Martin
Tucker, creator of Keg King, co-founder of the Cape Town Festival of Beer, and champion beer guru, played host to an awesome evening of beer education.
All we needed to bring was a curiosity of beer and an open mind. I obviously brought a pen and paper; in no
world can I play it cool.
In
line with My
1yr drinking challenge, I need to learn about
beer in South Africa, it’s tough work but someone’s got to do it.
I’ve
always been attracted to a nice cold crisp beer. Probably because wherever anyone is drinking a
cold brew, I can usually get away with wearing my slip-slops.
After
a few Black Labels we sat ready to consume: beer and knowledge.
So,
here’s what I learned in beer college (what some might argue as the best college), and, feel free to add your own facts below:
Beer Facts:
Ales and Lagers:
Ales
and lagers are the two categories of your basic beer, all other beer falls
into these two.
Ales are brewed using a top-fermenting
yeast at higher temps for shorter periods of time.
Lagers are beers that are fermented
with bottom-fermenting yeast at lower temps for longer periods of time.
I think I’m turning into a lager lover.
Filtered vs. unfiltered:
The
easiest way to tell if your beer has been filtered is to hold your hand up
behind the glass and if you can see through it’s filtered; if it’s blurry as that
black out night at uni- unfiltered.
Some people argue that unfiltered is more natural and leaves space for more flavour (any advice on this one, experienced drinkers?).
Beer with food:
Black
Label: grab some hard cheeses like parmesan,
a light fish, or eats that are a bit sweeter and the fruity flavours in the
beer will shine.
Guinness:
bring on the oyster buffet and your Guinness should pair perfectly with that fresh taste
of the ocean.
Cherry
Kriek: sweet dessert beer that the
ladies really seem to love, and it’s red, bonus!
Awesome beer facts:
Trappist Beer: limited
edition beer actually brewed by monks in Belgium and the Netherlands; but
seriously – actually brewed in monasteries over 100 years old.
Beer
head: not just a pervy saying or a moustache maker, the frothy foam that sits
atop your ale indicates the amount of bubbles in your beer and allows for a
rich aroma.
And, the down-downs:
No college experience is complete with out a proper drinking challenge.
Keg King threw down a tasting competition
that in turn resulted in a down-downs drink off. While Martin, down-downing at an impeccable rate, drank his beer in an utter flash, Anel from Wine Times took the trophy making
lady boozers proud all over South Africa.
This
is why I like beer, because at the end of it all, people are doing down-downs.
Feel
free to add your beer facts and bits to the article comments as the 1yr
drinking challenge continues.
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