Cape Town - When I visited Newlands Brewery for a tour last week, I learnt something new. “Lite” – as in Castle Lite – is not just bad spelling. It stands for Low In Total Energy. When the word is spelled “light” it means low in alcohol.
Usually the tour of the brewery includes a walk through the old Mariendahl Brewery, the country’s oldest commercial brewery, but this is being renovated so until around mid-July you’ll only get to see the massive modern brewery, which can send out more than two million bottles of beer a day.
The art of brewing beer is pretty much the same as it’s always been. At Newlands – where the brands Castle, Castle Lite, Castle Milk Stout, Hansa, Carling Black Label, Peroni (draught only, for the whole of South Africa), Redds, and Redds Dry are made – the chief ingredients are water, malt, maize and hops. The interesting thing about the water is that it comes directly from the nearby mountain. It’s been this way for more than 150 years. The whole lot is pulled together with brewer’s yeast, which is removed during the process of filtration and sent off to make Marmite. Now you know.
The day I visited was a whirlwind trip around the brewery, from the big kettles to the noisy bottling plant, and finished with a tasting of four beers. Since there isn’t a licensed bar, you get two additional tokens for full size bottles of your favourite. Although it’s not made at Newlands, for me that was the Flying Fish, which comes in lemon or orange flavours. Yes, maybe it’s girly – and serious beer lovers can roll their eyes here – but it’s a bit like a shandy and that’s what appeals to me.
In addition to the tours, Newlands Brewery does a food and beer pairing on the last Thursday of every month, but with this Sunday being Father’s Day, it is hosting a special “Kings Of The Castle” tour on Saturday, June 20, at 12 noon, followed by a three-course lunch.
“The food will be specially prepared for us by Alex Macfarlane, executive chef at Tsogo Sun Newlands, and he will talk about the flavours of the food,” said marketing co-ordinator Andrea Shea.
“Each course is specially paired with one of our beers, the flavours and intrinsics explained by a brewer. We make an occasion about each course, taking our time so that people can savour the flavours of both the food and beer combined.”
When you pair beer with food, it’s important to bear in mind the three Cs, said Shea.
“Beer should cut through the richness of the food, or it should complement the flavours of the food, or it should contrast the flavours of the food. Our menu does all three – and it’s a delicious menu. We can cater for vegetarians, but unfortunately no other dietary requests can be accommodated.”
The Kings Of The Castle tour and lunch costs R280, and a standard tour costs R80 a person with the tasting and two additional drinks. Because you’re going to be traipsing through a working factory there are some rules. Like wearing closed, flat, non-slip shoes.
l Tours take place Mondays to Thursdays at 10am, 12 noon and 2pm; Fridays at 10am, 12 noon, 2pm and 4pm; Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 6pm; and Saturdays at 10am and 12 noon. Booking is essential. Call 021 658 7440 or e-mail [email protected].
Weekend Argus