If you like your pint with a side of rustic solitude, you probably won’t find a more fitting spot than the Misty Meadows Brewery, just outside George. After driving a selection of ever-smaller roads leading off the R102, ending with a rutted dirt track, you begin to wonder if it might all be a practical joke. Even on arrival you start to question if this is really a brewery or just a giant shed in the middle of nowhere.
Well actually, it’s both. The cavernous bar/restaurant sits under a huge, partially open farm building with views over the Outeniqua Mountains that live up to the brewery’s misty moniker. There’s just one beer on tap – Buzzard Country Ale – and a minimal menu featuring home-cooked fare with locally grown produce.
Misty Meadows might sit squarely in hop country, but these guys aren’t afraid of malt. The beer is mildly fruity with lots of malt aromas. For some, Buzzard Country Ale might seem slightly under carbonated, but I like my ale not overloaded with bubbles – and the slight lack of fizz makes it a very drinkable pint.
They’ve been brewing here since 2009 but when I visited, the restaurant hadn’t even reached the teething phase (it had literally opened two weeks earlier). Still, manager Jochem Hattingh already had things under control. On weekends there’s a beer and pizza special and midweek it was my kind of lunch spot – the kind of place where you tell them what you fancy eating and they rustle up a dish from scratch. Of course, with an artisanal cheese shop and speciality butcher on the property, creating fresh cuisine on demand is made a lot easier.
Just 10 minutes from the N2, Misty Meadows makes an excellent lunch stop if you’re touring the Garden Route. And for those who’d rather stick around, the Brewing Experience offers an all-access look at how beer is made. Over two days you follow the brewing process, slotting in the odd game of golf and more than the occasional pint while science is doing its stuff.
Misty Meadows Country Estate is open Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 9pm. Backpacker accommodation is available at R150 per person. Brewing Experience weekends cost R1500 per person.
www.mistymeadows.co.za, cell: 083-454-6058
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