OnTap Magazine

Letter from the Editor I believe I might have mentioned in all of my previous letters to you, the beer lover, what a privilege it is to be part of the beer industry in South Africa. With tourism being close to my heart, Beer Tourism being something in relative infancy, but rapidly growing, we have tried to place it in context by looking wide; to tell the story of beers from all around the world. South Africa is an exceptional place, we ght the odds regularly, small businesses regularly carry the weight of the economy on their shoulders. It is for these reasons that it is often easy to re ect inwards, to one’s daily struggles and to forget that the world is full of experiences from which we can learn. Craft Breweries are, overwhelmingly, small businesses.When you have those thoughts of buying local for reasons of investing in your local community, or because you have considered the environmental impact of imported goods, turn your thoughts to your local craft brewery. ey will most likely have a family-friendly venue, friendly face to greet you and a passionate brewer to guide you. And with that in mind and the onset of SA Tourism Month, we tip our caps to the early adopters of Beer Tourism in KwaZulu-Natal with a Beer Route map of the area. Our cover story, written by our very own Joya Taft-Dick, tells one story of South African beer, linking our very complicated history to the present. We travel to Sri Lanka, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom and look closer to home to explore our local ingredients; with the imaginary twist of a kaleidoscope, we try to showcase the mesmerising patterns of colour brought to our lives by beer culture, community and the economic possibilities that the industry embodies. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed putting it together. And, as always, a massive shoutout to the On Tap team, Beer Association of South Africa, advertisers and breweries that make this possible. Prost! Craig Claassen EDITOR ontapmag.co.za | Spring 2024 | 1