OnTap Magazine

12 | Autumn 2021 | ontapmag.co.za LUCY CORNE EVENT RECAP When I started South African National Beer Day in 2017 I was taken aback by the response. I had hoped to have perhaps 20 or so small events listed on the map in that inaugural year. We ended up with more than 50. As the years passed, events steadily rose, almost topping 200 in 2020. The hash tag trended on social media for four years in a row and the day was embraced by venues and beer lovers everywhere, from craft breweries in inner city Cape Town to casinos in the Eastern Cape and nightclubs near the Botswana border. is year, of course, was di erent. We were busy rolling out a “stay safe, celebrate at home” campaign when boom – the government hit us with a third alcohol ban. We quickly did the pandemic pivot and designed an all-new campaign largely focusing on homebrewing. And then boom – five days before the 5th annual SAN Beer Day, the ban was lifted and the pivoting recommenced. It was an extremely tricky campaign to run. e purpose of the day is to celebrate and support South Africa’s beer industry. And while the breweries had never needed out support more, the campaign – supported by BASA – needed to be ever mindful of the circumstances we found ourselves in. We tried to nd a way to support the few events that were announced while still urging responsible behaviour. We dearly wanted the public to support the beer industry but also needed to ensure the day was celebrated in a way that complied with Covid restrictions. On the day, we didn’t trend as we had in previous years, and that’s OK. Our events numbers took a 90% tumble, and that’s OK too. One of the main reasons we forged ahead despite the huge hurdles was to give the industry something light-hearted and cheery to look forward to. And although the posts weren’t as abundant as in previous years, it was heartening to see smiling brewers welcoming customers back to their taprooms. It was wonderful to see beer lovers across South Africa joining with the at-home beer fest idea, or attempting their rst homebrew and sharing the photos. It has been a long and often dreary 12 months for many of us, and a dire time for anyone working in the alcohol or hospitality industry. So while the day seemed wildly di erent this year, it really wasn’t. It was just beer doing what beer does – putting smiles on faces and bringing people together, even if that was only on a laptop screen or through a few posts on Instagram. SAN BEER DAY 2021 Luwazi Mkhize enjoys the at-home celebrations in Johannesburg No wristband, no entry to Zane Swano's backyard beerfest Tania Kühl cracks a Clockwork Märzen in KZN SAN Beer Day celebrations at Jack Black's Brewing Co.