When I was a student with empty pockets and little experience of the real world I would ridicule people who bought expensive clothes, drove luxury cars or, worst of all, quaffed premium beers.
A lot of the ridicule stemmed from, yip, you guessed it, envy. Ignorance, too, played a big part. Ignorance that expensive clothes last longer and are extremely comfortable and that certain luxury cars had excellent resale value and, in the long run, were rather economical.
At that time I was just a lager swilling ignoramus with no idea of the intricacies and complexity of wine making, distilling and brewing.
Today I wear shoes at are durable and comfortable, bespoke button down shirts and linen shorts on a hot summer’s day. I have also known the pleasure of owning a spacious SUV for my family of six on a long distance holiday.
When it comes to beer I have still been known to swill a pack of lagers on long afternoon of braaiing and rugby, but, for choice, I want a beer that is full of character and complexity.
Eight Different Grains
Near the top of my list of brews to savor is Richmond Hill Brewing Company’s (RHBC) That Girl Oatmeal Stout.
I have written before of Niall Cook, the RHBC Master Brewer, and his incredible talent for producing beers that are complex but also quaffable.
That Girl Oatmeal Stout is the epitome of his creative talent. This is a brew that has all the chocolate notes and roasted character of a stout but is also creamy and light and very easy drinking.
Niall says, “That Girl is brewed in a manner to balance the roasty richness of a stout with the drinkability of a lager or pilsner. It’s not a heavy stout and is very sessionable.”
Amongst the grains that have been used are oats, roasted barley, crystal malt and wheat. This is a highly unusual mix and requires the same understanding of balance and proportion as the tailor who made my bespoke shirt.
In many of Niall’s other recipes it is the mix of hops that add the sublime character to his brews but in this case, probably because of the complexity of the grains, there is just the single hop and California Ale is the yeast used in the fermentation process.
Everybody knows not to shake a can or bottle of carbonated refreshment. Well checkout the instructions on a can of That Girl and you will find a three step instruction on how to pour your beer that starts with “Shake Like Hell”and is followed by “Pour Fast” and lastly, “Pour At Height”.
I asked Niall why on earth you would do such and thing and he replied, “On tap the beer is poured through a nitro tap which makes the beer creamy and elevates the experience of the malt. In the cans we also tried to add the nitro feel. By shaking the can it knocks the CO2 and nitro bubbles out of suspension and this gives you the same creamy feel as the nitro tap.”
What more could you want from a beer? I challenge you to find a brew with as much complexity, taste and character.
In the tradition of RHBC labeling, That Girl Oatmeal Stout is wrapped in the delightful work of a local Gqeberha artist, in this case Shelley-Anne Graham.
Order your That Girl Oatmeal Stout online here or visit their tap room off Alabaster Street, Baakens Valley, Gqeberha.
