OnTap Magazine

nyone who follows me on the various social media platforms knows how passionate I am about this subject and sadly I often get accused of making an issue out of nothing as “beer sees no colour nor gender”. As idealised as this statement may be, sadly the reality is that our industry is still very much a “white boys’ club” and is not yet fully inclusive of all genders and races. Fortunately – or should that be unfortunately – this is not just a South African issue; it is a growing concern across the globe to a point that last year the US Brewers Association appointed its first Diversity Ambassador. So, the questions I am asking those of us who care about nurturing diversity in the SA beer scene are: is it OK that our booming industry continues being seen by some as being for a select few? Is it really for the select few? How do we get the industry to be more inclusive? Do we really want to force people into an industry that they might not actually want to be part of anyway? These are very important questions, which unfortunately I also don’t have answers to. I know things need to change but I also understand that it’s not an easy or straightforward thing to achieve. I can assure you that our industry is mainly made up of wonderful people who are neither racist nor sexist. These beer lovers don’t necessarily go out of their way to exclude anyone and mostly try to be as inclusive as they can be. We all know how through sharing a beer, strangers can end up being best of friends right? So why do I still say we have a problem? WE ALL LOVE BEER If you’ve been paying attention you’ll have noticed that on each Women’s Day for the past four years we as an industry have been showcasing the same ladies as “women in beer”. What are we doing to attract more ladies into the industry? I know of breweries that go out looking to hire female brewers, but sadly as an industry we just don’t have enough experienced and qualified brewers especially those who are female. On the other end, I know of ladies who were once within the industry and chose to leave. The truth is that all beer related jobs/careers, whether brewing or sales, distribution and retail are all very physically demanding, involve working unsociable hours and can be emotionally draining too. The beer industry is definitely not for everyone. We’ve also had various campaigns in the past like #SheLovesBeer, which aims to celebrate women within the industry and break the stereotypes that exist. These campaigns have received very good reviews and feedback while they run, but what happens thereafter? Do such campaigns really achieve the desired long lasting impact? Does the industry support such campaigns to ensure their objectives are met long after they end? When we talk of brewers of colour within the industry, we seem to be counting the same people we have been counting for the past three years – Mohit of X! Brewing company representing the Indian community, Ivor Swartz (Kleurlingbierman) and Byron Damonze (Hog House) representing the coloured community, Lethu of Ukhamba Beerworx representing the black people of Cape Town, Tsikwe on Stimela Brewing Co and myself representing the black people of Gauteng and around. I must admit there have been a few more black-owned breweries opening in the last few years - like the Airport Craft Brewers, Sharpeville Breweries, Impi Brewing Company, Embombi Lager and Mamelodi Lager to name a few - which is very encouraging, but what is the industry doing to encourage more people to get involved? Those within the industry already, what are we doing to educate and invite others in? Is it even our role to? If we don’t, doesn’t that then mean we are simply creating a clique? I recall the very first beer festivals I attended back in 2011 – the Clarens Beer Festival and the Cape Town Festival of Beer. Sadly, the only non-white people there other than me, were the cleaners and the security guards. Fast forward to the 2019 Clarens Beer Festival, Capital Craft and Cape Town Festival of Beer and I got a nice warm fuzzy feeling as I walked through these festivals and saw groups of black, Indian and coloured men and women all enjoying themselves. For me that means we are definitely moving in the right direction. The progress might be a bit slow but it’s still progress, nonetheless. There is still a lot more to be done and I believe it is up to every one of us to bring about and influence that change. THE ISSUES Beer really is the glue that gels people together irrespective of their background, race or gender. 1 2 3 4 5 While I have no solutions to the diversity issue, I have collected some observations over the years: Most craft beer fanatics were introduced to the various beer styles while travelling through America, Europe and other countries. Not everyone has travelled the world and sadly South Africans are not avid travelers. Interestingly this is slowly changing. I have met many black beer drinkers who are now into IPAs, sour beers and other beer styles that they have encountered through their travels. Ensuring inclusivity is a two-way thing; a give-and-take kind of relationship. There has been a number of craft beer festivals organised in Soweto, Alex and Gugulethu but they had very poor attendance. One can’t take what works in Fourways or Sea Point then copy and paste into Gugs or Alex. Organisers need to research and understand this new audience and adapt their concept accordingly. Most people in South Africa have only been exposed to the big brands and know these as “beer”. Now you’re trying to sell them “craft beer” which not only tastes different but is way more expensive than what they’re used to so obviously you’re going to get some resistance. This is interestingly something many of the bigger microbreweries are starting to really understand and capitalise on. Brewing companies should really proof-read their marketing material and check that they don’t intentionally or unintentionally target or exclude a specific group of people. APIWE'S FESTIVAL EXPERIENCES 58 | Spring 2019 | ontapmag.co.za