Back to Events Month-end Run - Sunday 30 April 2006
Lunch run to the Helderbrau Brewery & Restaurant near Somerset West.The run this month was a lunchtime run to the Helderbräu Restaurant just outside Somerset West. We met at the Engen One-Stop on the N1 at 10.30am; the wind was howling, with dust storms blowing everywhere, so we were glad to leave at 11am sharp on a circular scenic drive through the Stellenbosch winelands before turning onto the N2 just after the Lord Charles hotel in Somerset West.
A short drive towards Sir Lowry's Pass, and - hey presto - we were there! The restaurant was really quaint, with flags of the different German provinces hanging from the ceiling, and was reminiscent of the kind of places you see/hear about in the German tourist brochures. Best of all though (for the guys!) is the fact that they have a micro-brewery on the premises, and brew their own beers in the best German tradition, in other words according to the Reinheitsgebot purity laws of 1516.
We got a brief introduction to the origins of the brewery, and were assured that the beers brewed there, being totally natural (i.e. unfiltered and unpasteurised), would not cause hangovers! Well, the challenge was there, so several of us took it up…! All I will say is that a) I was not driving anyway, and b) I didn't have the slightest indication of a hangover - or maybe it was the Jägermeister I had at the end that did the trick?
Nevertheless, the drinks were good - and the food was terrific! All traditional German fare, hearty and delicious, with sausages and sauerkraut in abundance! Many of us chased down the main course with (more beer and…!) delicious home-made Apfelstrudel with cream and ice-cream, followed by coffee.
The prices as well were quite reasonable, which is a real blessing in Cape Town, where every restaurant and tourist attraction (this one qualifies as both apparently) seems to price themselves in Pounds or Euro's, to the detriment of us (poor!) locals!
All in all we had 21 members attending in 10 cars and 2 plastics - a fair turnout considering the weather - and we all had a jolly good time! A "Prosit" to the Helderbräu; I'm sure we will be going back there again, and it's definitely worth a visit, especially if you have German friends/family…and if you're a "real ale" fan, no excuse is necessary! Oh and by the way, they sell "take-away" kits for the home bar…!!!