When I found out I was heading to Meet The Brewers at Beerhouse, I called up my most beer-savvy girlfriend to make up for my lack of knowledge and off we went to Long Street (with our better-halves on stand-by to responsibly drive us home, of course).
Lakeside Beerworks was on the cards for Meet The Brewers that night, and Head Chef Roy MacAskill was in charge of the menus tailored for the selected craft beers.
The story of Lakeside Beerworks started brewing when two strangers, Morne and Pierre-Charl, met at a braai. After sharing in their love for craft beer (obviously the beginning of a beautiful bromance), they began to dabble in the art from Pierre-Charl’s garage. After a year, the Lakeside Beerworks’ guys bought the Valley Brewery in Kommetjie, which is where all the magic happens now.
My personal favourite pairing of the night was the first course, which paired Lakeside Beerworks’ London Ale with caramelised pecans sandwiched with blue cheese. I’m a cheese lover and crazy about caramelised nuts so this was right up my alley. I rather enjoyed the London Ale with its fruity notes, which come from the English yeast that is used (also the reason behind the name). This is the beer to order when you’re a newbie – like me!
Although I was fond of the American Pale Ale (APA), the dish of crispy black pudding is not for the faint-hearted. But, I held my commitment to ‘don’t knock it ’til you try it’ with a couple of bites and sat back with my glass of APA for the remainder of the course. Getting to know the golden-coloured beer was an easy task as a fruity accent remained along with the introduction of the slight hops finish.
Next up, was a glassful of Indian Pale Ale (IPA) – this is a big leagues beer for the experienced drinker. The craft beer is slightly heavy on the palate, mainly due to the intense flavour of the American C-hops used. The beer served as a great palate cleanser for the shortcrust pulled-pork pie. IPA would have a been a little too overpowering for my beginner tastebuds but it definitely served as a perfect partner to the dish, enhancing the curried channa (aka chickpeas) layered into the pie.
Lakeside Beerworks’ Weizen is the first beer that Morne and Pierre-Charl made and stays true to the yeast-dominant recipe. The Weizen has a smooth and crispy finish, and the lightness makes it an effortless beer to drink. Plus, the notes of banana and bubblegum make for an interesting tasting experience. To round off the pairing, and the night, the beer was served with Heffeweizen poached pear, honey and Heffeweizen sorbet for dessert.
OF NOTE
Where Beerhouse on Long, 223 Long Street, CBD
When One Monday every month from 6:30 pm
Cost R150 pp
Contact Join the Beerhouse Facebook page
Photography Cassidy Emmanuel and Billie-Jean Demas