OnTap Magazine

ontapmag.co.za | Spring 2025 | 1 Letter from the Editor A s this year’s Spring edition hits the shelves, we are very much into that gloriously unpredictable period lled with unexpected sunny days and the beauty of the renewing natural world around us. Regardless of the risk of short, but potentially strong bouts of hay fever, or being caught out by the slightly more potent than expected sunshine, this uncertainty brings hope and most likely a few idyllic braais with friends and family. ere is a promise of summer in the warming air, the days are getting longer, and there is a sudden realisation that a beer would go down pretty well, right about now. With this inmind, we have packed this edition with new and some reinvented ideas. Whether you inadvertently or intentionally pair beer with music, food or literature, hopefully you enjoy what our writers have put together. After all, this is a community that spans the globe and we are proud to bring you voices from near and far in one publication. Our cover story tells the tale of an iconic South African brewery, Jack Black; from their humble beginnings to their current place around the South African braai. We also highlight the good that beer can do in our communities, with a look at the annual and charitable Ales for Tails festival in KwaZulu-Natal. For the adventurous travellers, we look at Central Asia’s beer scene, and we jet o to Yakima Valley in the USA. Back home, in our expanded Seen At section, we look at just how keen South Africans are to attend the ever-growing beer events in the heart of winter. (And attendance is also growing in ever-increasing numbers.) As always, we thank the advertisers and beer associations for their support of On Tap, South Africa’s very own beer magazine. Prost! Craig Claassen EDITOR