Winners of the 2017 South African National Beer Trophy
Sixty-four breweries, 199 beers, 22 gold medals, 62 silver, one massive party and countless hangovers. This is how the third annual South African National Beer Trophy panned out. The overall prize for best beer in show went to Stellenbosch Brewing Company for their...
South African microbreweries win at International Beer Challenge
After the last post I wrote, I thought it was about time for some good news. There is plenty of beery good news out there, and this is some of the best, I reckon. Three South African microbreweries have won medals at the 2017 International Beer Challenge (IBC),...
Beer Review: Damnation Brewing Co. Lone Wolf APA
Damnation Brewing Co. began life at the Brewers Co-op and have since branched out into brewing larger batches under contract in Cape Town. As one fellow Twittererer put it, "They win at labels" - but how is the beer behind the slightly scary face(s)? I must say I...
The single biggest problem with the South African craft beer industry
I recently attended the marvellous Beer Boot Camp in Cape Town. As you're probably aware, the one-day conference had an all-star cast, kicking off with the magnificent Michael Ferguson. He's a master brewer, TV presenter and the kind of public speaker that can hold...
Recipe: Candied orange peel – the perfect IPA snack
Everyone pairs IPA with blue cheese or curry or Gruyere but a few weeks ago I stumbled upon a marvellous pairing - IPA with candied orange peel. It's incredibly easy to make but somehow has the illusion of being something a bit special. So here, especially for IPA...
10 ways you know you’re a total beer geek
It's a big week for those who need an excuse to drink beer - IPA Day on Thursday and International Beer Day on Friday (check the calendar for event info). This means special events, one-off brews and general beery festivities. So what better time to unleash this...
Beer review: Lonely Planet Travel Notes IPA
I don't usually review beers that are not available in South Africa. I know the audience of this blog mostly resides in SA and there are probably few things more annoying than a "hey, look at this awesome beer you can't get" type of post. But I have three good...
Special offer: Follygraph ‘120 Beers You Have to Try’ poster
Are you one of those list-maker beer nerds who keeps notebooks of the beers they've tried, has competitions with friends to see who has sampled the most different brews, and loves to check things off 'must-try' lists? If so, I have just the thing for you....
Win tickets to Woodstock Winter Beer Festival
This Saturday (July 1st) heralds the arrival of one of my favourite beer gatherings - the Woodstock Winter Beer Festival. It's chilled, it's very affordable and it's filled with one-off wintry beers brewed especially for the event. Fancy sampling a sour black IPA?...