South Africa

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Shongweni Brewery, Durban Pale Ale (South Africa) This is my favourite beer in Shongweni's range, a hoppy brew with 40 units of bitterness that uses Cascade and Challenger hops and an English ale yeast. It pours a hazy Caramac colour, with an immediate blast of marmalade orange on the nose, a toffee character and just a hint of spice. On the palate it is medium- to full-bodied, and an initial hit of sweetness is soon swept along by a tide of nicely chewy and tangy hops and a gentle fruitiness. 5.7% ABV, 34cl, ?1.79, Beersofeurope, .

Shongweni Brewery, East Coast Ale (South Africa) Brewers Gold and Challenger hops are used in Robson's East Coast Ale, a golden beer (though hazy and live as are all of Robson's beers) with 25 units of bitterness. It is a lively beer, pouring a hazy yellow/gold colour with a fluffy white head. It has a crisp and appetising nose too, with lemon and a touch of coriander or something floral and leafy. The palate is crisp, and this beer has good citrus and bitter hop bite, with a creaminess to the texture nicely off-set by plenty of tangy fruitiness. Very nice, and at just 4.0 ABV, very drinkable. 4.0% ABV, 34cl, ?1.75, Beersofeurope, .

Shongweni Brewery, Mango Fruit Beer (South Africa) This bottle-conditioned, unpasteurised beer from South Africa is brewed with barley and wheat, and brewed with fresh local mango. It is said to be 'strongly influenced by the monastic brewers from Belgium,' and the brewery employs only locally-grown fruits with Hallertau and Saaz hops. It pours a very hazy pale yellow, with a thick, fluffy head. There's a delightful hint - but only a hint - of mango on the nose, which is otherwise dominated by yeasty, clove and bubblegum aromas. On the palate this is nicely understated again, with the fresh, lemony bite of the beer and nicely bittering hops just sweetened and layered with juicy, ripe mango. Gentle and lovely stuff. 4.0% ABV, 34cl, ?1.75, Beersofeurope, .

Shongweni Brewery, Pineapple Fruit Beer (South Africa) Like all the Fruit beers in Robson's range, the pineapple used to flavour this bottle-conditioned ale is grown locally. It pours a pale, very cloudy yellow, with a thick, foamy white head. Once again it is the faintly medicinal, clove-like spice of the wheat that comes through most strongly, with the slightly luscious note of pineapple and a deal of grassy hop behind. On the palate this is dry, lemony and very grown-up, with a big cutting, pithy character and just hints of the pineapple that are soon overtaken by the hops and acids of the finish. 4.0% ABV, 34cl, ?1.75, Beersofeurope, .

Shongweni Brewery, Strawberry Fruit Beer (South Africa) Brewed with fresh, seasonal strawberries, this beer from Robson's is a subtle one, with a whiff of ripe, summery strawberry as it is opened, but then the aroma proving fairly elusive once this hazy, pale yellow/orange beer is poured. There is a fruitiness, and warming, creamy malt. On the palate the strawberry comes through once more, but not in the sweet, jammy style of some Belgian fruit beers. Here the fruit is slightly lost beneath a reasonably bitter finish and malty mid-palate. 4.0% ABV, 34cl, ?1.75, Beersofeurope, .

Shongweni Brewery, Wheat Beer (South Africa) Robson's wheat beer uses unmalted wheat as well as malted barley, Hallertau and Saaz hops and German yeast in a heavily cloudy beer (like all in Robson's bottle-conditioned range). It pours quite a dark, caramel colour with a thinnish off-white head. The nose has decent amounts of clove and spice, as well as a deal of caramel that makes it peachier, if less citrussy than some wheats. On the palate lovers of the striking, almost antiseptic quality of some really clove-like wheat beers might be disappointed, as this presents a fairly straightforward, if enjoyable palate of lemon and orange fruit with a modest hop presence. 5.0% ABV, 34cl, ?1.75, Beersofeurope, .

South African Breweries, Castle Lager (South Africa) The huge South African Breweries became even more dominant when it took over the US Miller Brewing Company in 2002 to form SABMiller, now one of the globe's brewing giants. This is their bed-rock product, the ubiquitous beer of South Africa. It pours a medium gold colour with moderate white head. Brewed from South African barley, Southern Star hops from George, and some South African maize, the nose is very fresh and citrussy, with lots of lemon peel and grassy notes, and a touch of sweetcorn. On the palate it is refreshing, light and zippy, with a certain sweetness and very little hop character. Internationally-styled and rather bland, but refreshing enough. 5.0% ABV, 33cl, ?0.99, Majestic, Surf4beer.

South African Breweries, Castle Milk Stout (South Africa) Purchased in South Africa, this stout pours an inky black colour with a thick, creamy coffee-coloured head. The nose is creamy too, with a malt-biscuit sweetness and small liquorice and even a hint of blackcurrant aromas. The palate is thick, creamy and sweet-edged, with lots of fruity character and a nice charcoally Irish stout dryness at its core. The dark roasted coffee and nutty character, with a bitter edge of burnt toast and Pontefract cakes, is joined again by the sweeter edge in the fnish of a very nice style of stout. 6.0% ABV, 75cl.

South African Breweries, Hansa Pilsener (South Africa) Handed to me by the owner as I arrived at a lovely guesthouse in Wilderness on South Africa's Garden Route, the can says ?With a kiss of Saaz hops?, as well as revealing that both barley and maize are used in the brewing. The colour is a medium gold, with a decent white head. On the nose it has quite a nice hoppy Pilsner style, with some creamed sweetcorn and a little honeyed note. On the palate it is quite a nicely-styled beer, with quite a full mouthfeel and a really crisp citrussy fruit quality before a decent grassy hop acidity and softening touch of malt supports the finish. Rather a good beer from the giant SABMiller. 4.5% ABV, 34cl, ?1.35, southafricanshop.

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