness on the roads, is a story in itself...so we'll leave that alone...for now.

Finally arriving at the store I head straight to the brew shelves and...nothing. It's gone.

Dismay and Horror.

I started searching through the aisles of the large DIY store, mumbling under my breath with glazed, panicked eyes...store personnel saw me and tried to help - "I am looking for the Home Brew shelf...". "The what?", came the response...my daughter started to looked a little concerned about her dad...more aimless aisle walking and mumbling. In steps yet another shop assistant, and this time there is a glimmer of recognition in his eye, he knows what I am talking about...and after some consideration he leads me directly to the shelf in question. Joy and Elation. They have recently stocked up on just about everything!

Realising that I didn't want to go through this experience again I stocked up with sufficient supplies to see me through the millenium. Okay, not quite, maybe I just have enough to finish the brews I currently have planned.

Tommorrow the lager will be bottled and left to condition for the next few weeks and while it spends its first night undergoing secondary fermentation there will be 23l of wort, a Mexican Cerveza, quietly undergoing primary fermentation.

My stocks grow. The beerfest approaches.

PROST!

Notes on a too young Coopers Real Ale

2008-02-22T19:33:00.006+02:00

I know, I know, thirteen days are too short a time for a beer to properly condition in a bottle, but who can blame me for opening one?

Even though this is very early in the live of a bottle conditioned beer to try and judge it, I have to share some of my thoughts with you.

Waiting for your beer to condition is the of the most exciting and simultaneously scary acts in my live as a extract brewer - you just don't know what you are going to get. So, when I picked up the bottle to put it in the refrigerator I was quite relieved to notice, through the bottle, the clarity of the beer. The layer of sediment at the bottom of the bottle ensured me that the yeaties been doing their job.

The tshhhh sound when opening the bottle, accompanied by a slight mist in the mouth of the bottle was very reassuring - we had carbonation...

The colour of this beer was a impressive deep reddish amber. The clarity simply amazing. The head lacked completely, typical of a young beer. Overall a very satisfying picture to look at.

Then came the taste. Young, as expected, but with a slight bitterness that impressed. This beer is full of flavour with a nice maltyness. I picked up a slight taste of molasses, but I've learned that this will settle with age.

The one thing that bothers be a bit is a fizzyness in the mouth. Almost as though it is a bit over carbonated. I hope this will get better with age.

I am convinced this beer has the potential to be great and I am willing to give it some time. Noting time cannot heal...

I am surely looking forward to my next test, next weekend.

Hold you thumbs, we might have a good beer on its way...

Gesondheid!

Last Barman Poet

2008-02-22T14:45:00.000+02:00

I am the last barman poet
I see South Africans drinking the fabulous Klippies n Coke I make
My chinas getting stinky on something I stir or shake
The sex on the beach
The schnapps made from peach
The velvet hammer
The Alabama slammer.
I make things with juice and froth
The pink squirrel
The three-toed sloth
I make drinks so sweet and snazzy
The iced tea and
The kamakazi
The orgasm
The death spasm
The Singapore sling
The dingaling ...
Comrades you've just been devoted to every flavor I got
But if you want to get loaded
Why don't you just order a Beer?

Bar is open !

3 Must-Get-Beers - Inaugural Weekly Drink-a-thon

2008-02-22T13:45:00.001+02:00

Hello

Starting today Cesco’s in Randpark Ridge will play host to the 3 Must-Get-Beers weekly Drink-a-thon.

Starting at 16h00 or so…

PROST!

Wanted!

2008-02-22T11:58:00.001+02:00

The Barman is missing. If anyone knows where we can find the Barman please let us know!

Homer

2008-02-22T07:38:00.000+02:00

DOUGH... the stuff... that buys me beer...
RAY ..... the guy that sells me beer...
ME...... the guy...who drinks the beer,
FAR..... the distance to my beer.
SO...... I think I'll have a beer.
LA...... La, la la la la beer
TEA..... no thanks, I'm drinking beer...
That will bring us back to...
(Looks into an empty glass)
D'OH!

© H Simpson

Daily Quote

2008-02-22T07:32:00.000+02:00

“Filled with mingled cream and amber I will drain that glass again. Such hilarious visions clamber Through the chambers of my brain -- Quaintest thoughts -- queerest fancies Come to life and fade away; Who cares how time advances? I am drinking ale today.” – Edgar Allan Poe

Drinking Problem?

2008-02-21T21:19:00.001+02:00

Jef(-fa-fa) Dunham: What is your favourite kind of beer?

Bubba J: AN OPEN ONE!

PROST!

Finding hidden breweries in South Africa

2008-02-21T14:08:00.002+02:00

Read this...http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-602-1.htm

He missed this one…

Nestled in the heart of suburbia, just a few steps away from a lovely park and dam (the water of which is definitely not used for brewing…) lies the micro-brewery of Beerman, otherwise known as “My Suburban-Escape-Plan Brewery”. Brewing up to a massive 23l a batch, this brewery has turned out marvelous lagers, some of the Bavarian style, it is also well known for its Bitters and is currently working on releasing a Mexican style Cerveza and a traditional style Draught. Feel free to pop and and enjoy these marvelous brews on the brew pubs verander.

PROST!

Join the Revolution

2008-02-21T12:15:00.003+02:00

We are not the government of South Africa and will therefore not set a pledge without consultation. We will also give you an option whether to commit to it or not. It is therefore important that the pledge covers all aspects of the revolution in such a way that it won’t offend the reader or threaten any potential comrades.

Pledge to join the revolution:

I acknowledge the time and effort brewers around the world put into creating the perfect beverage for my consumption; I honour them and promise that:

I will drink beer as often as possible
I will not consume any other liquor as long as beer is available
I will drink at least one unknown beer every time I go out for beer
I will support Micro Breweries above Industrial Breweries
I will support Home Brewers above Micro Breweries
I will tell everyone about all the good beers I find

If I can't find a good beer to drink, I’ll brew one…

Signed
Comrade [Your Name Here]

Just...a little...further...

2008-02-21T07:46:00.003+02:00

Research...

2008-02-21T07:43:00.001+02:00

Yesterday, scientists in the United States revealed that beer contains small traces of female hormones.

To prove their theory, they fed one hundred men twelve pints of beer and observed that 100% of them started talking nonsense and couldn't drive.

Daily Quote

2008-02-21T06:21:00.001+02:00

"The problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind."-Humphrey Bogart

This weeks beer drinking plans...

2008-02-20T13:51:00.001+02:00

Friday: Cesco's on Beyer's Naude', 16h00 onwards...

What is this all about?

2008-02-20T12:59:00.003+02:00

Beer. Mostly.

Why have a blog, let alone a hobby, about beer? Because, after 15 years of consuming the stuff, I (we) desperately want to know more about it. So I have started delving into the lore and history of beer and whilst I knew that it had a long history I did not know how complex that history was and how much luck was involved for early brewers. Along with that I love creating things, using my hands to create something is an amazingly satisfying thing - everything from software to woodworking through to bread. Making my "own" beer has long been an ambition.

So how to go about making that first brew? I knew there were kits about but didn't really know how to go about aquiring them, neither did I make any serious attempts to do so. So it was one of those things you often consider but never follow through on. Until 2006, when my brother-in-law was given a Coopers micro brew kit for Christmas, he brewed a Coopers Lager, something we thoroughly enjoyed at his 30th birthday. At this point my mind was made up and for my birthday last year, after much prompting, my wife brought me the Coopers micro brew kit.

Happiness.

Thereafter followed the challenge of collecting enough bottles to bottle the brew - a pleasurable experience in itself. My first brew was the Coopers Lager, which after 2 months of bottle conditioning is really a winner, although I only have a few bottles left. The next brew was a Coopers Bitter, which is also turning out incredibly well, each bottle, each week is that much more enjoyable. I now have another Coopers Lager fermenting and a Coopers Bavarian Lager and a Coopers Draught conditioning quietly, with many more planned (I have to supply some for our inaugural beer fest!).

Where to from here? Well - moving onto more "real" brewing, i.e. extract brewing and then maybe full grain, a journey which I am in no rush to complete. They will happen in time, and I will savour the learning process and the creation process, not to mention the consumption process.

This is far more fun then collecting stamps...hic.

PROST!

Norm Quotes from "Cheers"

2008-02-20T08:30:00.003+02:00

SAM: "What's new, Normie?"
NORM: "Terrorists, Sam. They've taken over my stomach & they're demanding beer."

SAM: "What'd you like, Normie?"
NORM: "A reason to live. Give me another beer."

SAM: "What'll you have Normie?"
NORM: "Well, I'm in a gambling mood, Sammy. I'll take a glass of whatever comes out of that tap."
SAM: "Looks like beer, Norm."
NORM: "Call me Mister Lucky."

WOODY: "What's the story, Mr. Peterson?"
NORM: "The Bobbsey twins go to the brewery. Let's cut to the happy ending."

WOODY: "Hey, Mr. Peterson, there's a cold one waiting for you."
NORM: "I know. If she calls, I'm not here."

SAM: "Beer, Norm?"
NORM: "Have I gotten that predictable? Good."

WOODY: "How's it going, Mr. Peterson?"
NORM: "Poor."
WOODY: "I'm sorry to hear that."
NORM: "No, I mean pour."

SAM: "What's going down, Normie?"
NORM: "My butt cheeks on that bar stool."

WOODY: "Pour you a beer, Mr. Peterson?"
NORM: "All right, but stop me at one. Make that one-thirty."

SAM: "What's the story, Norm?"
NORM: "Boy meets beer. Boy drinks beer. Boy meets another beer."

WOODY: "What's going on, Mr. Peterson?"
NORM: "The question is what's going in Mr. Peterson? A beer please, Woody."

WOODY: "Can I pour you a beer, Mr. Peterson?"
NORM: "A little early isn't it, Woody?"
WOODY: "For a beer?"
NORM: "No, for stupid questions."

Daily Quote

2008-02-20T07:14:00.001+02:00

Drinking Light Beer is like having sex in a canoe...fucking close to water. - Anonymous

Daily Quote

2008-02-19T06:25:00.000+02:00

"You can only drink 30 or 40 glasses of beer a day, no matter how rich you are." - Colonel Adolphus Busch

Daily Quote

2008-02-18T07:09:00.000+02:00

Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in beer. - Dave Barry

Beers to enjoy...this weekend

2008-02-16T09:58:00.002+02:00

2 * Paulaner Pils...
Will let you know how it goes?!

Damn fine beer. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would've had all 10. But I only had 2... *

* Yes. I know. I need to work on some literary and beer judging skills...

Daily Quote

2008-02-15T07:05:00.001+02:00

Beer: So much more than just a breakfast drink. - Whitstran Brewery sign

WTF?

2008-02-14T15:35:00.001+02:00

Can you believe things that happen nowadays? I was sitting in church and the guy sitting in front of me lit a cigarette right inside the church.

I was so shocked I nearly dropped my beer...

Daily Quote

2008-02-14T06:40:00.000+02:00

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning thats as good as they're going to feel all day." -Frank Sinatra

Beerman's top pub(s)

2008-02-13T12:50:00.000+02:00

Cesco's on Beyers Naude' (Jhb)
Gilroys @ Shades of Ngwena (Jhb)
Forresters Arms (Newlands)
Brass Bell (Kalk Bay)
Bierfassl (Nottingham Road)
Notties Pub (Nottingham Road)
Duck & Trout (Dullstroom)

Beer Prayer

2008-02-13T12:40:00.001+02:00

Our lager,
Which art in barrels,
Hallowed be thy drink.

Thy will be drunk,
(I will be drunk),
At home as in the tavern.

Give us this day our foamy head,
And forgive us our spillages,
As we forgive those who spill against us.

And lead us not to incarceration,
But deliver us from hangovers.

For thine is the beer,
The bitter and The lager.
Forever and ever,
Barmen

Daily Quote

2008-02-13T06:52:00.000+02:00

"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza." -Dave Barry