With only a few days left before the Capital Craft Beer Festival 2018, excitement is tense. We caught up with the gentlemen from Friar’s Habit. The Pretoria trio is well known in the local scene and their beer says it all.
1. Could you take us through the formation process of Friar’s Habit? What sparked this initiative?
Jaco and Louis met by total coincidence through mutual friends on twitter. Louis had been home brewing with his dad for a few years and had just set up his own system. Chris and Jaco were already friends and Chris was on his way to South Korea to teach English. One night Louis invited Jaco and Chris over to help him finish a keg (a fresh batch of beer had been brewed and there were no empty kegs to put it in), and the rest just kind of happened from there…
2. Which of the beers do you find is most popular?
Our Red Irish Ale, on tap, dispensed with Nitro is proving to be extremely popular at the moment
3. What has been the strangest concoction you have brewed thus far?
Johan from Capital Craft tasted a Well’s Banana Bread beer whilst on holiday in England. He enjoyed it and set us the challenge to brew our own. We tasted the Well’s beer and weren’t happy with the artificial flavours, so we brewed our own with Golden Syrup and real bananas … a lot of bananas. It came out really great!
4. If you could create a Friar’s Habit banquet, which product would you pair with a specific type of food?
Our Honey Weiss beer pairs really well with Pork; gammon, eisbein or sausage. Our Cali Common is really fresh and easy drinking and goes well with almost anything. Best enjoyed around a good old South African braai. Our Red Irish Ale is a really smooth and tasty treat on a cold day. Goes well with a hearty beef stew or a Sunday roast dinner. The bold hop flavours of our “Friar’s Rabbit” IPA pair exceptionally well with a bold and spicy curry.
5. Would you say that exportation is in the pipeline?
We’re very much a proudly Pretoria brand, but more than that, we pride ourselves on keeping our customers happy and well stocked with fresh beer. We’re always growing, and as our capacity increases, our distribution circle will continue to grow. We’ve had a lot of interest from abroad including South Korea, Hong Kong, the USA and the Republic of Cape Town. Time will tell.
6. Any tips for all the South African homebrewers out there?
Get involved, make friends and join a club. The Worthog Brewers have grown from strength to strength in recent years. They now sport chapters in Pretoria, East Rand and two in Johannesburg. Enjoy the great people and beer culture. You won’t look back.
https://www.worthogbrewers.co.
For more information on Capital Craft Beer Festival 2018, click here > https://bit.ly/2pb9UkY