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Zulu, Whales and Real Ale

South Africa is a country where Real Ale and Micro Breweries are few and far between so it was a pleasure to stop for refreshments at The Hop Hollow Brewery high on the Long Tom Pass between Sabie and Lyndenburg. The Pass, named after the “Long Tom” Cannon used during the Boar War, provided a spectacular setting for what is said to be the highest brewery in the country.

All the beers are hand crafted giving each batch a unique flavour. Brewed with absolutely no enhancers or unnatural additives, the beers are coarse filtered and not pasteurised, retaining a small percentage of active yeast. After a tasting of three small beers for the costly sum of 10 Rand (about 75 pence) we purchased several bottles to sustain us on our travels.

Ales tried included:
Old Bull  - brewed in a traditional British way using a top fermenting yeast with Styrian Goldings Leaf Hops imported from the UK.
Mac’s Porter  - a deep ruby colour yet light in body. A combination of local pale and Chocolate malt, imported winter wheat and crystal malt, described as having no difficulty holding its own with a glass of the best cabernet next to a winter fire.

The owners are called Theo & Sarie de Beer a name well fitting their craft. As a journey begins a journey must end and after a month of no real ale our final two days ended in Cape Town where our drought was finally broken. The Victoria and Albert Waterfront Centre is host to a Mitchells Knysna Brewery pub where several beers tried included Fosters Draught at3.6% Bosun Bitter

At 3.6% Old 90/ (shilling) at 5% Raven Stout at 5%.

 Norman Hall

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