The Corkless Mind

Tag: craft beer

Darling Brew: What’s New and Trending.
A Friday well spent is one out of the office visiting one of my favourite local craft brewers. Craft beer is something Darling Brew does so well and not to mention sustainably too. I attended their official launch in April this year for the announcement that they have obtained carbon neutral status, which meant Darling Brew had officially become Africa’s very first Carbon neutral brewery. Remember the tree that was planted in April to commemorate their carbon neutral status? Here’s an update:

Co-founder of Darling Brew, Philippa Wood graciously hosted and took me and a select group of media on a very informative tour of the brewery, in what made me feel like this was a more grown up version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Entering the brewery, the rich smell of roasted hops fills the air and entices you to a ‘cold one’ upstairs at the Tasteroom where you can also order an equally delicious meal to pair with your brew of choice. It’s been a while since April, so here’s my update on what’s new on offering at Darling Brew:

News on the Brews

We were some of the first to be let in on a little secret. Darling Brew has just launched a new beer, Pixie Dust. It is a Golden Weiss beer. We when visited recently, I noticed a brewing tank labelled ‘Pixie Dust’, as well as that they have already started serving this tasty beer on tap at the Brewery, one more reason to go and visit Darling Brew! Philippa informed me that both Slow Beer and Bone Crusher beers were recently awarded at the 2018 African Beer Awards.

The Tasting Room

The menu is seasonal and good old pub grub with a special touch on locality, only using local artisanal food suppliers. The incredibly rich and creamy cheese selection that is used in any of their menu items containing cheese comes from a local dairy shop, Udderly Delicious, the smoked meats and charcuterie they use is sourced from Darling heavyweight, The Flying Pig. I particularly love how much emphasis Darling Brew puts on supporting local businesses.

Joyce who works at Darling Brew, has a wealth of knowledge about their award winning beer and brewing processes. Her passion and drive is so infectious!

That gooey cheese was a winner!

After my tasting flight of fresh and fruity beers, I opted for ‘The Cuban’. A toasted sourdough sandwich with smoked pork ham, gooey cheddar cheese and pickles with a side of delicious crispy potato chips. I was forewarned by our waitress that the portion is quite generous, and generous it was! I would advise going hungry, fuelling up with either breakfast or lunch before partaking in a tasting flight of your choice.

The tasting flight variety ensures that there certainly is something for everyone!

Pick between the DB Popular flight consisting of the:
- Slow Beer
- Gypsy Mask
- Rogue Pony
- Bone Crusher
Alternatively, if you don’t consider yourself to be much of a beer drinker, try the Ladies Flight, which consists of Rock Shandy inspired beers like:
- Golden Tail – Lemon 2.6%
- The Ruby Jewel – Grapefruit 6%
- Gypsy Mask – Red Ale 4%
- Rogue Pony – Pale Ale 5%
FYI

Official word: this year the Darling Brew Beer Fest will be held on the 15 December. Keep your eyes peeled to their social media accounts for updates closer to the time. If you’re in and around Woodstock you would have noticed a massive billboard on the actual building announcing Darling Brew coming to the neighbourhood soon, opening doors early 2019.

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Something Different and New

In the spirit of sustainability, Darling Brew has been toying with the idea of creating something out of the spent grain that comes with any beer production. Until, enough trial and error, Darling Brew Beer Crisps were born. With two flavours, Slow Beer and Bone Crusher made with the spent grain of said beers, the bags of crisps are great value for money for the size of the bag. To make the crisps, 40% of spent grain is used. Grain from the Bone Crusher and Slow Beer is used to make the respective flavours of crisps. Since launching on the market, the crisps have been well received. Another snippet of inside information, the crisps will in future be used on The TasteRoom’s menu as a delicious addition for Nachos. Production of the crisps are on site, besides the actual frying of the crisps which is sent to a local business to take care of. The small batches are then brought back to the brewery to be put on a steep conveyor belt which is then gently dropped into bags that are immediately sealed and ready to be sold off to any lucky customer. I of course couldn’t bare to leave the brewery without having purchased a bag of both the Slow Beer and Bone Crusher to enjoy at my own leisure.

Find Darling Brew Tasteroom & Brewery on the West Coast Way Culture & Foodie Routes

Distance from Cape Town: 76km

Darling Brew Tasteroom & Brewery: 48 Caledon Street, Darling

Brewery, Restaurant, Tastings & Sales, open-air kids play area, MTB-friendly, Live Events

School Holidays & Flower Season: Open 7 days a week.

Tasteroom operating hours:

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 9 am to 5 pm Kitchen closes at 4 pm

Friday 9 am to 7 pm Kitchen closes at 6 pm

Saturday 9 am to 5 pm Kitchen closes at 4 pm

Sunday 10 am to 4 pm Kitchen closes at 3 pm

They are also open for private functions. The restaurant works on a walk in basis but large groups are encouraged to book.

Contact: +27 (0)21 286 1099 | tasteroom@darlingbrew.co.za | www.darlingbrew.co.za
October 31, 2018
Darling Brew: Africa’s first Carbon Neutral Brewery.

**My visit to the Brewery and this post is sponsored by Darling Brew and West Coast Way.**

Local craft beer is something that is loved and celebrated in my household. I do consider myself somewhat of a beer drinker and I take pride in my very basic knowledge and ability to tell a Weiss apart from a Lager. I received an invite from West Coast Way and Eco-heroine and creative director of Transparenci, Sarah Farell, for a very exciting secret launch at Darling Brew. Requesting all media to only reveal the secret piece of news on the day at 12:00 pm. The news you may ask? Darling Brew had officially become Africa’s very first Carbon neutral brewery!

An hour’s drive from Cape Town, Darling Brew is situated in the charming town of Darling, in the Western Cape and is a local gem that many flock to for the fantastic wide range of craft beers and delicious pub grub. On their path to sustainability, the microbrewery released their first carbon neutral beer in 2016, called the Blood Serpent. Darling Brew became a trailblazer in the industry for bringing about change this game in how craft beer is produced. After a good road-trip to Darling, Co-owner of the microbrewery; Phillipa Wood welcomed us on site with a few cold ones and some delicious bites to eat from local artisans to celebrate this momentous occasion. The brewery is expected to offset a total of 687.96 tons of CO2 over the next year. This will be an equivalent to having eliminated the same amount of carbon from the environment as 17 829 tree seedlings having grown for 10 years.

After quenching our thirst with more beer and lining our tummies full of charcuterie, we were taken on a tour by the brew master of the brewery. Don’t be fooled by it’s small size, Darling Brewery ships to the U.S and all over with high demand for their award winning craft beer. After the insightful tour around the bustling factory, we got to bottle our very own Blood Serpent! From labeling to closing the bottles with a manual bottle top sealer. And yes, we even got to take our own bottled beers with us home.

To mark the occasion, a Water Pear Tree was planted on the premises outside the brewery. Everyone had a hand in picking up the shovel and contributing soil towards the young tree’s new home. Every year a tree will be planted to continue the path of sustainability and to celebrate the microbrewery’s carbon neutral status.

Supper was a simple but delicious affair. The menu offers wide variety for any slippery customer. The ribs are a famous attraction at the restaurant, with many visiting just for their carnivorous fix. The cheese and charcuterie platters are perfect for snacking and pairing with your favourite beer. All ingredients are proudly and locally sourced. Did you know? Darling Brew recycles their grain, providing it to local farmers. In turn getting their meat from these farmers for the restaurant on site. Supporting and celebrating local is what Darling Brew is all about!

Darling Brew is family friendly with a little play area for the kiddies, there is definitely something there for everyone to enjoy! If fantastic craft beer and tasty pub grub is what you’re after, then take a drive out to Darling and experience it for yourself!

How to get there: Find them on the West Coast Way Culture & Tractor Routes. Drive into Darling and turn into Evita Bezuidenhout Boulevard, head over the railway line, following directional signage to Darling Brew. Visit their website on: http://darlingbrew.co.za/

Bookings highly recommended: 079 182 9001
tasteroom@darlingbrew.co.za

April 20, 2018
Lobster roll with a Sriracha and Lobster mayonnaise.

Lobster roll with a Sriracha and Lobster mayonnaise.

As you might have noticed with recent posts I tend to lean more towards food that is associated with summer and festivity and what a more fitting day than with such gorgeous weather while on the brink of Spring in South Africa.
Here in South Africa, we have rock lobster called Crayfish. For some time now the Crayfish population have been under immense pressure and extreme danger of extinction with many overfishing and exploiting the rock lobster. I love crayfish, my mom makes a mean crayfish curry and if had my way I would indulge frequently but I would much rather be responsible and try to save the population by not doing so. I see it as our duty to protect a species that is so loved and vulnerable.

The partially cooked crayfish was purchased at Woolworths fish counter and was imported.

I poached the crayfish in an emulsion of butter, garlic and a squeeze of lime juice for 5 minutes on a medium heat. Keeping in mind the crayfish was already parboiled. I heated the buns in the oven and for the Sriracha lobster mayonnaise I prepared the mayonnaise, which is store bought normal mayonnaise mixed with Sriracha, lime juice, and the juice of the carcass of the rock lobster roasted in the oven to caramelize with olive oil to make a lobster oil, stir until combined. To assemble, cut the buns down the middle, slather with the flavoured mayonnaise, then place pieces of the avocado on each side along with the butter lettuce and top with the crayfish and mayonnaise and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve with a good icy cold craft beer.

Lobster roll with Sriracha and Lobster mayonnaise.
The photos were taken around 13:00 on a perfect sunny Cape Town day.

I used the newspaper in the background to create a little ambience for a pub crub seafood meal. I love how the cobalt blue of my board creates a perfect colour juxtaposition in my photos, especially for this shoot.

This post was collated whilst listening to the soundtrack of Whiplash. My favourite song on the upbeat jazzy soundtrack is you guessed it, Whiplash.

August 17, 2016