Beer boffins and festival fans turned out in their droves again this year for the fourth annual Cape Town Festival of Beer – at least on the Saturday. Friday was, as ever, the domain of the true beer geeks (and the lucky few who don’t have to work on weekdays) while Sunday – typically family day – was deathly quiet. As a beer-loving festival goer, I adore these tranquil days, which give you the chance to chat to the brewers – and to your friends. I can understand that as a vendor, the trickle of attendees was a bit of a bummer though and one or two people suggested that the fest should become a two-day affair.

I don’t know that I agree. In fact, I’d like to see the festival grow. Not in terms of the number of days it spans, but in terms of the number of exhibitors in attendance. I know that beer numbers are up, but it seemed to me that while exported beers were more plentiful than last year, the number of South African craft breweries had decreased. If Standeaven can drive their stand, beers and entire family down from Durban and Shongweni Brewery can cycle all the way from KZN (more on that soon), then surely a few more Western Cape breweries – and perhaps a few Eastern Cape ones – could make the effort to attend and share their wares with the ale-loving public. (Yes, I’m talking to you Boston, Honingklip, Fraser’s Folly, Misty Meadows, Karusa and Wild Beast!!).

But that was really my only grumble. That and the volume of the music, especially on Sunday when most people were there to chill and chat. Or maybe I’m just a grumpy old wench, I don’t know. Anyway – here’s my take on this year’s fest – please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

BEST NEW BEER (LOCAL)

There wasn’t that much on show that I hadn’t tasted before, but thankfully Standeaven brought their experimental IPA to test out on us. The Red IPA was particularly awesome (not sure about the snakebite though guys!!).

Honourable mention: Ndlovu’s barrel-aged lager was certainly one of the more interesting beers on show. I imagine it would come as quite a shock to the average light lager lover, but the chardonnay barrel added a complexity that many craft beer enthusiasts were talking about.

BEST NEW BEER (IMPORTED)

I was particularly impressed with Penpont’s porter, though it wasn’t quite the perfect pint for Sunday’s sweltering heat. Luckily their golden ale – also highly quaffable – was a more refreshing pint. (Follow The Beer Babes on Twitter to find out where you’ll be able to get your hands on Penpont’s brews).

Honourable mention: The Duvel Tripel Hop bagged the Best Macro-brewed Ale in Friday’s blind judging and deservedly so. All the depth and flavour you’d expect from a big Belgian beer, but with a healthy dose of hops (Sorachi Ace, if you’re interested).

BEST FOOD

Last year I started the fest with a braised beef sandwich from Black Market Foods and after trying everything else, ended the weekend in the same way. This year I did exactly the same thing. Awesome bread, divine meat, super-smiley service. The only thing I’d change is the cheese – chuck on a slice of vintage cheddar and this might just be Cape Town’s best sandwich. Next year I think I’ll just eat seven of them and save myself any possible disappointment. Incidentally, they’re available at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock every Saturday. (On a side note, Braai the Beloved Country – love the name by the way – were advertising burgers that I really fancied, but on Friday lunchtime at least, everything had been pre-cooked and was sitting in the heat waiting to be re-braaied and eaten. Not cool.)

Honourable mention: Those beer waffles are dangerously light and fluffy – you could easily eat half a dozen without batting an eyelid. Stick to the cream, syrup and chocolate though – the flambéed brandy makes the waffles soggy, a terrible injustice.

PRETTIEST STAND

The first thing I noticed when I stepped into the tents this year was how the brewers had upped their game when it came to branding. Prettiest of all was the Liefman’s Fruitesse stand (though I’m still not sure where I stand on beer served over ice…)

Honourable mention: Devil’s Peak certainly made a statement with their portable fort, though I do tend to agree that it needs a lick of paint…

MOST IMPRESSIVE JOURNEY

Donn Stewart of Shongweni Brewery near Durban actually cycled – yes, cycled to the festival, part of a campaign to increase awareness of responsible drinking. Pretty awesome stuff. I’ll be interviewing him soon and sharing his story on the blog.

Honourable mention: American beer guru Scott Bickham flew in from the States in order to invigilate the BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) tasting exam that a bunch of us sat on the Saturday morning. Following a 22-hour flight, he spent just three full days in Cape Town –and like a trooper, the Grand Master judge spent all three of them talking, tasting and loving beer at the fest.

BEST MO

The Cape Town Fest of Beer is inextricably linked to dodgy facial hair in my book and this year was no exception. Porn star ‘taches, dodgy mutton chops and burly beards were everywhere. I’d like to raise a glass to Rob Heyns of League of Beers/Experimental Brewers fame, who appeared at various times throughout the fest with increasingly absurd versions of the Movember.

Honourable mention: Festival organiser Martin Tucker was again sporting a beard you could hide a barrel of beer in. A beerd, if you will.

WHAT I LIKED SEEING MOST

On a personal note, I love CTFoB because it’s basically a gathering of 90% of my South African friends all in one place. So I loved seeing them all (and thanks those of you who let me turn your stand into a temporary breastfeeding/nappy changing station!). Brewers upping their game was awesome, Devil’s Peak bringing glasses AND a hygienic way to wash them was also fabulous. And the fact that the giant beer pong didn’t actually involve chugging any beer also made me a happy beer snob (see this post if you’re not sure what I’m talking about).

WHAT I’D LIKE TO SEE MORE OF

Collaborations between food vendors and breweries. Black Market braised their beef in local beer (Wild Clover’s Black Dog Porter) this year rather than the Guinness they chose last year, and were punting the beers (and hopefully Wild Clover were repaying the favour). Gino the waffle guy always uses beers in his waffles and often offers beer pairing ideas – next year I’d love to see some of the other food vendors pairing up with their beery counterparts. I’d also like to see free water (Newlands Spring Water should have a stand), better support from SA craft brewers both local and nationwide and – this is going to be unpopular – I’d like to see people paying for their tasters.

This post was first published on The Craft Beer Project.