So we’ve dealt with hops and we’ve dealt with malt. The cerevisaphiles (Google it!) among you might be asking the obvious question: ‘Where’s the yeast?’ but alas, a brewer’s yeast is his secret. It’s the yeast that makes all the difference in flavour and strains cultivated by breweries are generally closely guarded.
So there’s only one ingredient left – water. I could talk to you about pH levels and calcium content. I could talk to you about the benefits of the Newlands Brewery using water from the nearby spring. Or I could go for a rather tenuous link and talk to you instead about the Peroni yacht, which is what I’ll do (well, it does require water just as much as brewing does).
You see, while the SAB Heritage Tour is largely about being at one with beer’s natural ingredients and of course, seeing how those ingredients are put to use as you tour the Newlands Brewery, there is also another important part to the tour – enjoying the final product.
I felt particularly excited as I boarded the Peroni yacht at the V&A Waterfront. Having stood countless times watching boats passing as I waited for the Clock Tower bridge to open and grant me passage to the Paulaner Brauhaus (RIP, *sob*), it was finally my turn to be the envied sunseeker, beer in hand, waving to the folks on shore.
With cold bottles of Peroni dished out the second we stepped on board and giant bowls of bar snacks scattered around to soak up some of the booze, it was set to be an awesome hour and a half. Along with pretty much everyone else, I climbed through the window to perch on the front of the boat, instantly regretting the rare decision to don a skirt that morning as the blustering wind revealed more than I would have liked to a group of people I’d only known a day.
And then we left the harbour. Suddenly, as the wind picked up even more, I remembered that I suffer from terrible seasickness and the rolling waves at the harbour mouth reminded me that last time I was here I was in for six gut-wrenching days at sea as I headed to Tristan da Cunha on a fishing boat. I quickly repositioned myself at the altogether calmer rear of the boat (aft?), dodging flying bowls of windswept chips as I went.
I’ve always maintained that a beer helps ease mild seasickness so I clutched that Peroni like the life saver it was, glad for the superb service of the on-board staff who replaced warm, empty bottles with cold, full ones seconds after your final sip.
Despite my utter absence of sea legs, I totally enjoyed the trip. Sipping cold beer in the hot sun, a view of the ever-gorgeous Cape Town skyline for company – what’s not to enjoy? I was however, equally as happy to get back onto terra firma in time to head to The Bungalow for a five course beer pairing dinner, set up by Newlands trade brewer, Denis da Silva.
Having written about beer for the past two years (and having drunk just a little of it before that) I thought I had a pretty good handle on what beer-making entails. But after an in-depth view on the Heritage Tour, it turns out – as it often does – that I didn’t know as much as I thought. So next time you’re sipping a pint just think about the dust explosions, the machete-wielding hop harvesters, the secret yeast and the odd bit of spontaneous combustion. Bottom’s up!
The Peroni yacht has scheduled departures from the V&A Waterfront at 11am, 1.30pm, 4pm and 6pm. Cruises last 90 minutes and cost from R130 per adult. Complimentary fizz is incuded in some tours, but beers must be bought on board.
You may also like
Related Posts
The renowned Wolfgat in Paternoster has made headlines once again by featuring on CNTraveller's list...
read more
This vibey, bohemian suburb, known for its great nightlife and gracious Victorian houses, is constantly...
read more
Veganism is becoming a lifestyle all across the world, as people become conscious of the...
read more
