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The brewery sits next to a fresh food court. I sat there for a couple of mornings, drinking my coffee, writing my philosophy ramblings, always smelling the delicious food, and never giving in to the temptation of eating too much. But then I saw that the Mad Giant Brewery's taproom was next door... This was like a nail in the coffin. I had to visit it.

I have been drinking their beer for a while now, at least, when I get some. They are quite hard to find, brewing pretty interesting stuff for a South African market only on occasion - so on a given day, there are only so much of their beers floating on the market.

They have neat returnable bottles which most places will take back and give you a pretty decent amount back - to buy more beer obviously! But this incentive is something I think more breweries can follow; even if only to reward your drinking fans and get them to buy more!

So, I had my trust Beer Passport with me, and I entered the brewery or taproom knowing that I will get some seriously good beer. This is a report on my trip to this brewery, filled with triple cooked chips and some interesting photographs. I hope that you enjoy this virtual journey with me.

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The Beers, Obviously

We come to these places for the beer, obviously. So, I sat down, and almost instantly they brought me a pint of their IPA. And this was seriously good. I have only had their pale ale and their DIPA previously, so I knew that I would be getting something good.

And I love the wordplay on their glasses. In our country "My Brew" is a term you call your friend in a very friendly manner. And then the obvious other playful language, like calling for more beer. Wait until the end of this post to see more of this beer humour.

I also got my trusty stamp in the corner of the page. I liked every sip of this beer, especially paired with the food we had... See this below, it was something special...

The Brewery, a Quiet Night of Beer and Games

I saw on their menu that you could get some board games. But when we arrived it was very quiet and empty. It was not the best feeling, so we did not really labour it too much. We also had other plans for the night (pizza at another joint). So, we enjoyed the beers and a light snack. I can think at night when there are more people that the place can get loud and have a better "vibe" to it.

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The kitchen was very quiet, but their menu looked really good. Smoked meats, burgers, and the most mouthwatering triple cooked fries. I could smell there was brewing something in the kitchen (punny) with all of the chefs talking and the menu looking way too fancy for a taproom. But I loved this ambiance.

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The taproom also had various other beers, local and not. Local in the sense of local to Johannesburg or Jozi. It had beers from Cape Town as well, but I did not come all the way to Jozi to drink beers brewed in my backyard. So, obviously I stuck with the local brews. (I also found a very well stocked liquor shop close to where I stayed, so I grabbed a bottle or seven to take home as well.)

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Them Fries were Calling my Name

When I booked a table (which was very unnecessary) I saw their menu. From the moment I glanced the fries, I knew I wanted to try it. Especially with the mayo; I mean, fermented onion mayo at a bar in the middle of town? This was so good. Too good. Sadly, we wanted to try a local pizza joint that sold only sourdough pizza (a rarity in South Africa) so we only ordered the fries. And they were some of the best I had ever eaten.

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At the Bottom of Each Glass there is the Promise of More Beer

In the end, we had a good time, even though the vibes were a bit slow. People always find their way, and hopefully we will find out way here again in the future. The fiance and I already said we will return, the accommodation where we stayed was really good, and we will come back sooner than later to try more of the local places. There was just too much to do in one go.

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For now, I hope that you are travelling as well. And having a good beer on the side.

Happy travels and happy drinking!

Keep well.

All of the musings and writings are my own. The photographs are also my own, taken with my Nikon D300.