Maybe I need to get out more, but I've never been whisked to Cape Town International in a Mercedes, flown up to Johannesburg on business class, and then chauffeured to one of the city's top restaurants just to drink a beer.

That said, I'm open to doing it all again. And not just because the decadent chocolate torte served at the Saxon is quite easily the best I've ever tasted ? after taste testing a bottle or four (purely for research purposes, of course), I'm pretty sure the beer's going to become my brew of choice.

Called Dreher, SAB's latest premium lager is clearly aimed at Heineken and Amstel drinkers like myself. Similarly smooth and easy drinking ? without too much gas or an overwhelmingly bitter aftertaste that lingers long past its welcome ? after a couple of pints around the braai or in the pub it could be confused with the brewery giant's competitors.

But there is a clear difference ? unlike its rivals, Dreher is "triple hopped".

Derived from Austrian brewmaster Anton Dreher's characteristically European full-malt recipe of the mid 1800s, the beer is brewed with three different kinds of hops. One gives it a richer aroma. Another adds to the fullness of the flavour. And the third gives it a fine "finish" or aftertaste that's certainly characteristic without being overpowering.

Is that enough though for a new name to stand out in a market segment already fully stocked with a Dutch powerhouse, the comeback kid and SAB's existing green bottle offerings: the sexy Italian flair that is Peroni, Urquell's distinct pilsner style, and Marzen Gold's trusted Hansa branding?

SAB's Marketing Director Ian Penhale certainly thinks so.

"If you compare Dreher to a brand like Peroni for example, Peroni offers something which is more expensive and more of a social statement.

"So Peroni focuses very much on its extrinsic differences while this brand is more focused on being intrinsically different," Penhale revealed.

So while the brew might not have the same sex appeal as Peroni, it's got a heritage that Penhale is keen to emphasise: "It carries a more Northern European providence so it comes with the strong brewing credentials of the Northern European brewers."

But despite such a heritage, the Austrian liquid gold isn't on tap at your local pub in draft form. Dreher is only available in single-serve bottles ? no quarts here, thank you very much ? as befits its title (albeit self proclaimed) the new boss of beers.