A ‘Beer Bible’ for South Africa

THE BEER BOOK, by Holger Meier. The Frog Trust, 2014. 303 pp.

Reviewed by Gunther Simmermacher

For centuries, brewing beer was the domain of monks. Many monasteries in Europe had breweries, and the monks would quaff the liquid for sustenance, with the recreational properties that follow consumption a happy side-effect.

There are still many breweries operated by monks, though these days the beer is made not for nourishment during Lenten fasts but for commercial trade. It is how monasteries have supported themselves through the ages.

Visitors to the Oktoberfest in Munch may acquire their alcohol poisoning in tents run by breweries with their roots in monasteries: Paulaner, Augustiner or Franziskaner (Spaten).

In Belgium especially, many of the country’s highly-rated beers are still made by monks, such as Maredsous, Abbaye de Saint-Martin or Westmalle.

The Trappists in particular are known for their beers. They have six breweries in Belgium, two in the Netherlands and one each in Austria, Italy and the United States.

So it is fitting that South Africa’s most comprehensive book on the subject of brews, Holger Meier’s The Beer Book, should have been printed by the Mariannhill Mission Press, which has its roots in the Trappist order (the Congregation of Mariannhill Missionaries was founded in this country by Trappists).

The Beer Book is an comprehensive guide for those who prefer the varied craft beers to the mass produced brews which dominate the market. The book is beautifully curated, with photos of the various South African beers, a description and a space for the reader’s comments.

 

A craft beer is seen in a Cape Town bar with Table Mountain in the background. (Photo: Günther Simmermacher) © 2015

Meier guides the reader to 101 microbreweries, many of which offer beer-tasting (some offer a free drink on presentation of the book). He even advises which type of glass goes with which beer.

One thorough section also provides an overview of beers that are imported to South Africa.

Meier does not review the beers. Indeed, to have sampled every listed beer might have been hazardous to his health. The abstracts are usually provided by the brewery, so it is up to readers to decide whether or not they like a particular beer.

The book is delightful to page through, but it might have been served by an index for quick reference.

For those who love the emergence of microbreweries, The Beer Book is a treasure.

Order from beerbook.co.za