Mad Giant, undoubtedly one of Gauteng’s finest craft breweries, has closed. The Johannesburg-based brewery made the announcement via social media late last night.

Eben at the brewery back in 2018

“It is time to say goodbye,” the post began. “For just over ten years, we embarked on a mission fueled by the desire to take chances and brew beers with unwavering boldness. Our beautiful brewery in the heart of Johannesburg became a reality, exceeding our wildest dreams. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for being a part of the Mad Giant story. May the best of times stay with you always. Mad Giant is now officially closed.”

The outpouring of sadness has been massive. People loved that brewery, the beer and of course, the founder Eben Uys. I first met Eben at an awards ceremony in 2014 and I liked him immediately  He’d got into brewing through the Stellies intervarsity brewing team and had recently launched his brand, which back then was being contract brewed at Drayman’s in Pretoria. I was a little surprised when I looked back through the blog and found this post, where it states the beers were coming out of Secunda in Mpumalanga, where Eben was based for his day job at Sasol. According to Beer Safari, the beers were being bottled in Secunda. Not quite sure how that worked but I am sure that both this blog and that booked were thoroughly researched and fact checked by the author…

The Mad Scientist

After this news I think we all need a beer

In that very same book, I made a prediction for the newborn brand. “I have a feeling that Mad Giant is going to be something pretty special,” I wrote, and it was. When the taproom and brewery launched in central Johannesburg, it was a ballsy move. It was a huge space with a fairly high-end restaurant within.

I remember the first time I visited, hubby and I were wowed by both beer and food and a bit of a stand-off ensued about who was going to drive later on. The beer was great, the food was great, the space was fantastic. I will never forget the seemingly bizarre question my then five-year-old son asked Eben. “Does your factory also have a downstairs?” We had recently read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and one look at Mad Giant made my son assume there were wondrous things going on here, just as there were in Willy Wonka’s magical premises.

Eben’s Field of Dreams philosophy turned out to be a difficult one, and while the beers were gaining massive acclaim, Eben’s vision was ahead of the game. People weren’t flocking to central Jozi as he had hoped and Mad Giant opened a second taproom in the northern suburbs. The central location closed to the public during Covid, and while production continued, the taproom and restaurant sadly never reopened. The new taproom though became a de facto meeting point for me on trips to Jo’burg – a place I knew I could get the Gauteng beer family to congregate over a pint or four.

Thanks for the memories

Taking care of our baby, 20 Second Hug

Like Willy Wonka, Eben has been something of a visionary over the years. There were experimental beers and countless collabs. It was the first brewery in South Africa to abandon single-use plastic, and Mad Giant’s ‘milkman’ delivery system for their Extra Fresh range was ground breaking.

But in the end, it seems it was not enough. I don’t know the reasons for the closure, but this is not an easy business to thrive in. If Eben wants to share background, that will come in time. But for now I want to say thank you for 10 epic years. Thank you for the great beers and the epic vibe you always brought to festivals. Thank you for the crazy – cycling from Jo’burg to Clarens overnight springs to mind – and the ridiculous (I am thankful that the footage of me drinking Urban Legend from my own slop has been buried).

My favourite memory will of course be the hugs. At the 2024 African Beer Cup, amid all the stress and madness, Eben locked me in a proper, proper hug, explaining that psychologists recommend 20 seconds as the optimal timeframe in order to get all the requisite endorphins and oxytocin. Later, over a few beers we came up with a collab idea and late last year 20 Second Hug, a milkshake IPA, was released. I hope we can resurrect it one day.

In Beer Safari I quote Eben as saying “What motivates me is people who follow their dream,” and I hope you know you motivated a whole industry with yours. We are all sad to see Mad Giant close, and are sending hugs that last at least a couple of minutes.