OnTap Magazine

The taleof howRory Lancellas got intobrewing is nothing if not unique. Working as a carpenter in New Zealand in his early 20s, he decided on a career change and, in his words, became a brewer “almost accidentally”. On a whim, he applied for a brewing position at Speight’s, a large commercial brewery in New Zealand, not really expecting to get the job since he had never so much as completed a batch of homebrew! However, they must have seen something in Rory, as he was hired as an apprentice, working on a 200 hectolitre brewing system. “After working there I moved to Scotland for a few years. At this time I looked at getting experience in some smaller breweries and started getting into experimental beers. After a year I thought I’d learned all there was to know and started looking into coming home to start up my own little project”, says Rory. “But a twist of fate resulted in me staying in Scotland for another two years and getting involved with a small brewery called Barney’s Beer. That job ended up being the most influential on my brewing style and ethos. Andrew Barnett, the owner, quickly made me realise I actually knew very little about brewing and taught me a great deal - mainly that you will never know everything about brewing,” he continues. After two years, Rory returned to Cape Town with his partner, Carey Scagell, who he credits for actually keeping the business going. The couple started Aegir Project in July 2015, opening the taproom shortly thereafter. For Rory, the brewery is a passion project. “I often get asked which beer is the most popular or which is my favourite and I always respond that all of them are. The time and effort it takes to make each one of our beers means that if there was one I wasn’t ecstatic with, I wouldn’t brew it. Aegir’s growth in the Cape Town scene has been slow and steady, with Rory focusing on his core customers and building relationships with retailers, while at the same time producing a number of highly regarded seasonal brews, like Rus Imperial Stout and Hopricot IPA. There are big plans on the horizon, though, with an Ale House located on the Constantia Uitsig estate opening in the first half of 2018. “We want to push the boundaries of the industry, create exciting beers and most importantly have a little fun along the way.” Mad Giant has become an institution in Johannesburg in a relatively short space of time, thanks to the enthusiasm of the city’s craft beer crowd, who had been crying out for their own taproom/brewery destination to rival the Cape’s many offerings. Opening the doors to their brewery and restaurant in Fox Street in 2016, after having contract brewed for two years before that, Mad Giant’s success owes a great deal to the hard work of Eben Uys. Eben, who studied chemical engineering at Stellenbosch, and became hooked on brewing while he was there, is a self-confessed craft beer evangelist. His ambition is to “continuously convert people to the gospel of great beer” and through that “meet amazing people and share their stories”. The roots of Mad Giant lie in the Cape – Eben met Charles Back, owner of Fairview Wines, at a mountain bike race in 2011 and was given the opportunity to work as project manager on phase one of what would become Cape Brewing Company (CBC). Unfortunately he had to leave before the project was finished, to work back his bursary at Sasol. “I was living in Secunda and missing great beer, so I ordered monthly mixed cases from the League of Beers,” recalls Eben. “Then, during a morning mountain bike ride, a friend convinced me that we should start our own brewery. All our savings were poured into recipe development, branding, raw materials and a website and we contract brewed for the first two years, while we raised the funds for construction of our brewery.” Since that moment, Eben hasn’t looked back. The facility at Mad Giant now produces a range of five core beers, covering the craft beer “standards” - an IPA, a weiss, a pilsner, an amber ale, and an American pale ale. The last of those, dubbed the Killer Hop APA, is the beer Eben is most proud of. “I think it is a beautiful beer – balanced, approachable, flavourful and sessionable. And it won us a National Beer Trophy gold medal in 2017.” Eben’s brewing philosophy is simple. He wants big flavour in his beers, without sacrificing sessionability. “In South Africa you have to find the balance between the two. The market here is a lot smaller than the USA and very (commercial) brand loyal. We decided to stand out by building a brewery that people can visit and get a unique dining experience alongside their beer tasting. Hopefully in the process we can challenge the mind and senses.” Owner-brewer | Aegir Project Owner-brewer | Mad Giant RORY LANCELLAS | Age: 31 EBEN UYS | Age: 33 3 4 34 / On Tap / Autumn 2018