One step closer to suburb’s local brew
PARKHURST - The trendy suburb is a step closer to its very own ale, following a beer tasting and voting event.
Organised by the brain behind the 11 Shillings Parkhurst Ale concept, Chris Emmanuel, brewer Carl Nienaber and residents, the event was held at soon-to-be-opened new restaurant, Craft.
Four specially brewed beers were presented to residents. After a brief description of each beer by Nienaber, attendees sampled the brews and voted for the one they felt conveyed the essence of Parkhurst.
The first beer offered was a Southern English Ale, described by Nienaber as “the mildest of the mild”.
He said the beer was uncommon in South Africa, and has a sweet taste due to the small amount of hops used in the brewing process.
Next, Emmanuel brought out an English Bitter.
Nienaber said, “This traditional bitter is a big jump from the Southern English Ale. It’s light, and has a distinct hop character.”
He added that, with its malt flavour and low alcohol content, the bitter would make a good quaffing beer.
The third beer to be sampled was an American Pale Ale. Delta hops had been used in the brewing process, giving the beer more body and bitterness than the previous two.
Nienaber said that the fourth beer, an English IPA, was his “big beer”, due to its pronounced hop character, bitterness and fairly high alcohol content.
“The characteristics of beer are exaggerated in this one. It’s less fruity and more earthy than the others we tasted,” he said.
Once all the beers had been sampled, the group of residents voted for their favourite one. These votes will be added to those cast by members of the suburb’s residents’ association who had attended a separate tasting event at Emmanuel’s home.
Emmanuel said local restaurants would also have the opportunity to have their say about which beer would finally fill the 11 Shillings Parkhurst Ale bottles.
“I hope to have the beer on the shelves early next year, and I’m in negotiations with local restaurants and shops in the hope they’ll stock it,” he said.
“I want this to be a ‘destination ale’. I’m looking at the possibility of seasonal variations on the beer, as well as introducing a ladies’ ale. It’s an ongoing process, and I think it’ll offer a lot of fun for the community.”
Details: Facebook: 11 Shillings Parkhurst Ale
