Hitting rock bottom could be seen as a measure of success when it comes to a beer festival, depending on your perspective. This weekend, hitting rock bottom took on a different meaning for me though as we drove into Clarens to attend the second annual Clarens Craft Beer Festival, and saw the sign for what I guess is the only bar/club in this Free State town.
So ‘hitting’ it after the festival was something we immediately aspired to- a pun, a personal joke and a very real aim for at least two of our eight-strong crew. But it’s also something that never actually happened.
With almost 100 different kinds of beers to try, thinking of going anywhere else besides our campsite after the festival was ambitious, especially for me. Some more dedicated members of the crew managed to try all the beers, systematically drinking their way through the numbered stalls and giving serious consideration as to where they would put the voting marble given to them at the door.
For me, drinking a full glass of Robson’s Export Pilsner on entry at 10am kick-started all kinds of unsystematic consumption. Impatience, ignorance and a tendency to avoid overwhelming sensory stimulus also contributed to vague wandering through the three beer tasting tents, looking for brands I recognized, with no real aim other than to not pass out.
Something that I barely managed to accomplish, having to take a lie down in the shade of a willow tree behind the Hydration Station at about 3pm. In normal circumstances I would have been concerned about being separated from the crew. But the festival was relaxed, and small enough that this wasn’t a problem.
But the festival was also small enough not to overlook the glaring omission of the one beer I wanted to drink- Darling Brew’s Bonecrusher. Jason at the Darling Brew stand took the abuse, and gave me a tasting of the Black Mist ale and a full glass of the Darling Slow Brew instead. But is wasn’t the same.
So the haze of haphazard beer sampling on either side of eating wurst, mustard and sauerkraut for lunch at Roter Hahn was definitely influenced by disappointment. One thing that did make up for it was though the light and refreshing Weichersheim Weiss from Chameleon Brewhouse in Hartebeespoort- the beer that got my marble.
Other beers worth mentioning were the Black Widow Stout from Cockpit Brewhouse (a beer I actually remember tasting), the unexpectedly delicious Everson’s Pear Cider (an appreciated relief after teenage overindulgence in Redd’s) and the Honey Weiss beer from the noticeably branded SAB craft beer stand.
In retrospect, I really wish I could have tasted, and appreciated the subtleties of more varieties of beer. However, while lying under that willow tree towards the end of the afternoon, bloated, and being looked over by some friendly people sitting next to a Kombi, the thought of drinking even one more tasting became impossible- my version of hitting rock bottom.
Where to stay:
We camped at Bokpoort Holiday Farm, which has decent facilities and is just outside of Clarens. If you book in advance staying in town is definitely an easier option though!
Information:
For more information about the festival and the beers and the breweries that were there, visit the website: www.clarensbeerfestival.co.za
For accommodation in Clarens, visit Getaway Accommodation for some great options.
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