Guest Taps: BrewDog Punk IPA
Besides the 99 bottles on our wall, Beerhouse also boasts 22 taps. Of which, some are dedicated regular lines while some we reserve as Guest Taps, dedicated to the more exclusive kegs we can get our hands on. The first of our current Guest Taps is the BrewDog Punk IPA.
BrewDog’s flagship beer, the Punk IPA, is a decidedly hoppy and powerful IPA that has achieved success in changing conventional British brewing.
By taking a leaf out the books of American brewing, BrewDog upped the hops and produced a new-age IPA that is spearheading the beer revolution. With a soft, hoppy aroma, the Punk IPA resembles a post-modern twist of amazingly fruity hops that give way to an explosion of floral, fruity and citrus flavours that drags you out with a long, crisp, bitter finish. Despite the malty sweetness of the alcohol attempting to tame the bitterness, the hoppy bite catches you and makes for the IPA-lovers best friend.
Check out the BrewDog Punk IPA on RateBeer here.
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Rare & Limited Bottles: #111 Rochefort Trappistes 10
The Rochefort Trappistes 10 is a Belgian masterpiece of a quadruple that rates 9th overall on RateBeer. A dark brown, hazy coloured beer with a thick aromas of dried fruit and roasted malt in a highly intriguing twist.
The flavours that come through are on the sweeter side with notes of liquorice, dried fruit and plums. A high carbonation gives for a massive mouthfeel in every sip and truly shows off this beers perfect balance of flavours. A high alcohol content at 11.3% ABV allows for the warmth of the alcohol to shine while assisting the flavours to stand out as opposed to overpowering them. A truly magnificent beer that should be on every beer-enthusiast’s bucket-list!
Check out the Rochefort Trappiste 10 on RateBeer here.
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Rare & Limited Bottles: #115 Magic Stone Dog
The Magic Stone Dog represents a fabulous mash-up between Magic Rock, Stone and BrewDog breweries in
what has come together as an eye-opening saison-pale ale hybrid in a traditional Belgian style. Off the bat, the aroma has the BrewDog citrus punch straight from the US West Coast with a touch of soft litchi and a spicy, cloves warmth. There is plenty of mouthfeel in this high-carbonation beer that carries the tart citrus flavours before the body brings in the warmth of cloves and body of an APA. The finish is traditional of US West Coast pale ales with a hoppy touch that lingers as the saison shows its colours with a lingering dry, crisp finish. This beer is definitely worth trying if just for the sake of experiencing the hybrid of styles or attempting to pick apart which characteristics came from which brewery. Overall, a fantastic collaboration!
Check out the Mad Stone Dog Belgian Ale on RateBeer here.
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Beerhouse Blues & Brews
When you think of the blues, you think about hardship, adversity and remorse. You get fired, you get the blues. Your girlfriend leaves you, you get the blues. Your beer is empty, you get the blues.
Blues music tends to deal with issues surrounding 
personal difficulties, however, the music itself moves far beyond self-pity. Blues music encompasses sentiments of overwhelming the odds, speaking your feelings, and simply embracing the moment.
Blues music has its roots back in 19th Century African-American history, originating from the songs the slaves used to sing on the plantations. Much of the inspiration evolved from African chants which the workers used to sing while toiling on the cotton and vegetable fields. It was only in the 1930s and ‘40s that blues began to spread, taking much inspiration from jazz. Blues music is about letting your hair down and breathing pure emotion. It can take you from tears to joy and back again effortlessly, communicating genuine emotion like no other music form.
Beer and blues music have a lot common. During the USA alcohol prohibition, both were consumed in the hidden corners of dusty bars, out of sight form the wandering eye. As a matter of fact, much blues from the time even uses prohibition in their lyrics, discussing the “prohibition blues”. Within a year of the repeal of prohibition, over 750 breweries opened across USA at around the same time that the growth of blues truly began to bloom.
It then only makes sense that our Beerhouse Blues & Brews night should be sponsored by Apollo Brewing Company. Apollo is run by a team of passionate and creative South Africans who have quickly got their name onto the tongues of many a beer-drinker. Named after the Greek god of light, sun, life and, amongst others, music, Apollo draws inspiration from these characteristics in and around Cape Town to produce real, flavourful craft beer of exceptional quality.
Our Blues & Brews evening will feature live blues music from the soulful Mean Black Mamba, a duo comprised of Guy Collins and James van Minnen. These two produce honest and expressive music that moves to evoke emotion.
“Raw foot stomping roots music that grooves your body and soul. Words of humour and hope sliding between writhing riffs and the insistent thump of a cowhide drum. This is afro swamp gospel, this is blues n’ roll. Gritty and hard hitting, the music winds you off the floor and twists you to your feet.”
This truly sums up what Mean Black Mamba is all about and really encompasses the passion that blues music carries. To see this live, visit Beerhouse on Long Street for a no-cover charge evening of blues and beer in both quantity and quality.
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Rare & Limited Bottles: #107 BrewDog Cocoa Psycho
In celebration of International Stout Day, today’s Rare & Limited beer is going to be a masterpiece of an Imperial Russian Stout.
Sitting at 10% ABV, the BrewDog Cocoa Psycho is slightly on the staunchier side and most certainly isn’t for the faint hearted.
We recommend a drinking temperature of just above room temperature to truly bring out the depth of flavours this beer contains. A medium aroma of roasted dark malt and dusty chocolate leads to a complex whirl of flavours. Aged on cacao nibs, vanilla pods and toasted oak chips, the slightly sweet initial coffee notes shift towards dark chocolate and cocoa powder with a strong, bitter coffee finish. These flavours combined with a very soft mouthfeel and a low carbonation make this imperial stout an absolute pleasure to drink.
Check out the BrewDog Cocoa Psycho on RateBeer here.
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