SA On Tap, Craft Beer Festival 2015 - Durban

With over a 120 of South Africa's finest craft brews, ciders, whiskeys and wines on offer at the 11th instalment of SA on Tap, this years event is sure to be one not to miss! Taking place on the 1st of August along Durban's famed Golden Mile, visitors can look forward to a wide range of all their favourites as well as tantalise their taste buds and palettes to new flavours and experiences. This is one of 3 events that will be hosted around the country and no doubt with Durban's perfect winter weather, it is bound to be a hit and is already proving so with over 85% of the tickets being sold already!

Craft beer has been on the steady rise in recent months in Durban as more and more people are welcoming and noticing the efforts of the microbrewers. SA on Tap offers drinkers the unique experience to sample new variants of the craft and possibly make one find their niche. Apart from the drinks, there will be plenty entertainment lined up for the day, so while you're sipping on your favourite brew, you can enjoy the sounds of some of SA's top bands, with the likes of Gangs of Ballet, Rubber Duc, Justin Serrao and Catlike Thieves.

What is drink without food? They practically go hand in hand, but fear not, your stomach cravings will be taken cared off as the organises have carefully selected a number of gourmet food stalls to pair up the flavours with the variety of brews on offer. You can ask brewers at the various stalls on pairing advice, or be daring and find perfect pairs on your own.

Festival goers will be please to note that included in your tickets is a glass to help you pick up on the over 150 delectable flavours of craft beer on offer. When booking your ticket online, you are able to choose from one of 3 glasses available. Tickets are available from www.saontap.co.za and are limited, online booking is essential for this sell out event, avoid disappointment and be sure to book early. See you there...

Bucket Scene: Sidebar

For those that know me, if I say I'm going out to eat or if someone asks me to recommend a place to go out to eat in Durbs, 9 out of 10 times I would say go to Spiga D'Oro. Often people joke with myself and friends that we have shares in the place, we don't but what keeps us going back is multiple things. The good and friendly service, the amazing quality of food that keeps to standard every time we go there and that family atmosphere you lack at many establishments. All of this makes Spiga great and hence you will find us there often.

A few months back, after their renovation and downsizing of the restaurant in Florida Road, they opened up the Sidebar. I, like many thought the space would be used as an extension to the restaurant but instead Marco and the team had other ideas. They turned it into an amazing bar with high stools, high tables, dimmed lighting and amazing rustic decor. The huge wooden doors that greet you at the entrance gives you this shed like feeling, which essentially what it is, the red brick interior adds to that industrial type look with exposed steel sections and rough edges. It offers the patrons a different experience all together but still has that Spiga touch to it.

Come to think of it, after they opened you feel the area needed something along the lines of this. It's a more vibey, trendy spot for people of all ages to come in, relax with their mates, have a drink and even order the great food that Spiga has on their menu. Whilsts not being over popular like other places on the strip, where one hardly has place to walk let alone sit, the Sidebar has that niche sense to it. It's perfect when you're with a bunch of friends looking for a quick bite as the restaurant at most times does have a waiting list or booking requirement. This place also serves as a place to wait for your table at the restaurant while enjoying a drink at the bar.

Speaking of the bar, it is the focal point of the place, the long counter which you would expect to be wooden but instead is cast concrete with a glaze finish that helps reflect the light off the over hanging glass rack. Besides stocking all your favourites, the bar stocks a host of Craft beer, with some of the bigger name local craft brewers available on tap.

Further down the bar, it opens up into a nifty court yard with some wall hanging plants and open sky which doubles as a smoking area. It's perfect for a hot summers day to chill out there with a few cold ones with your mates. The Sidebar is available for hire and they have been hosting quite a few events of late, most recently art exhibitions and even a live band. For more on whats going on there, check their Tumblr feed: http://sidebar031.tumblr.com/

Address: 200 Florida Road, Durban
Telephone: 031 303 9511
Twitter: @SpigaDurban
Instagram: sidebar031
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sidebar/