OnTap Magazine

44 | Spring 2025 | ontapmag.co.za Sponsors for Best Brew and Vibiest Stand included: Fermentis, Beyond Brewing, The Westville Warehouse, Beerguevara, WHC labs, Hillcrest Tops and Beerchamp who gave us the chance to grow the festival and give back to the brewers who had been so dedicated to the cause. Through the Beerchamp app (developed right here in South Africa) the public was able to pick their top 3 beers by a simple vote. No festival is complete without epic bands and their musical artistry who create the ultimate vibe for the day. Local KZN artists sponsor their time every year tomake Ales For Tails the success it is. This year’s bands included: Verandah Panda, The Kickstands, Broken Advocate, Tiaan Rivers Band, Phillip Taylor Band, Angst Party, Wah Wah Baby, Matt Gardiner, and the Gloucester Blues Project. WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR ALES FOR TAILS? 2026 will be the Ales for Tails’ 10th anniversary and the plan is to go big! The hope is to have more activities, more charities and more homebrew clubs getting involved in this do-good festival. The goal is to become the biggest community driven festival and the biggest homebrew festival in South Africa. We want to make a massive impact on the animal charities who do so much for these animals with various challenges. Keep a look out for date announcements and make this part of your beer calendar for August 2026! THE WINNERS! 1st Place: Danel White (Durban Home Brewers) with her Tiramisu Porter. 2nd Place: Dave Harrison (Durban Home Brewers) with his Spicey Honey Blonde. 3rd place: Danie Jansen (Henley Hoppers Home Brewers) with his Mad Dan’s Grumpy Bean Porter. The Vibiest Stand prize, went to Beyond Brewing for the second time, to take home the Adrian Garrett trophy. (This trophy is awarded every year in honour of Adrian Garrett, a homebrewing legend from the Durban Home Brew Club.)