Three out of the 200 craft breweries in South Africa are to be found in East London and along the coast east and west of the city, but they are bold and fulsome.
The Daily Dispatch tested and toasted these great local destinations for a festive season visit.
The three have one thing in common; great beer, lovingly brewed by enthusiastic brewers who delight in their craft. For beer aficionados, a sophisticated pub-crawl, with family in tow, can start in the east, at Emerald Vale Brewery, 35km from the city, and within sight of the Chintsa River and beach.
Brewer Chris Heaton sold his construction business and started to brew beer on a commercial scale in 2012. As with most beer crafters, he turned a hobby into a business.
While beer was once the anchor attraction, the 400ha farm lent itself to other activities. There are cottages, camping, hiking and biking trails, and an array of children’s entertainment, said Petra Trunkenpolz, who with her husband Hans, recently bought into the Emerald Vale brand. “The Jikaleza area is a great tourist destination. The various venues work closely together, encouraging visitors. Earlier in the year, we had a Spring Festival, and had 1,600 people through the farm gate. Later this month we have Jesse Clegg performing.”
On the west coast, in Kidd’s Beach village, is Daxi’s Craft Brewer and Family Eatery. Of the three crafters, it has the largest range. Brewer Craig Mayhew, an engineer, started Daxi’s four years ago, also turning a hobby into a business.
He and his partner and wife, Lyn, have named the beers with references to East London. Among them are Gonubie Gold Blond Ale, Buffalo Pale Ale, Amatola Red, Frontier Lager, and Phantom Pilsner, named after the legend of a Kidd’s Beach ghost.Table 58 is located in Floradale nursery precinct on the outskirts of Beacon Bay. It is a no-frills pub, focusing on great beer, with the added attraction of a good restaurant.
Brewer Paul de Klerk said the microbrewery got the name from a social gathering of East London businesspeople, who met most Friday afternoons for a few drinks and relaxed raconteuring.
They often ordered takeaways from a nearly restaurant, with 57 tables, and told the manager to invoice them as “Table 58”.De Klerk said funding a start-up brewery was not a venture the traditional banks found palatable. “They clearly were not beer drinkers,” he said. “We were turned down by all of them, but my partners and I had a passion for the project. Fortunately one of the 58ers shared that passion and became a silent partner, and lent us the name.”..