Voting is now closed with almost 800 people choosing their favourites in the 2025 Brewmistress South African Beer Awards – a record number of voters! In some categories it was a very tight race, with just a few votes separating the winner from the runners up. Just under 44 per cent of the votes came from the Western Cape – about right since around 40 per cent of South African breweries are in that province – but votes were cast from all nine provinces as well as Lesotho, Botswana, Rwanda, Malawi, Seychelles, Ghana, Kenya, the UK and the US.

And here, I present you with the winners:

BEST BREWERY (BASED ON BEERS ALONE)

Aegir Project won best overall brewery, best destination brewery and the innovation award

Winner

Aegir Project Independent Brewery

Runners-Up

Afro Caribbean Brewing Co. and OC Brewery (tied with 23.6% of the votes)

BEST DESTINATION BREWERY

Winner

Aegir Project Independent Brewery

Runner-Up

Starke Brews

BEST LIQUOR STORE

Winner

Biggest Little Beer Shop

Runner-Up

Liquor City Groenkloof

BEST BEER BAR OR RESTAURANT

Winner

Okavango Craft Brewery in Maun, Botswana, won best African microbrewery outside South Africa

Capital Craft Beer Academy

Runner-Up

Banana Jam Café

BEST AFRICAN MICROBREWERY (OUTSIDE SA)

Winner

Okavango Craft Brewery

Runner-Up

Heritage Craft Brewery

BEST BEER FEST OR EVENT

Winner

Capital Craft Beer Festival

Runner-Up

Fools & Fans Beer Festival

BEST BEER BRANDING

Winner

Afro Caribbean Brewing Company

Runner-Up

Aegir Project Independent Brewery

BEST HOMEBREW STORE

Beer legends! (Trevor Gerntholtz and Johan Auriacombe)

Winner

Beyond Brewing

Runner-Up

Brewcraft

BIGGEST BEER STORY OF THE YEAR

Winner

The closure of Mad Giant in Johannesburg

INNOVATION AWARD

Winner

Aegir Project Independent Brewery

Runner-Up

OC Brewery

BEER LEGEND AWARD

Winner

Johan Auriacombe (Capital Craft)

Runner-Up

Trevor Gerntholtz (Fools & Fans)

Starke swept the best beers awards for the Margaux Pale Ale and Happy Hops

BEST NEW BEER (released for the first time in 2025)

Winner

Starke Brews: Margaux Pale Ale

Runner-Up

OC Brewery: Screamer

BEER OF THE YEAR

Winner

Starke Brews Happy Hops

Runner-Up

OC Brewery: Screamer

A massive thank you to all who voted – and especially those who also subscribed to the blog. Congratulations to all the winner and finalists. That’s a wrap for me for 2025. Go forth and support the local craft beer scene. See you in 2026!