Cederbrew comes to Langebaan

Photo from their website.  They look even better in person.

If androids can dream of electric sheep ⁽¹⁾, I can dream of the Cederberg.  A place I have knowledge of, but have never been.  And previously with no desire to go there.  The stark beauty of the great outdoors is not my thing.  But after meeting the Niewoudt brewing sisters I suddenly have a desire to visit the place that can produce people like them. 

Now, of course the brewery helps generously with this desire, but not only that.  What drives you to make such good beer in, what can be called distant, if not remote an area? In fact I was taken to task when I suggested they were located across the river Styx.  It is in the fact the river Olifants.

I was privileged, along with the other Langebaan C.A.D.S., to meet (in alphabetical order) Melanie and Tania Nieuwoudt .  The brewing sisters of Cederbrew.  Brother Dirk we'll meet when the event is called "Meet the Maintenance man" (his joke, thanks Dirk) They came to Kalmer Karma to introduce their beers to the usual gang of idiots⁽²⁾ and rehearse for a big night at Beer House⁽³⁾.

We started with the people's, and my, favourite the Sandfish Weiss.  On first tasting this I thought they misnamed it.  To me it tasted a bit like a wit.  But weiss yeast used here and 1 cup of lemon juice. Also Citra hops.  So the brewers reckon that the hops and lemon juice (and zest.  what is zest?) echoes each other.  For sure this is an easy beer to drink.  In the various informal sub-tastings that took place, it beat Stellenbrau Jonkershuis Weiss, but not quite CBC Amber Weiss.  But it is a different beer to the CBC Red label.  Easier to drink, not so malty.  Let's call it a draw.

Sarie Marais is missing. Photo from their website.

Next up in our Cederberg tour was the Jan Pampoen. As demonstrated on many occasions my taste buds are not very sensitive, so while a very drinkable beer, I didn't pick up the 4kg pumpkin per 100l of beer.  And seeing that I don't like pumpkin, it is a good thing.  As an experiment to "get rid of farm produce"  this is  a success.  The spices added also fade with time like the hops. (this knowledge accrue when the brewers are there to help explain).  Our resident American said this "was one of the best pumpkin ales I've ever tasted."  High praise for a well made ale.

I missed out on the reason the cherry beer is called Sarie Marais. Not sweet and deliberately not.  I think they would sell more if it was sweet like the expectation created by the Liefman's Fruitese.  But this is a technically correct beer, not soda streamed fruit juice and vodka. I am eagerly waiting for the uncherried blonde beer that forms the base of Ms Marais.

The Catfish Pale Ale is an English style ale.  The hoppiest of the bunch.  Quite a distinctive beer. 

Label picture from their website. 

This fishy name, like the others, refers to endangered local Cederberg fish that the family are re-establishing in the river on their farm.  Label design, like everything else with this brewery, done in house, almost entirely by Tania and Melanie.  Besides the pretty pictures the labels contain beer geek things like IBU ⁽⁴⁾.  Something I wish most brewers did.

We ended on the Chubby Head stout.  Top 10 Chubby Head stout ⁽⁵⁾as it turns out. A dry version which the stout stalwarts really liked.  In the sub taste off it beat the regular stout at the bar, Black River from Boston.

Moral of the story, good things can come from home brewing (where Tania learned) and studying (where Melanie learned).  So encourage all home brewers you know, they might ferment into professionals.  Students really don't need encouragement when it comes to beer.  And whenever you get a chance, buy Cederbrew. 




(1)    I have no knowledge of live sheep.  Electric or organic.  Dead sheep to eat, different matter. Look up the movie and book reference.
(2)    From the masthead of Mad Magazine when they describe the contributing artists.
(3)    More about that later
(4)    Bitterness indicator.  Ask me some other time.
(5)   SA National Craft Brewers championship top 10 2014