Sabie Brewing Company: A Hidden Gem
It feels like everywhere you go, there is a local craft beer. This is awesome news to any "real beer" drinker. Later in this review post, I will muse a little about what real beer is. But for now, let me introduce you to a lovely brewery and taproom that I also only recently found out about.
Tucked away in a scruffy street, in the middle of Sabie, Mpumalanga, South Africa, is a small brewery and taproom. But, man o man, do they brew big beers! I tried a couple, but after a while, I got dazed by all the alcohol and it got a little hazy. However, here is my tasting review of three of their beers! I drank two of them at the taproom and one at a local restaurant. But first, a tour of their taproom!
The Taproom With Beer Decor
A series of taps at the central bar shows off their impressive range of beers. The logo is big and prominent, you cannot miss it! Whoever did the logo needs to get unlimited beer, that is seriously a cool logo.
Outside and inside, they have the most awesome beer chandeliers. I think any beer lover would love one of these:
They also have a wood-fired pizza oven, but I think the beers are the main focus now and for anyone who wants to visit! (However, their fries can be a good beer snack.)
Anyways, off to the beers!
A Myriad of Options
Options, always options. The brewery offers various beers to the liking of everyone. They also make a berry cider for the sweet tooths.
A pint goes for about $2.50, which is already getting expensive for my South African pocket. But I think for those overseas, it is still cheap? Let me know in the comments.
I am a big and bitter beer lover. So my first beer was the Dravidian Draught IPA. And what a beer. I bought twelve of them, and I am currently drinking one!
A little on the darker side, and very bitter, this is indeed a big beer! Less floral like most of the recent IPAs that hit the South African market, this beer is just a punch in your mouth. Bitter, medium alcohol, it is just an easy drinking IPA for the IPA lover.
Nice lacing, and with each sip you just want more.
In the end, you look at the last sip and weep because you want more. But that last sip tells me a lot about the beer. A little flat, a little bit warmer, if I enjoy the last sip, I always buy more of that beer.
And I ended up buying 12, as I mentioned already.
The waitress came by and I needed to taste the stout. I ordered the Shangaan Stout.
Dark and chocolaty. It tasted like a proper stout. I loved it. Not as much as the IPA, but it was a good beer. It reminded me of my own stout I brew back at home. Very similar in taste. But the more I drank, the more I wanted that IPA. A good beer overall.
The next day, I went to a local eating place and bought one of their lighter beers. It was mid-day and I just needed a quick refreshing drink. I ordered the Glynn's Gold London Ale.
On the colder side, it reminded me of the beers I had in London at Wetherspoons, although those hand-siphoned beers are warmer with less carbonation. A good and refreshing beer, but on the expensive side. The beers in London were a fraction of the price, can you believe that? In any case, what a refreshing beer!
So, What is a Real Beer?
I do not like it when people say one beer is real and another is not. All beers are real beers, even the watered-down ones with flavoring in them. Although, I would not call them beers really, but semantics. Drink the beer or drink you like without anyone telling you that "real men drink real beer". I am reminded of a local advert on TV. (See the YouTube video below.) We do not need politics like this, drink any drink you want!
Postscriptum, or Drink Your Drink!
What an experience. I love every brewery and taproom, although I am not a big fan of beers getting so expensive. But everything is getting more expensive. So I better get with the times. In any case, drink your favorite drink and don't listen to the people who tell you you cannot drink pink drinks.
All of the photographs are my own, taken with my Nikon D300 or iPhone. The musings are also my own unless stated otherwise. I am also not paid to write about the brewery, it was just a local pitstop we made. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you are around, please go and visit them! Happy drinking, stay safe.