OnTap Magazine

2 | Autumn 2026 | ontapmag.co.za Joya Taft-Dick EDITOR I t’s not an easy thing, writing about beer — Beer festivals! New beer releases! Award-winning beers! — when you can’t actually drink any. Alcohol consumption is of course discouraged during pregnancy, however, how thrilled was I to nd out that beer speci cally may help with lactation?! You can expect more from me on that subject in a future issue (is there research to back up this claim?). Or, perhaps you can just come nd me sitting at Foresters Arms or Barristers here in Cape Town sometime this Winter, nursing both an infant and a much-missed pint of Guinness. In the meantime, with this Autumn edition — and given the recent celebration of Valentine’s Day —we get to hear the story of how one couple fell in love over beer, and all these years later, still nd joy and connection through this shared passion. ere’s also a strong shared learning and collaboration element throughout this issue, whether that’s between craft breweries in East and South Africa, or between professional brewers and those brewing at home. You will read about how the homebrewing community can be a pipeline to commercial brewing, and how the two worlds can learn from and support one another. To that point, all homebrewers would do well to check out Marcel Harper’s Homebru column this issue, which distills some extremely concrete and helpful advice from award-winning brewer Nick Smith. We hear directly fromNick again in our Style Guide section, laying out what to know about barrel-aged beers. It must be noted that this year is also a big one for On Tap; our Spring issue will o cially be the 10th Anniversary edition. We will be commemorating this milestone all year in various ways, starting o with resident list maker Rob Cass’ look back at what’s changed in the world of beer over the last decade. And speaking of looking back, if you are a beer history nerd, you will likely enjoy my conversation with journalist, eductor, and author Tara Nurin, whose book on the history of women in beer was the very rst of its kind. Lastly, I want to acknowledge a few of our thoughtful and reliable contributors like Brian Leopold, who has for years been consistently writing reviews for this magazine, Marcel Harper whose Homebru column swings from informative to outright comical, Lotte Peplow, who keeps us abreast of what’s shaking with the Brewers Association, and Nick Smith, who responds with an enthusiastic ‘yes!’ whenever asked to write or be interviewed to share his knowledge with our readers. is magazine too is a collaborative e ort, and we wouldn’t have made it this far without the many who have contributed in some way, big or small, all these years. Cheers! Letter from the Editor