A brand new beer tasting room opened its doors outside of Stellenbosch recently to add to the myriad of beautiful wineries, fantastic restaurants and beautiful accommodation options, giving us yet another reason to visit the wondrous Winelands.

Wild Clover Brewery has been in operation since 2012, and recently  forged a new partnership with uniWines to open its beautiful and brand new brewery and tasting room on Wild Clover Farm, attracting beer lovers from far and wide.

It was a happy coincidence that Ferdinand Appel, the CEO of uniWines in Rawsonville, saw their potential and decided to expand their own international wine portfolio to include craft beer. As part of the new partnership and the expansion of the brewery, they also changed their name and is now known as Wild Clover Breweries.

The brand new, state-of-the-art beer tasting room opened their doors with a huge celebration at Wild Clover Farm on Saturday, 13 February 2016, with beer, food trucks and fantastic live music to keep the party going.

The day kicked off with a media launch with a special food and beer pairing, before the event opened to the public at 12:00. Johan Badenhorst of the Voetspore series fame shared some stories as the MC, while Valiant Swart made sure the members of the media were entertained.

We had the chance to try some of the wonderful brews they have on offer, paired with delicious tidbits especially prepared for the event.

They currently have four beers on offer, each with a slight South African influence. They include: the Eagle Weiss Wit, the Blind Mole Pils, the Double Owl Ale and the Black Dog Porter, named for their watchdog, Zach.

1. Eagle Weiss Wit

As part of the introduction to their repertoire of beer, we were served the light and fruity Eagle Weiss Wit with a creamy chicken, avo, tzatziki and fresh herb wrap. Although I have never been a huge fan of Weiss beer, the combination of flavours were heavenly, with the two complementing each other perfectly. The light and fruity character of the Weiss beer was revealed – light and easy to drink, especially on a sunny day in Stellenbosch.

2. Blind Mole Pils

The Blind Mole is my absolute favourite and I spent the rest of the day wrestling the masses to get a refill before the next keg was yet again empty. For our tasting it was paired with an Asian-flavoured marinated fillet kebab (yum!) accompanied by pineapple, tomato and cucumber mint salsa. The fillet was delicious and the beer was indeed the perfect match. Of course, this could be because I’ve always been a fan of anything brewed with the “revered” Saaz Hop. A refreshing beer with fresh tropical flavours and only a subtle touch of bitterness.

3. Double Owl Ale

The Double Owl Ale is said to be the one to keep you going into the night, according to brewmaster Ampie. This one was expertly paired with a classic Grabouw boerewors roll with nut brown truffle butter onions. We couldn’t get enough of the “boeries” drenched in truffle butter. As it is a more traditional brew, most beer lovers will find this easy to drink, with a little nuttiness in the aftertaste.

4. Black Dog Porter

I have to admit that since I attended the first opening of the Wild Clover Brewery over three years ago, this has been one of my favourites among all their styles. The smoky aroma reminded me of a real South African braai in the Karoo. The Irish Porter was paired with a wonderful, slow roasted pulled pork roll with a dark and sticky BBQ sauce. The dark brew is rather heavy, but it sure is delicious – a smoky, sweet beer with a hint of chocolate and coffee!

Although the special tasting menu was a once-off affair, Wild Clover Breweries do offer a variety of seasonal platters with a selection of cold meats, cheeses and delicious bites to enhance the flavour of the beer.

Visit Wild Clover Farm:

Make sure to visit Wild Clover Breweries in Koelenhof, on the Koelenhof Road (R304) en route to Stellenbosch to try some of their magnificent beers. And to make sure you don’t have to drive after enjoying a few brews, TravelGround offers accommodation on the farm.

Or have a look at some of our many other beautiful accommodation options in Stellenbosch.

For more information about Wild Clover Breweries or to book your seat to taste their handcrafted beer, visit their website or call 021 300 0370.

Photographs: Elbé van Heerden
Establishment photo: TravelGround.com