OnTap Magazine

The Beer Association of South Africa (BASA) successfully launched the ‘Brew Routes Weekend’ tours for 2023 in the Franschhoek Valley on the 27th and 28th of January 2023, and in Bloemfontein on the 10th and 11th of February 2023. The Franschhoek and Bloemfontein Brew Routes are two of seven beer routes featured as part of BASA’s Brew Routes campaign, which is focused on showcasing the over 140 world- class craft breweries located across South Africa. The first weekend was held in Franschhoek, and while the area is historically known for its wine farms, there are also a number of world-class breweries in the region. The BASA showcased three of these breweries, namely Hey Joe Brewery, Franschhoek Beer Company and Soul Barrel Brewing Company. Tour participants viewed a display of the brewing process at Hey Joe Brewery, which was followed by a food and beer pairing at Franschhoek Beer Company. The tour concluded with a tasting of the recently crowned “best beer in Africa” (at the 2022 Africa Beer Cup) at Soul Barrel Brewing Company. The second Brew Route weekend tour visited Bloemfontein, and visited three destinations. Beer tastings were held at East End Brewery and Famous Brew & Still. The tour concluded with a beer and food pairing at the Central University of Technology’s (CUT) Hotel School, and included an additional surprise stop on the way – which was at the Nelson Mandela Statue in Bloemfontein. The Free State is historically known for the Clarens Beer Festival which happens annually towards the end of February and has grown to become one of the premier events on the South African beer calendar. There are also four world class craft brew destinations situated in the province, which shows the growing interest for more craft breweries. We were extremely pleased to see the Bloemfontein Brew Routes weekend being sold out, highlighting that there is lots of interest from South Africans to discover what our craft brewing sector has to offer. The Covid-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on the tourism and hospitality industry in South Africa including the craft brewing sector. The establishment of “Brew Routes” has focused on encouraging local and international tourists to visit the many world class craft breweries located across South Africa and, in this way, support local businesses and jobs in the tourism industry. We plan to continue with Brew Routes weekends over the coming months to promote the amazing craft brewery routes located across South Africa. We will share more details of these weekends and encourage everyone to join us when we are visiting a Brew Route in your area. BASA KICKS OFF THE START OF THE 2023 ‘BREW ROUTES WEEKENDS’ FRANSCHHOEK AND BLOEMFONTEIN UNIVERSITY 8 | Autumn 2023 | ontapmag.co.za