The Brewmistress South African Beer Awards 2017
Some of you might recall that earlier this year, at the South African National Beer Trophy, that at the People's Choice for best beer went to Black Label. This irked pretty much everyone I know (I mean come on - it's not even SAB's best). So in the interests of...
Entries for the 2018 World Beer Cup open
Listen up brewers: applications for the 2018 World Beer Cup are now open and the Brewers Association wants you to apply! I'll be up-front - with an entry fee of US$180 (R2530) it's not a cheap competition to participate in, but think of the benefits. Best case...
The Pig turns 21 – Happy birthday Notties!
The very first article I ever had published on beer in South Africa featured the Nottingham Road Brewing Company. It was 2006 and I had just spent some time travelling along the KZN Ale Trail. Sadly, most of the other breweries I visited have since closed and and...
Craft Beer in the Northern Cape
It's hot and dusty and has perfect beer-drinking weather, it's home to a desert whose name means "place of thirst", and it harbours place names like "Grootdrink", but until now, the Northern Cape has been lagging behind in the craft beer stakes. Actually, its still...
Heineken buys out Soweto Gold
Rumours have been circulating for months, but it's now official: Soweto Gold has been bought by Heineken. I was flown up to Gauteng yesterday by Soweto Brewing Company (a subsidiary of Heineken) and thought I was in pursuit of another 'Heineken gains ground in the...
Beer review: Bridge Street Black Dragon Stout
Has this ever happened to you: you go to a festival or a tasting room or a pairing evening, you trya beer, you love it and you buy a bottle or three to take home. Somehow, when you get it home it has turned from a life-altering drink into something fairly average...
Beer Review: Brauhaus am Damm Dunkel
Well I'll tell you one thing - it's been a fair while since I've used the four-and-a-half hop image in a review. This makes me both happy and sad - happy because, well, great beer makes me happy; sad because it's not a beer I can easily get in Cape Town. At last...
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),...
