Bières sans frontières, Great British Beer Festival 2007. For more selections see previous post.
ABV: 5.7%
Origin: Polo Pony, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
Website: www.shongwenibrewery.com
The South African beer market is unsurprisingly almost exclusively dominated by homegrown global brewer SABMiller, but there is a scattering of micros and brewpubs, and the one that’s gained the most prominence internationally is Shongweni. It was founded in 2006 by Englishman Stuart Robson and his South African wife Sherene in the idyllic setting of the Valley of a Thousand Hills in the eastern province of KwaZulu Natal — “imagine the Lake District or Scottish lowlands, but in a subtropical setting,” as Stuart put it to beer writer Ben McFarland.
Durban Pale Ale is inspired by traditional British IPAs, to which there is some local claim as when these beers were exported to India the boats often stopped off in Durban and some of their cargo may have found its way ashore there. Brewed from South African malt and imported Cascade and Challenger hops (40 IBU worth), the beer comes out a cloudy light amber from bottle conditioning, with a fine creamy white head and a slightly vegetal orange and barley sugar aroma. A firm orange citric palate starts plain and then turns more complex with strawberrry fudge and caramel tones, thistly hops and slight farmyardy hints. It stays mainly dry through to a hoppy and herby but not especially bitter finish, with touches of roast, angelica and a nugget of coal tar soap. It’s an unusual and distinctive take on the style, if not yet a world beating one.
More Bières sans frontières selections in the next post.
Read more about this beer at ratebeer.com: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/shongweni-robsons-durban-pale-ale/76872/
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