It has been a while since my last visit to this award winning
down town Johannesburg destination.
The breezy winter weather was not going to keep
me from the delicious menu that awaited inside.
And it was a royal welcome indeed.
This is Gambrinus, the King of Beer.
Actually a 13th Century Belgian Duke and not an actual King.
He was the royal patron of the brewers guild of Brussels.
Lunch awaits at the top of the stairs.
And there will be no dancing I was assured…
Lord of the Dance is tapping away at a different venue.
I wonder what the equivalent of 7d would be today…
and what could you buy with it?
Beer on tap, which is what you would expect in a brewery.
That being said, there is no brewing done on these premises,
this is more of a tourist attraction about the history of beer.
Ice cold draft on tap.
The coolest tap in the Tap Room.
My lunch…a Prego roll with chips.
The menu offers a variety of dishes, from burgers to beer battered fish and chips
as well as a selection of desserts.
What it does not offer is cappuccino, but they can provide coffee.
After lunch I decided to take a walk around the facility.
The copper Wort Kettles are a sight to behold.
There are several on display, each of which has been cleaned to to perfection
The sliding doors to the interiors have been closed so that visitors
do not try to climb in and injure themselves
Who remembers these?
Embassy Records was one of the top recording studios of the era
These were called “7 singles” and were all the rage
in the heady days of vinyl pressings.
Fun Fact: In the ’70’s there was a car player that would play these discs,
a sort of forerunner to the modern day CD.
Except that there were on two song on each record.
Needles to say, this fad did not last long.
A “township” house recreated in the museum.
Inside visitors get to share in how the people who stayed in these houses lived their lives.
A kitchen, lounge, dining room and bedroom have all been recreated.
As was this old style bar…
In the foreground of this picture is an early model delivery truck.
Were swing doors invented specifically for bars?
My research tells me that “bat wing” doors as they were called WERE
used in some bars, but not nearly as often as depicted in movies.
The do make for a great entrance…and exit when the hero
tosses the bad guy out.
Not really practical in dusty environments.
Beer on tap back in the day…
And still on offer today
Today’s modern bar/pub relies on recorded music.
Back when this type of pub was popular, there was usually a piano in a corner.
That was in order for the pianist to stay out of trouble if a fight broke out
Part of one of the many tour groups that visit the SAB World of Beer.
Many of the local business men pop in for a pint and something to eat at lunch time.
Beer plays a large part in our local traditional culture.
SAB makes a range of local beverages that should be tried…
Like Umqombothi, a traditional fermented Zulu beer.
Just one of the display cases that traces the history
of beer and beer making
This was a bitter sweet visit for me.
I was saying goodbye to Tony Rubin, who retires soon.
And hello to his successor, Felicia Mokoena,
who will take over as WOB Manager.
I wish her all the very best as she steps into Tony’s shoes.
To find out more about the SAB WOB,
visit their website:
http://www.worldofbeer.co.za
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