---

It has been a while since I have drunk an IPA that was totally different, something new, something experimental, and one that worked. Taste is completely subjective, no one can tell you that something was bad or good, it is always up to you, the person that experiences it first hand that can tell if something was good or not.

---

Not to get too philosophical over a beer, but you can get influenced by others over your own experience. The beer or food or anything in general will taste “good” or “bad” because you filter it trough the lens of society: Society said that it is good or bad, and therefore it will be good or bad. And this is not the way to go, we are not “open” to the beer (food, or any experience), and it will not “touch” us.

I am reminded by some philosophical work I wrote earlier this year, but the idea was something along the lines of, if you anticipate something you remain open, you allow that thing to change you, and you experience that thing (the beer in this case) with such an open-mindedness that the experience might be life altering. When we expect we foreclose this opportunity from the very beginning. If we expect a beer to taste in certain ways, we immediately cut off any possibility that that beer will taste different to us, or that it will radically change us. We imprint our frameworks onto the beer, and the beer does not imprint itself on me.

I digress…

This week, I tasted the Cederberg Brewery’s Voertsek IPA, a beer with some serious attitude. And let me from the start say that this beer blew me away, it was really something special. For a couple of months now, I have had IPAs that follow the same recipe. The citrus and pine hoppy notes come through strong, and while I do enjoy these styles, it does get boring after a while. With this beer, I was hit out of the park. It was a gritty and grungy beer, it was raw and powerful, it was not restricted to or dictated by the IPA style. I really enjoyed it.

As I poured it, I could immediately tell (and smell) that this was not the usual citrissy pine hoppy IPA.

Even though the label says that you might get citrus notes, I did not pick it up. Maybe it was because I did not want to pick it up. Maybe it was because I wanted something different, something raw, something untamed. And this beer seriously provided it.

It poured with a dark colour and brilliant white head. The light was a bit on the darker side, the sun setting the background (which I did not photograph), the colour was on the darker side. And the hoppy taste and smell was overwhelming in a good way.

I am struggling to find the appropriate words to describe the taste, as it tasted like an IPA to me. It may sound very strange, but this beer reminded me of the first IPA you try, and the experience of the insane amount of hops that hit you from all sides, taste, smell, texture, everything. This beer reminded me of the first time I tried an IPA, as both then and now, I am struggling to find the words to describe the beer.

It packs a punch at 6% ABV (which is probably not that high really). I am not sure how many IBUs it has, but it is also not that bitter. (I would guess around 40-55.)

I started drinking it cold, but as it warmed up while I drank it, it got even better!

---

---

As I drank the beer, the lacing was perfect. It clung to the glass, indicating a good brew. I think the glass that I used also complimented the beer, especially in the lacing but also the smell and taste.

It is interesting to see the Afrikaans language (my home language) on the beer. Voertsek is usually a word you use to get something or someone away from you. You usually say it to a dog or animal you want to get away from. It is a less profane way to swear. But it is also a name for dogs. People name their dogs this term, which is interesting to say the least. At the back of the glass, there is a small epithet of what I presume were to dogs, Voertsek and Boggom. It reads, “a Legend in the area – together they lived, together they dwelled/roamed, together they cried, and together they died…” Quite sad in the end.

---

Alas, this beer was seriously good, and it might also be because they use, according to them, “Pure mountain water from the Cederberg”, but I have been there and it is such a beautiful place. Maybe the beauty of the area also inspired and influenced the beer. Who knows.

I hope that you had a good beer, life is too short not to enjoy a good beer!

Keep well, and happy drinking.

All of the musings and writings are my own, albeit inspired by the beer! The photographs are also my own, taken with my Nikon D300.