Happy Days at the Jozi Craft Beer Fest

I had to employ a guest blogger for this post for a couple of reasons. First, I was out of town when this event was happening in nearby Emmarentia, having gone back to the USA to finalize the last details of our move, for a week long farewell blowout in New York City, for my niece's graduation from Boston College and my nephew's Purdue crew regatta in Philadelphia at the Aberdeen Dad Vail. 

Secondly and probably more importantly, Vince is better suited to write about a Beer Festival anyway. I bought him a ticket and sent him on his merry way.

I am in the dead center 

You see, I am not a big beer drinker. I only drink beer occasionally usually with Mexican and Chinese food or on the Fourth of July. Yet in spite of this lack of commitment, I did go with my husband once to Oktoberfest in Munich years ago. It did not go well for me. After ordering one giant frosty mug, one humongous pretzel and singing one round of "Ein Prosit" while linking arms with Vince and our fellow table mates in the Spaten tent, I figured we were done. "OK, what do you want to do now?" I asked Vince. He looked at me perplexed.  "What do you mean? There is nothing else. This is it. Relax, we are going to be here a while." And we were.

Vince went back to Oktoberfest again later, several times in fact over the years, and always without me. Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit.

"Jozi Craft Beer Fest: one guest blogger's quest to sample a hundred beers from 40 South African micro-breweries - Vince Kasten, Guest Blogger

During the fall South Africans participate in all manner of sports - double marathons, iron man triathlons, and 100 mile bike races to name a few. On the whole they're a robust and outdoorsy bunch. I'm neither, so at 10AM on a cloudless, amazing weekend day I headed for the Jozi Craft Beer Fest. As it turns out, Johannesburg residents also treat beer drinking as an outdoor sport.

 The fall weather drew a big crowd of relatively young, fit and attractive people (and they looked that way "before" I started to drink). Almost everyone was with a group, except me it seemed, but that was ok, for me this was not about enjoyment, it was about fulfilling a solemn commitment as guest blogger. So along with my official beer mug I got 200 Rand worth of Coupons (Ron White fans will understand) and began sampling - if you can call a pint a "sample."

The advertisement for the Beer Fest said 100 beers from 40 micro-breweries. I only counted 30 or so beer tents, but the 100 beers sounds about right. Here's what I had: Copper Lake Brewery Jozi Pale Ale, Smack!republic IPA, Roeks Blonde, Everson Pear Cider (an nice pallet clearing fizzy alcoholic drink, and the only tent with a guard dog - a Dachshund named Keg), Cockpit Brew FokkerWeisen, Drayman's Jolly Monk Rauchbier, a small glass of a nondescript white wine from Alphabetical Wines (motto: Internationally Famous & Hangover Free) and a shot of a single malt South African version of Irish Whiskey.

I should probably have sampled more as I take the role of guest blogger seriously, but I also take my
freedom seriously and had to drive home. 30 years ago my buddy Ric and I each drank our way around the world (28 beers from 28 countries) in two days at a place called Turtle Krawls in the Florida Keys. Today at the Jozi Craft Beer Fest I didn't make a dent, but the day was more about the sun, the music ("Play that Funky Music White Boy" was popular...), and the fall crowd. It was not as much fun as it would have been had Darlene been there with me (my official position, despite the sms I sent both the boys about how they should think about moving to South Africa given the large numbers of tall, blonde, athletic females that apparently like to drink beer), but it was a good way to spend a sunny Saturday."