The Oryx
Brewery: Karoo Brewing
Town: Paarl
Style: Weissbier
Color: unfiltered, lemony hone-comb
Head: white, effervescent, rocky, ample
Nose: slight clove
Body: medium
Palate: fruity, a bit of yeast
Served: from a bottle bought at Berg en Dal Rest Camp store
Impression: This was our last couple days on safari and we’d finished up the wine so I was very happy to find Karoo beers at the Berg en Dal store. The beers we’d had at our first braai at Satara Rest Camp were a mixed lot so I felt fairly confidant that these would be uniformly good. I wouldn’t normally buy a Weissbier and not because I don’t like them but I live in Munich and that is one beer that the locals do about as well as can be done. That said, it’s a perfect safari beer and rightly popular in the South African craft beer scene. I figured if anyone could do a good job of it, it would be Karoo. Besides, I liked the bottle. It looked magnificent on pouring and I was hopeful but though it was well-made, it just didn’t have the full flavor I like in a Weissbier. It seemed a bit thin and I was sure to make it the first beer of the day. If this is your style, by all means, try it but if you’re on the fence on this style, I don’t think this is the one that will get you off it.
How about another South African craft beer?