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Zululand Microbrewery

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About Eshowe.

Author: Graham Chennells

Publishing date: 01.07.2004 21:41

Zululand Brewery

Zululand Brewing Co in Eshowe, microbrewery on the KZN Brew Route . Microbrewery and Zulu Beer at Thothotho's

Eshowe Logo

Inland from the coastal plains we have “ A City set on a Hill ” called Eshowe which is amidst the soft hills and breathtaking scenery of Zululand. Zulu was born on the slopes of Mandawe and King Shaka had his Military stronghold at Kwa Bulawayo near Eshowe. Set around The Dlinza Forest where The Aerial Boardwalk, Fort Nongqayi (Zululand Historical Museum) and the remarkable Vukani Museum’s Basket and Craft Collection are displayed. You can experience real Zulu Culture by coming with us to
Zulu Traditional Ceremonies
Weddings, Coming of Age Ceremonies, Sangoma healing and Initiation Ceremonies.

The Brewmasters

The Zululand Brewing Company is known, as the smallest family owned brewery of the Kwazulu-Natal beer route. Owner, Graham Chennells acquired the plant from Rawdons, were the Nottingham Brewing Company first brewed their tasty beer. The plant is found in the garden of the Zululand Hotel directly next to the pool. Graham has studied the Zulu culture and is actively involved in numerous upliftment projects.He specialises in taking people to Zulu ceremonies which take place every weekend in the rural areas.

In the beginning 2-3 different types of beer will be brewed and would soon like to start and experiment with speciality beers to coincide special events and mark past historical occasions.As this is a new brewery our plans and direction will change but the focus will be to brew interesting and good beer. Beer will be available from the tap of the pub in the George Hotel.

If tourists would like to overnight they will find suitable accommodation at The George Hotel Backpacker Accommodation at Zululand Backpackers.

Graham in Brewery

Offers to visitors on the beer route:

A tour of Zululand Brewing Company can be followed by various cultural, historical and battlefield tours. Visits to upliftment projects like the Zulu Schools classroom project (2000 classrooms), The Jinjindonyama Skills centre, Sikanye Craft Beadmaking Project, or Siyathuthuka Papermaking (out of sugarcane leaves), The Mbongolwane Wetlands Agricultural and Crafts project and Ngezandlethu Handwork Project for unemployed women are possible.
Rural village and township tours which include a shebbeen visit. Should the visit fall on a Saturday, Graham almost can guarantee you the experience of a Zulu wedding or coming of age ceremony.

Eshowe from the Air

Eshowe is a convenient stopover on the way to Rorke’s Drift/Isandlwana battle sites, The Valley of the Zulu Kings, Hluhluwe/Umfolosi game parks, St Lucia Heritage site and Shakaland.You can also make your way to other Breweries on The KZN Brew Route.Farmers Brewery in Hattingspruit on the Battlefield Route, and Nottingham Road Brewery on the Midlands Meander. Not to mention other microbreweries such as The Firkin in Durban and Wartburgherhof Brewery in Wartburg.

Thothotho Brewery.

Master Brewer

Started by Mr Bhekumusa Khumalo near Nyembe School who with his family and two sons, Mhloli “Goodman” and Thiza “Emmanuel” are also retailing their Zulu beer in Eshowe.Genuine sorghum beer is brewed regularly at their rural home 20 kms from town where they also have a shebeen which is frequented by the local zulu’s. The recipe dates back thousands of years.The alcohol level is very low (1%).
Mr Khumalo become famous in his earlier days by becoming a proffessional snuff maker.He was known the breadth of Zululand for the fine product he produced. Snuff is a dark yellowish brown substance made from aloe leaves and tobacco.Snuff is powdered tobacco or medicine taken by sniffing it up one’s nostrils.

Thothotho means “the dizzy spell you get when you sniff the snuff”

How to visit Thothotho Brewery.

Rural Brewpub

Victor Mdluli who you can locate at Zululand Brewing Co can be your guide to take you on a 20 km journey through the rolling hills of true Zulu country. Stop en route to enjoy some fabulous scenery and meet locals.Visit Nyembe school and the Nyembe Lutheran Church which was started by Norwegian missionaries many years ago..
When you get there you can wittnes brewing of Zulu beer by the women of the family.Vist the homestead nearby and taste some Zulu Beer in the cool of Zulu hut.
With prior arrangements you can stay overnight with the family in their B&B.

ZuluBlonde

Chris O'Brien " Checking the Zulu Brew Route in Africa"
Fermenting Revolution

Judging a beer
1. 3 points for appearance.
2. 4 points for aroma.
3.10 points for mouthfeel.
4. 3 points for overall impression.

Assegai Lager

Some Beer Quotes.
1.Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Benjamin Franklin.
2.The problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind. H.Bogart
3.Business is good but the beer is better
4.He was a wise man who invented beer. Plato
5.When I read about the evils of drinking I gave up reading.
6.Draft beer, not people.
7.Your thirst fought every day. Pilgrim Brewery
8.Why diet if you can have a beer.
9.Praise the mother who gives birth to a brewer. W. Shakespeare
10.Beer is the curse of the working class. Oscar Wilde
11.24 hours in a day 24 beers in a case.
12.Beauty lies in the eyes of the beerholder.
13.Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world. Willem Kaiser.
14.Reality is an illusion that happens with the lack of alcohol.

Chelmsford Porter

15."A good beer is hard to find you just have to know where to find it."
16.Beer: So much more than a breakfast drink.
17.Prohitition makes you want to cry into your beer and denies you the beer to cry into
18.A bar is better than a newspaper for public discussion.
19.You’ve got to remember that beer was what these folk drank instead of water.It had too be mild, or the streets would have beeen full of drunken peasants stumbling around.
Beer is varietal and seasonal, strong and weal, light and dark.Chilled or warm, beer has it all.A beverage for the 21st century.
20.‘ I wish to see this beverage (beer) become common.” Thomas Jefferson – Brewer and 3rd president of the United States.
21.I drink to make other people interesting. George Nathan
22.Drinking Beer promotes freedom of speech.
23.From man's sweat and God's love, beer came into the world. --Saint Arnold of Metz, The patron Saint of Brewers
24.I drink with impunity...or anyone else who invites me. -- W.C. Fields

Jantoni Pale Ale

Nutritional Benefits
University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dr. Margo A. Denke, an Associate Professor of Medicine, conducted clinical research on the health effects of alcohol, and beer in particular. The results of her 2001 show that one to two beers a day provides the following nutritional benefits:
> 14 percent of dietary calories
> 11 percent of dietary protein
> 12 percent of dietary carbohydrates
> nine percent of dietary phosphorus
> seven percent of dietary riboflavin
> five percent of dietary niacin

Ultimatum 1878 Pilsner

Additionally, an average 12 ounce bottle of beer contains:
> 150 calories
> no fat
> no cholesterol
> no caffeine
> no nitrate
> 1 gram of protein
> significant amounts of magnesium, selenium, potassium, and biotin
> B vitamins including impressive amounts of B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxin), and B9 (folate), with smaller amounts of B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B12 inotisol and choline.
> 11 ounces of pure water

Beer is also considered inherently kosher, conforming to Jewish standards of food purity.

Health Benefits
Studies have shown that moderate consumption of alcohol provides:
• a 20% to 30% reduction in death from all causes among moderate drinkers;
• a 13% reduction in the incidence of all disease in general;
• a significantly reduced risk of ulcers (beer, especially, protects against Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria associated with peptic ulcers);
• significant (40% to 50%) reduction in the risk of developing gallstones and kidney stones (beer only, not other alcohol);
• a 45% reduced incidence of stroke (up to 2 beers per day as compared to nondrinkers), including among Type II diabetics;
• a 56% lower risk of angina;
• a 47% lower risk of myocardial infarction;
• a substantially lower risk (than abstainers, OR heavy drinkers) of carotid arteriosclerosis
(From the Beer Diet Book)

It’s Just Good for You
In the 1930s, copy writer Dorothy Sayers (best known for the Lord Peter Wimsey crime novels) coined the advertising line "Guinness is Good for You!" and the famous Irish stout was dispensed to invalids and nursing mothers.

Investment in Beer

If you had bought $1000.00 worth of Nortel stock one year ago, it would now be worth $49.00.

With Enron, you would have $16.50 of the original $1,000.00.

With WorldCom, you would have less than $5.00 left.

If you had bought $1,000.00 worth of Budweiser (the beer, not the stock) one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the cans for the 10 cent deposit, you would have $214.00.

VOCA’BREW’ARY – A Glossary of Revolution-aley Terms. Chris O'Brien (Beer activist)
Ale-ienated – How a person feels when there is no good beer around, or when there is no one to drink with.
Beer-acy – The act of stealing beer.
Beer-ate – 1) One who steals beer; 2) To scold someone for drinking bad beer.
Beer-goiesie – high class beer snobs.
Beer-hemoth – a member of the corporate beer-ocracy.
Beer-hive – A pile of empties resembling the home of bees.
Beer-iodicals – the magazines beer drinkers read.
Beer-ocracy – 1. The global brewing giants; 2. the imbroglio of contradictory and asinine laws governing the brewing, transport, marketing, sale and drinking of beer.
Beer-odiversity – A measure of the diversity of beer in a given community.
Beer-oregion - an area in which a unique overall pattern of brewing characteristics can be found.
Beer-oregionalism – The idea that we can evolve human activities to be sustainable by adapting our activities to a ‘beer-oregion.’
Blandardization –the beer-ocracy’s hegemonic quest to make bland, standardized and crappy beers.
Brew-icide – when a beer brand is killed.
Brewpie – contraction of ‘brewery groupie’, someone who likes beer so much that they hang around breweries and help out for free.
Brews-paper – The newspaper beer drinkers read.
Brew-tiful – As pretty as a beer.
Cons-beer-acy – A plot to get beer.
Evang-ale-ist – one who proselytizes about how beer is saving the world.
Fem-ale – A righteously beer-empowered woman.
Festiv-ale – Beer festival.
Li-beery – Where you keep your beer-iodicals and brews-papers.
Mem-beer-ship – What you get when you join a li-beery.

Brewing: River - River or Mfula Mfula. A type of Zulu Beer.

Mfula Mfula, also called riva riva in English, and nicknamed ‘cream of tart’, is a Zulu fermentation of bread, oats, sugar and pineapple. The bread and oats base makes this technically a beer, fortified with processed cane sugar and the natural sugar in pineapple.

Ingredients To Make 20 Liters

20 liters warm water
1 pineapple
3 loaves of bread
About 20-25 stale rolls
½ kg jungle oats
1 kg brown sugar
20 mg powdered bread yeast

Instructions
Chop pineapple and crumble bread. Mix all ingredients well by hand until bread crumbs are very fine. Close lid loosely and leave over night to ferment. In the morning, strain the coarse chunks of pineapple and bread with a large strainer. We used a plastic net sack, the kind you get with a bag of oranges. Strain a second time with a fine sieve. Add a small does more of sugar upon serving in order to sweeten the taste and cut down on the strong, warm alcohol overtones. The whole batch should be consumed within one day.

Fermenting Revolution

Zululand Brewing Co.
Eshowe. Zululand.
KwaZulu Natal. South Africa.
info@eshowe.com
035 4744919..

Your Brewers:
Graham and daughter Claire Chennells.

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