Table of contents for Spring issue 3, September 2023 in On Tap

To be involved in the South African beer industry is a privilege, to say the very least. With that in mind, the front cover is devoted to some of the good guys in the industry, who help grow not only for themselves, but the appreciation of craft beer and the artisanal nature of the process. The beer industry should be called the comeback kids of the South African economy. This is in large part thanks to the general public's support and the craft breweries themselves who pushed forward during and after a few very tough years. (So please keep supporting your local breweries.) It is also with the tireless work being done behind the scenes by organisations like the Craft Brewers Association of South Africa (CBASA), the Beer Association of…

Tourism is a key part of the South African economy. Our top-notch hospitality, favourable weather, vibrant cities, beautiful landscapes, and unique wildlife are just a few examples of what makes South Africa an attractive destination. The Department of Tourism believes there is still so much untapped potential for tourism in our country. We can, collectively, take the sector's performance to greater heights, creating meaningful economic growth and more jobs for our people. We have come a long way in bouncing back from the Covid-19 pandemic. Recent figures are truly encouraging. StatsSA's data reveals that our tourism sector is on a rapid path to recovery and although we are not yet at pre-COVID travel numbers, we are edging closer, but that requires work. Between January and December 2022, we saw nearly…

The Beer Association of South Africa has always supported promoting beer as a social drink, within the context of “social” having many different meanings. “Social” in terms of social responsibility - we champion causes that foster wider societal impact, such as job creation or the mitigation of alcohol-related harms. But also “social” in terms of companionship and togetherness, in the sense of gathering and spending time with each other. BASA believes that beer isn't just an alcoholic beverage. It can also create unforgettable experiences of sharing. It is in this specific social character of beer that a still largely untapped source of industry growth lies - beer as a serious companion to food. Of course, beer and food pairing have been around for a long while. In South Africa a…

FEATURE A SHORT HISTORY Hops have been cultivated in the UK since at least the early 1500s. Immigrants from Flanders brought with them the principles of growing these fascinating plants and using them to flavour their beer. These immigrants may have brought plants and these interbred with wild hops growing in woodlands and hedgerows. Some of these were prolific in their production of hops, others produced particularly fine beer, but only the very finest hops managed the feat of both. Growers soon found out that they could easily take root cuttings and grow more of their favoured hops. As a result, these hops were named after the growers who first grew them commercially, hence varieties such as Golding and Fuggle were named after their growers in Kent, families with strong…

FEATURE Nicolas Burger has a certain gravitas, perhaps the slight greying of the hair just humbly hinting at his width of experience. A designer and half owner of the business he runs with his wife Suzanne, an interior decorator specialising in retail outfi tting. They designed commercial aquariums while living in New Zealand ten years ago, where a beer bug bit hard. “It was the general availability that got me into beer. You could fi nd so many new beers we had never heard of,” Nicolas recalls fondly. After a few years in New Zealand, Nicolas and Suzanne felt they could apply their skills in South Africa and when they returned to our shores, they moved to Stellenbosch. Nicolas soon noticed the absence of some of the beer styles he…

Imagine 90 university students from different fields of study and seniority, in the same space, beer glass in hand. Sniffing, slowly sipping and frowning, some expressing surprise or confusion, some obviously filled with delight. Comparing brews; not so much “talking while drinking beer,” rather talking about the beers they are drinking. It sounds too good to be true, but this is the essence of Intervarsitybrew: A brewing and tasting challenge for university students passionate about brewing and beer culture. Add a healthy dose of competition, enviable prizes, influential figures and experts from the craft and commercia brewing space as spectators and talent scouts, and you have an epic “beery” weekend. HOW DOES IT WORK? Brew teams of 5 members each have to brew 6 beers of different styles and design…

One characteristic of beer culture that is always worth celebrating is its dynamism. There is always something happening, always something new to add to the variety of brews on offer. A continuing trend in beer consumption that has been clearly identified, is the appreciation of low- or no-alcohol beers. This positive trend is growing fast and it offers opportunities for the South African beer industry, which has prioritised positioning beer as a drink of moderation in communities across the country. In general, drinks with an alcohol-by-volume (ABV) between 0.05% and 1.12% are typically called “low-alcohol” beverages. Your usual beer usually has an ABV of between 5% and 7%. If we look at the European beer industry, it offers a very clear indication that low ABV is becoming much more common…

FEATURE Earlier this year, in April, HEINEKEN announced the completion of its acquisition of Distell and Namibia Breweries Limited. These two entities were merged with HEINEKEN South Africa to form HEINEKEN Beverages, which refl ects the new company's multi-category portfolio and dedication to providing consumers across the continent with high-quality beverages.. By combining the strengths of all three entities, this merger leverages expertise and resources to foster growth, create jobs, and contribute to the overall economic development of the region. HEINEKEN as part of the merger conditions has offered an ambitious and comprehensive package of public interest commitments that will support South Africa's economic growth which is a vote of confidence in the South African economy and includes: • A new employee share ownership scheme called Bokamoso, which launched in…

No British road trip is complete without a game of pub cricket. In my family's version, when your turn comes around, the next three pubs you pass are your innings, and you win points for the number of legs pictured on the pub sign. The Queen's Head will leave you with zero, the Dog and Partridge a respectable six, while the Wagon and Horses is the holy grail of pub cricket. Wikipedia describes it as “a car game which is played in the United Kingdom and other countries with a sufficient number of suitably named pubs”. I wonder how many other countries count enough pubs in their portfolio to realistically finish a match.…

START YOUR BEER ENGINES! ANDREW DELL Saturday, July 22nd was a crisp, sunny Cape Town winter's morning, and it was on this morning I ventured into the southern suburbs to Banana Jam Cafe’ and A Festival Of Cask Ale. Hosted by the Afro Caribbean Brewing Company, the day involved fi ve local breweries, each of which with a cask beer on “hand-pulls.” Placed on the deck area: a make shift bar with fi ve casks, beer engines and hand pulls. Although cask ales have lower carbonation, they all poured with the most amazing dense head, which also resulted in great lacing. This also means that the beers go down really easily, and it was without a struggle that I managed to have a pint of each (and a few more)…

ALE TRAIL One of the reasons for the development of the Beer Route website and the cooperative tourism initiative was to make it easy for both international and domestic tourists to find some great breweries alongside the usual tourist attractions. We have done many beer-specific routes throughout the last year's editions, but for this one, since September is SA Tourism Month, it seemed only appropriate to focus on a couple of holiday hubs and the beer on offer in these regions. The school holidays are also around the corner, and if tourism statistics are to be believed, it is likely you will find yourself in one of these two places. I hope you get to see a few of the spots below. Explore Online WINELANDS Stellenbosch, Franschhoek & Paarl The…

Spring is the season of freshness and newness. We celebrate this time of year with a toast to innovative and young brewers in the industry. In this regard, the Beer Association of South Africa (BASA), would like to place emphasis on emerging trends in beer culture. In this edition of On Tap you can read about the new frontier that no and low alcohol beers represent to the industry. Staying relevant and being part of the changes in tastes among beer drinkers is critical to the sustainability of the sector. Non-or low-alcohol beers offer a way to broaden brewing culture and to appeal to a new generation of drinkers for who focussed wellness and moderation is very important. Another domain in which the beer industry is showing its youthfulness is…

An event that has become a staple in the South African beer industry's diary is the annual Intervarsitybrew: Brewing and Tasting Challenge where university students enter their beers hoping to be crowned the best in the competition. This year will be the 16th edition of this fun and challenging competition which will take place 20 to 22nd October in Bloemfontein. This event will be co-hosted by BASA and the Central University of Technology (CUT) and will see 17 universities compete against each other over the 2 days across 6 beer categories, as well as being judged on a beer label they have designed. The event will also include presentations from student brew teams, tasting training and technical presentations by influencers and experts in the craft and commercial brewing space. BASA…

FEATURE There are many international beer competitions but none so big as the World Beer Cup® (WBC), organised by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade association representing small and independent American craft breweries, which this year attracted 10,213 entries from 2,376 breweries and 51 countries. Established in 1996 and now annual, it's the largest and most competitive beer competition in the world. A panel of 272 judges from 26 countries evaluated entries over 18 sessions and nine days with the third and final phase taking place in Nashville, TN alongside Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America®. Having recently judged my first World Beer Cup, I was blown away by the integrity of the competition, the efficiency of the operation and the professionalism of my fellow judges. Co-ordinating more than 10,000…

MOUNTAIN BREWING COMPANY WAGYU DROËWORS AND MOUNTAIN BREWING COMPANY'S TEMPLAR ENGLISH IPA Wagyu droëwors is soft, velvety and mouth-coating. The first bite is an explosion of rich flavours. The moment you pick up the Templar, which has a soft and balanced bitterness, the aroma is heightened by the salt in the meat. The effect is not only one-way, because as the bitterness from the beer cuts through the richness of the meat, it also enhances some spices that was masked by the quality of the beef. The wors enhances the crisp nature of the beer. A very good pairing. This experience suggests this beer will also pair very well with a fatty tjop. JACK BLACK'S FATTIES AND JACK BLACK'S CAPE PALE ALE The bold hoppiness from this classic pale ale…

EDITOR'S RECIPE Type: All Grain Batch Size: 20.00 L Boil Size: 24.50 L Boil Time: 45 min Water additions: 30L 0.3g Baking soda 3.0g Calcium chloride 4.5g Gypsum 1.8g Epsom Water additions: 30L (Alternative for more malt-forward version.) 3.00g Calcium chloride 3.00g Gypsum 1.8g Epsom Mash Ingredients: 4.00kg Pilsner Malt (2 Row) 150 grams Melanoidin / Biscuit Mash Steps: Mash at 66° Celsius for 60 mins. Boil - 45mins 1.2g Southern Passion (10.8%) @ 45 mins(1.6 IBUs) 4.0g Southern Passion (10.8%) @ 30 mins (4.3 IBUs) 30g Southern Passion (10.8%) @ flameout (8.4 IBUs) Ferment for 10 days @ 20° Celsius and cold crash for 2 days.…