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I have posted about Beer is for Everyone before but here is a not so subtle reminder to go back and check out some of the new pieces on the site, like this one HERE that takes us to South Africa to meet Obakeng Malope brewer and documentarian.
It is a great interview and should get you excited about sorghum and spices.
Whether you believe that South African hops are important or not will color your response to the “re-allocation” of hops from the non-traditional hop growing region.
In their SAB addition, ABInBev picked up an R&D hop operation and due to low yields (which also happened to Nelson Sauvin in New Zealand), they have made the decision to keep the hops in house for their South African brewery brand, Castle with the rest going to their “high end”.
Could the hops be better used if spread out to craft breweries? The answer is an obvious yes. Are they hops owned by SABInBev to parcel out as they wish? Again, very much yes. One more, just one more question. Are the optics really bad? Ummm, yeah.
The PR people at SABInBev must be on a year long sabbatical. Why they did not postpone the Wicked Weed sale until after the Funkatorium fest is beyond me. The “high end” and their new “partners” in crime seem bewildered each and every time that someone responds negatively.
Then to follow that up by not proactively spreading the news about the hop supply seems slow on the uptake as well. For a company that is mostly distribution focused with marketing not far behind, you would think they would master the press and social media.
We in the U.S. will lose a few special beers but we are not short of IPA’s, so maybe this is a long term good thing for style diversity. Not to mention, every time SABInBev goes full on Darth Sidious it riles the base of craft beer to action. Sometimes that is good energy to have.
TODAY: HOLLAND V. SPAIN
Finally, the world will get a new champion of soccer!
Will Holland finally break the curse and finish off Spain?
Or will Spain continue it’s dominance of possesion and wear down the Oranje?
To finish the 2010 World Cup, we return to South Africa for our final beer from the Shongweni Brewery.
Here is the info from the website about the Durban Pale Ale, “Durban Pale Ale was inspired by the original IPA’s produced in Britian and then shipped to India for consumption by the soldiers and bureaucrats. The IPA came via the Cape and records show that some of that beer made its way to the British serving in South Africa. With Durban then, as now, a major shipping port it is hard not to believe that barrels of IPA were happily consumed here on the East Coast so we wanted to revive an old tradition.
We only use the best malts for our Pale Ale, and in order to achieve our 5.7% ABV we need to pack the mash tun full of grains. The beer is also packed full of hops to achieve the 45 units of bitterness that we want. We use Cascade hops since they provide the bitterness we want but don’t leave any lingering harshness on the palate. The inclusion of Challenger hops provide the crisp, fruity characteristic of the beer, which is complimented by the special strain of English ale yeast that we use to ferment the beer.
In the glass the beer is a light caramel colour, with an immediate blast of rich orange on the nose, a toffee character and just a hint of spice from the cascade hops. On the palate it is medium- to full-bodied, and the initial sweetness from the sheer amount of barley in this beer is balanced with solid and tangy hops and a gentle fruitiness with a dry after-taste.
Our Durban Pale Ale is a strong beer and we have found that its character will mature over time if cellared producing a complex ale that will reward the patient drinker.”
All eyes now turn to South Africa as today is the start of the 2010 World Cup. From the opening whistle to final goal, I will suggest some great beers to drink while rooting on your favorite World Cup team. The beers selected wil be brewed in or famous in one of the countries playing that day. And since it is summer, I will focus on lighter, refreshing fare.
TODAY: SOUTH AFRICA V. MEXICO
Here is the game day selection for hosts South Africa and Castle Lager part of the corporate giant SAB.
This is now a traditional water lager that uses corn as a main ingredient and is heavily marketed. But is has a long history in South Africa starting as a refresher for mine workers and would probably do the trick on a hot June day.