OnTap Magazine

44 | Autumn 2025 | ontapmag.co.za As the owner, founder and operator of Hazeldean Brewing Co., I am in the very fortunate position of allowing my passion for making quality beers lead my approach. In 2016, that passion produced our first Lambic Style beer through dumb luck, but also inspiration, guidance and wild yeast samples from Moritz Kallmeyer (Draymans Brewery) and Brendan Hart (Frontier Brewing Co.), both of whom were heading up their own barrel-aged wild beer programs at the time. This Plum Lambic Style went on to win a silver medal at the South African National Beer Trophy (SANBT) in 2017, and I remember thinking: “Hey, perhaps I’m onto something here; I need to get more beer into barrels!” Recognition is important because it boosts morale and serves as a compass, telling me when I’m on target or when I need to readjust my approach. Over the subsequent seven years, we received numerous awards from SANBT and the African Beer Cup (ABC) for our Plum, Apricot, Kriek (Cherry), Framboise (Raspberry) and Guese Lambic Styles as well as Wild American Ales. It was a time of taking risks and experimenting with souring methods, brewing ingredients and barrel ageing processes and I strongly believe that enthusiasm is still alive and well today at Hazeldean. The past three years have certainly seen a plethora of sour and ‘wild’ beers hitting the market, and as such competition has tightened at the SANBT and ABC; This is a good thing. In 2022, Soul Barrel Brewing received ABC’s “Best Beer in Africa” award for their Live Culture Grand Cru, followed by Richmond Hill Brewing Co. for their RHBC Barrel Aged Sour in 2023. In 2024, Soul Barrel struck again, winning the same accolade with their Ale of Origin African Lambic. All of this shows me that sour beer in South Africa is not only growing but they outperform their rival styles in competitions. One of the things I love about the South African craft beer industry is that there are so many like- minded individuals’ enthusiasm to feed off but most of all sharing knowledge and ideas and simply having fun while doing it. In my opinion, the more breweries that delve into experimenting with sour and wild beers, the better for the industry as a whole. As I write this, I can’t believe that Hazeldean Brewing Co. turns ten this year, and with seven of those years as a solid player in South Africa’s sour and wild beer scene, we are excited about what the next ten years might have in store! MY JOURNEY: Lambic beers are a prime example of this. Simply put, it involves leaving the wort exposed to the open environment overnight in a large shallow copper vessel, allowing it to cool and inocu- late natural microorganisms (local or endemic yeasts and bacteria) that drive fermentation and souring, creating its signature tart and funky flavours. Lambics are traditionally made in Belgium’s Pajottenland and Senne Val- ley. To preserve their authenticity and heritage, the European Union grants Lambic beers a Protected Geograph- ical Indication (PGI) status, ensuring only beers brewed in this region using traditional methods can be labelled as Lambic. Some of my favourite brew- eries using this method include Boon, Lambiek Fabriek, Timmermans, Brasse- rie Cantillon and Brouwerij 3 Fontein- en. While Lambic beers are a culturally protected appellation, the main Lambic bacteria and yeast strains have been isolated and banked and are available to the broader community to use as a mixed-fermentation technique which simulates a spontaneous-fermentation character result. Beers produced in this way cannot be termed Lambics (due to the PGI status) but may be referred to as Lambic Style. SPONTANEOUS FERMENTATION: