Sabie Brewing Company | The new brew on the block
After more than five years of planning the town of Sabie near Nelspruit now has its very own craft beer brewery called the Sabie Brewing Company.
According to Shaun McCartney who heads up the operation, it all began with a couple of friend casually chatting around a table. “I’ve always said that you can’t retire in a town that doesn’t make its own quality beer,” Shaun laughs.
He has been living in Sabie for the past 30 years and was originally involved in the timber industry. After a stint on a game farm he returned to Sabie which he plans to call home for the rest of his life. But retiring wasn’t his motive since as soon as he got back he started working on the brewery. Before he got underway with the business he found the best brewing course that he could, which was at Brew Lab which is part of the Sutherland University in the UK.
According to Shaun Sabie has very good water which is probably the first consideration when you want to start brewing beer. After many successful brews made in his garage it was time to scale up. By that time Shaun had already visited just about every single microbrewery in SA to see what is happening locally. By the start of 2014 all of pieces of the puzzle were starting to fit together and the process was on a roll.
The Building
The building they secured for the brewery is the oldest permanents structure in Sabie and was built of brick in 1921. It had however been standing derelict for many years and was slowly crumbling away. After receiving permission from the heritage society to use the building, the process of renovating it began. “We wanted to maintain as much of the dignity of building as we could. We kept the original brickwork and facade and also the original tin roof and trusses. The floors were unfortunately beyond repair and mostly destroyed by termites. Some of the wood from the floors were luckily salvageable and was used to build the bar.”
The Beer
If you are interested in the process of making beer you will really enjoy a chat with Shaun. His passion is tangible as he explains away and makes you sniff this and taste that. He gets very excited whenever there is something in the giant fermenters and can hardly contain himself while having to wait for it to be ready.
If you are less concerned with the process of making beer and more interested in drinking it, you will really enjoy having a beer with Shaun as he is equally good with explaining the tastes of the different beers available on tap at the brewery.
Currently there are five beers on tap which include Glynn’s Gold London Ale, Long Tom Lager (Dunkel), Shangaan Stout, Dravidian Draught (Indian Pale Ale) and Wheelbarrow Weiss. But Shaun is eager to try everything and will bring in other beers from time to time.
The Food
Chef John Grobbelaar was stuck in an office in Gauteng before joining the team at Sabie Brewing Company and is really like a bird out of a cage ready to explore. He finished high school in Sabie but left for work in the big city. But he soon missed the Sabie Mountains and was only too happy to return when the opportunity arose for him to get back in the kitchen.
John is already making name for himself with his amazing bread made with beer grist. He bakes fresh daily and started by making just a few rolls a day but has had to double his mix more than once as popularity started growing quite rapidly.
Spent grain from the brewing process doesn’t get wasted and is traded to a local goat farmer in exchange for feta, halloumi and cottage cheese which all feature on the menu and is really worth a taste. The menu has some interesting items like trout starter, cheese and meat platters, bangers and mash, beer battered hake and Creme Brulee. Prices are really very reasonable and the meals look and taste great.
According to John the menu has a German/South American feel to it with some local tastes to make it more personal. “People are hungry for something different and I plan to keep regular specials and new seasonal items,” he adds.
Find out more
Like the Sabie Brewing Company Facebook page to stay up to date with specials and events or contact them on 013 764 1005
Here are some other Breweries in the area…