OnTap Magazine

RAISE A GLASS DANIE ODENDAAL I t was with shock and sadness that the industry took note of Gerrie Brits’ passing recently. The retired hop breeder of The South African Breweries hop farms was, quite simply, a legend. Early in January 1999 I was a whipper- snapper fresh out of university. I had just got appointed as a trainee brewer for The South African Breweries. In February of that year, the company bundled us on a plane and sent us to the hop farms to start our journey of learning the beer business. On day one, an energetic and enigmatic man was introduced to us in a hushed but respectful tone: Gerrie Brits. There was an almost immediate realisation of why this man was so revered by his colleagues during his talk on hop breeding in SA. Gerrie Brits lived and breathed hops. Gerrie started with the hop farms in 1981 and retired 30 years later a legend. In 1985 he headed up the local hop research and breeding programme and in the years that followed, with his vision and forward thinking, various varieties like Southern Promise – a dual purpose hop – and Southern Star – a super high alpha bittering variety – were developed. When SAB had no aroma hops on their horizon, Gerrie went ahead and developed a programme, carefully nurturing it even though he didn’t have any real support for it. Then suddenly craft was the buzz word and Gerrie was ready with Southern Passion and African Queen. If you consider that it takes 10 to 13 years to develop a new hop variety, A FOND FAREWELL TO A HUMBLE LEGEND you realise that there was some real forward thinking on Gerrie’s part. Gerrie was instrumental in developing unique varieties adapted to South Africa’s shorter days and mild winter climate. He was an integral part of the local and international hop landscape. Gerrie pioneered the plant protection system for the local industry as well as a collaboration programme with other hop producing countries. Our hops are unique in the world as they have very few pests and diseases in comparison to those in other countries. Gerrie made it his mission to prepare new breeding programs that incorporated as much resistance to diseases, just in case. If you were ever at an airport outside South Africa and you saw a pair of shoes at the boarding gate, you knew Gerrie was on his way back home. He never wanted to take the chance to bring anything back to our hop fields from another hop-producing country. Due to his passion for hops, collaborations with other countries and his contribution to hop breeding, Gerrie’s was knighted into the International Order of the Hop. He used to gush all embarrassed and dismiss us every time we introduced him as Sir Gerrie Brits and we took every opportunity to do so. We did it as he was our legend, not just to those in the hop community but also among us as the brewers. In 2005 he was awarded the prestigious “Brewing Legend” status by SAB in recognition of exceptional achievement and contribution to the brewmaster’s art. This status is not easily achieved and is normally reserved for the brewers in the company. It was always inspiring to listen to Gerrie speak about hops and the industry during work hours but also socially. He loved hops so much and his passion for the plant shone across the world. Gerrie, we will miss you and we’ll remember you fondly whenever we walk through those hop fields that you helped to create. 10 | Spring 2019 | ontapmag.co.za