Something new brewing at Emerald Vale Craft Brewery
I recently celebrated a rather large milestone birthday and decided that in lieu of a party, I would head out to one of my favourite spots, Chintsa East, for a quiet family weekend.
This part of the Eastern Cape has always been very close to my heart, even during my 28 year exile in the City of Gold, and now, as a returning refugee, it has become one of my go to places whenever I can indulge in some time-off. There is just something so relaxing there …..
As a lover of beer and all things good, it will come as no surprise that Emerald Vale Brewery is an absolute favourite of mine, and I pay homage to that favourite, on each and every visit to the area. It goes without saying that this weekend was no exception, especially since ‘one needs to celebrate these momentous birthday occasions’ you know.
I was pleased to find the Pale Ale as I remembered – crisp, cold and available in a very large glass. Just to make sure that it was absolutely right, I tested two of those really large glasses … wouldn’t you? The friendly smiles and banter made me feel that I had come home and all was as it should be until I noticed a few changes to the surroundings.
The inside has a warm and inviting atmosphere with a log burning fire to warm the cockles on a wet or wintery day. Local artists paintings don the walls and attract your eyes as you relax on the couch and sip (or in my case rather inelegantly glug) your ale of choice. The atmosphere inside is warm and inviting and it is easy to loose a couple of hours while you soak in the atmosphere … and more of that crafty brew.
On this trip we discovered that Emerald Vale had almost doubled in size taking into account the new outside under cover deck and marquee area that has been added to the rear of the brewery. While this may be bad for all our wallets, it is going to be great as the brewery can now cater for much larger crowds and groups. I think we can expect plenty of events and functions emanating from our local craft brewery going forward, and I look forward to attending quite a few in person.
It is evident that good craft beer is big business and that Emerald Vale Brewery is committed to continually improving the customer experience. This is great news for our city and for local tourism that we have this great facility on our doorstep offering such great product and service. But just in case … I will just have to keep going back to make absolutely sure!
Barman … another round please!