Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival 2012
Yesterday we visited the first day of the Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival. It is a six-day festival (27th-29th September & 4th-6th October 2012). For the first time beer bloggers/writers could get press accreditation. Gladly enough many of the members of the Scandinavian Beer Writers Association was there. It is good to know the other bloggers and also to get inspiration and new ideas.
The Stockholm Beer and Whisky Festival is the third largest beer festival and the largest whisky festival in the world. This year you can choose between 2 100 different beers and 1 500 different whisky. It is impossible to taste them all even if you attend all days so you need a plan. The plan this year was to have no plan but it became a plan later on to visit the new and small breweries. Like in South Africa the Scandinavian beer scene is growing day by day and new breweries start all the time. Unlike South Africa this is the third or fourth “wave” since early 1990s.
There were no South African beers represented but a few SA wines did show up at the whisky part of the festival. It would be fantastic to have a South African beer exhibition next year. We did talk to one, soon to be, South African brewery though. That is Åbro Bryggeri who is one of the partners in Cape Brewing Company in Fairview. The brewery is going to be ready later this year or early next year. They have a great confidence in Wolfgang Ködel as brewmaster and at the moment he is working to adapt/improve some of the Åbro beers.
We hope to be able to write more about the festival within the following days.
Standeaven Brewery – for those who enjoy the odd beer
I wrote about Standeaven Brewery a couple of weeks ago. The new brewery was officially launchad at the Good Food and Wine show in Durban in August. Since then they have been really busy working on the brewery and also attend the Beer and Boerie Festival at Shongweni Market. Recently they launched their website and a short promotion video.
They have four different beers at the moment:
Beer NO.3 Bohemian Pilsner (ABV 4%)
A bohemian/czech style pilsner with a moderate hop bitterness.
Beer NO.5 Press Club Stout (ABV 4%)
An Irish Stout with notes of coffee and chocolate. A little bit less sweet and not as full bodied as a typical stout.
Beer NO.7 African Pale Ale (ABV 4.2%)
An American Pale Ale or Amber Ale with true african roots. A complex beer with a good hop bitterness, strong malt notes and fruity in both palate and nose.
Beer NO.9 Hefe Weizen (ABV 4%)
A more or less unconventional Weiss beer. Not as abbrassive and bold as a typical wheat beer.
Note: The Hefe Weizen was one of the most popular beers with the craft beer drinkers at the Beer and Boerwors festival.
According to Shaun Standeaven this beer actually came from a mistake but has been so well supported from both the tasting panel and craft beer drinkers that they decided to keep using the same recipe.
You could find the Standeaven beers at unity bar, Stretta Cucina and Marriot Gardens wine cellar (all in bottles).
Location: Alverstone, Hillcrest
Website: www.thestandeavenbrewery.co.za
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheStandeavenBrewery
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheOddBeer
E-mail: oddbeer@thestandeavenbrewery.co.za
Phone: –
Biltong / Beertong
There are no Biltong in Scandinavia!
(an odd statement if it wasn’t for the fact that homebru.net is based in Scandinavia right now)
You could buy dried meat of reindeer, moose and so on but not Biltong style! The only way to get “real” Biltong is to make it your self. I am not turning this blog into a food blog but I have made a beer marinated version of biltong. Let´s just call it Beertong (I do not know if there is such a word. If not, there is now).
I had to “google” around and learn how to make biltong. I wanted a “simple as possible” solution and made a biltongbox from a cardboard box and a heating fan. I used beef and made a couple of different marinades/spicemixes to try. Some of the beef was salted and later on marinated in Carnegie Porter for a day. I wanted to get the sweetness from the porter instead of using brown sugar. Next time I will try to use an Imperial IPA, Imperial Stout or maybe a Geuze.
After one day it looked like biltong but it took another day to be finished. The beertong had a subtile flavour of porter, light smoked/burned maltiness.
Wild Clover Brewery
A bit late but I think this press release from Wild Clover Brewery says a lot about the brewery and their plans.
————- Press release
WILD CLOVER BREWERY, situated on the farm Wild Clover (R304), had its official opening on the 31st of August 2012. This young brewery joins the growing number of micro breweries nationwide, with the aim of brewing craft beer and enhancing and promoting the pleasure and enjoyment of this beer.
“Back to slow and the values associated with it” says Ampie Kruger and his team who are of the opinion that we are moving back to our roots and a lifestyle that is more balanced and less rushed. “The enjoyment of mealtimes and drinks are meant to be a festive occasion and not a matter of survival.”
This brewery, like others in this specific market, concentrates on quality and uniqueness, to hand blend and brew the finest quality craft beer, in the same age old European traditions.
WILD CLOVER BREWERY is the youngest addition to this rapidly growing industry. The fact that it is situated in the heart of the Cape Winelands makes it an exceptional and popular destination for locals and tourists alike.
“And if you should feel like a glass of wine, rest assured, this is also available” says Ampie Kruger, who also has a winery on the farm.
WILD CLOVER BREWERY had its origins in 2008 in a garage, with a good dose of passion and a love of good wine and beer. Since 2011 the brewery has been at its current and permanent location.
————– end of press release
Ampie Kruger is a well-known “SouthYeaster” and he has brewed for many years. They are going to brew an English Brown Ale, a Crispy German Pils, an Irish Dark and Creamy Porter and a German Weiss Beer. There will also be some seasonal beers in typical Belgian style to complete the range. You could always check out some more about Wild Clover Farm on Youtube.
There will soon be some breweries close by like Cape Brewing Company (at Fairview) and Stellenbosch Brewing Company (at Klein Joostenberg).
Location: Wild Clover Farm, R304
Brewery Hours : Monday – Closed; Tues – Sat: 11am – 5pm; Sun: 11am – 4pm
Website: www.wildcloverbreweries.co.za
Facebook: WildCloverBreweries/
Twitter: @Wildcloverbrew
E-mail: info@wildcloverbreweries.co.za
Phone: 021-300 0370
Modderfontein Brewery
UPDATE! See Oakes Brewhouse
Johannesburg is soon going to have yet another brewery/brewpub. This time it is the 33 High Street Restaurant and Pub in Modderfontein that will start a brewery called Modderfontein Brewery. The restaurant has an interesting history. The building burnt down in 2008 but has been completely renovated and “restored to its former manor house glory”. On their website you could see all their different offerings.
I had a short e-mail conversation with Joanne Barton (one of the people behind the new brewery). ” It’s just hectic and we have not go to the marketing side yet. Very much still work in progress. There is plenty happening … “. The equipment is going to be a “state of art German equipment” . Modderfontein beer will be avaliable on tap and bottles. I will come back to you with more details when they have formalised beer styles, packaging etc.
33 High Street Restaurant
Location: 33 High Street (Entrance on Main Street), Modderfontein
Website: www.33highstreet.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/33highstreet
Twitter: twitter.com/33highstreet
E-mail: info@33highstreet.com
Phone: 011-608 0733 / 072-241 2012 / 082-7287350
Homebru 