OnTap Magazine

OT: So who is behind Hey Joe? AVZ: Gavin Magrath is the founder and CEO. He’s been homebrewing for the past 30 years and has a firm passion for Belgian beers. After cycling past La Croix Du Sud farm outside Franschhoek and seeing it was for sale, he decided that this would be the ideal location to build a brewery that would resemble a Belgian abbey and produce Belgian inspired beers. OT: Where does the name come from? AVZ: Gavin simply liked the name! Out of the name, Joe, a fictional character was born. Joe is everything that this brewery stands for, a celebration of going back to basics, a simpler life with an emphasis on quality, tradition and honesty. OT: What kind of beers can we expect? AVZ: Traditional Belgian styles with a strong South African touch. We also have a coolship and a barrel-aged series lined up to truly capture what nature has to offer in the Franschhoek valley. OT: Will the brewery offer food as well? AVZ: The brewery has a tap room called La Brasserie, which overlooks the brewhouse and fermentation area. Our chef Nicola Spilsbury has prepared a lovely Belgian-inspired menu to go with our range of beers. OT: What’s it been like being part of a project like this from the get-go? AVZ: A once in a lifetime opportunity. I am incredibly privileged that Gavin brought me on board in the very early stages of the project. It’s so rewarding to have worked with so many different people on one project – from cold room installation and welders to the architect and engineers. Each one has a passion for their own industry, their “craft”, and to see it all come together in one place is truly remarkable. OT: Have you been studying up on Belgian beers? AVZ: Belgian beers, Belgian brewing methods – we even went to Belgium to taste their beers and chat to the brewers. Our Belgian Brewmaster/engineer/consultant, Bert van Hecke, took us to some of the most famous Belgian breweries. It was so inspiring. Belgian brewers don’t make life too difficult for themselves. They use simple brewing techniques with the very best local ingredients and add tons of passion to make great tasting beers. OT: Howmany test batches have you done? AVZ: Hahaha – too many! In total I’ve done about 45 test brews. The main experiments were trying out different Belgian liquid yeast strains, some wild yeasts and bottle-conditioning yeasts. I also played around with different water sources and tweaking the water specifically to each beer style. Belgian beers are super interesting and creative. I feel like I have this massive blank canvas with a few beer stains which I need to complete. OT: There’s quite the brew route in Franschhoek now – is it easy to lure locals and wine-thirsty tourists away from their glasses of red? AVZ: People always like something new but to keep them coming back is the key. At Hey Joe we believe that offering something for the whole family is very important. The beer garden will have a playground area to keep the little ones busy while having nannies keeping an eye on them. We also have mountain biking and trail running routes departing from the brewery into the surrounding mountains. Franschhoek is getting a new brewery! Hey Joe Brewing Co. is due to open in November. We chatted to head brewer Anja Van Zyl to find out more. 22 | Spring 2018 | ontapmag.co.za